Study

unit 1 Learning vocabulary

A Using this book

It’s a good idea to have a routine when you use this book. [something you do often and usually in
the same way] For example:
• a weekly routine when you study a new unit for at least [not less than] 30–45 minutes;
• a daily routine when you revise that unit. [study it again] You may only need to revise for
five or ten minutes each time.

1.1 Over to you

Write your answers.
1 How often can you spend at least half an hour or forty- five minutes on a unit?

2 How often can you revise? How much time can you spend when you revise? Where will you
do it?

B Studying a new unit

When you are studying a unit for the first time, you need to be active when you are learning.
• With a new word or phrase, say it aloud [speak it so you can hear it], and repeat it to yourself
silently [in your head, not speaking]. If you have the eBook that goes with the book, use it to
check the pronunciation.
• Use a highlighter pen to mark words you think are important or difficult.
• Write down new words and phrases in your notebook. (See Unit 2 for
more information.)
• Always try to write an example sentence for new words. You can choose an example
from this book or a dictionary, but an example from your own life will often help you to
remember a word, e.g. I shared a flat with an Australian girl when I was in London last year.
• Do exercises in pencil, then you can rub them out (using a rubber) and do them again later.
This is a good way to revise vocabulary.

1.2 Over to you

Write your answers.
1 Which of these things do you do now when you are learning vocabulary?

2 What will you do in the future?

C Revising a unit
When you are revising a unit one or two days later, it is also important to be as active as possible.
• Test yourself, e.g. look at a word and cover the meaning. Can you remember what the
meaning is? If you can’t, check the meaning, then come back to the word in five minutes’
time and test yourself again.
• Look at what you wrote in your notebook when you first studied the unit. Is there any new
information you want to add, e.g. something about the pronunciation, or a common word
partner? (See Unit 2.)
• Diagrams may help you to organise some of the vocabulary differently, and help you to remember it.

8 English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and intermediate

 Who took Let’s take a 1.3 Over to you
1 Study
unit
my pen? break now.
Write your answers.
1 Do you revise vocabulary that you study? If so,
take
how often?
I took notes What size shoes
during the lecture. do you take? 2 Will you try to revise more often in the future?
If so, will you use some of the ideas above?

D Expanding* your vocabulary

• When you learn a word, e.g. dirty, think of synonyms (syn) [words with a similar meaning] or
opposites (opp) in your language. Look them up in a bilingual dictionary to find the English
words, then look up the English words in an English dictionary to check the meaning. From
this, you will find that the opposite of dirty is clean, and you may also find filthy [very dirty].
* making something bigger

1.4 Using this method, find opposites for the words in bold.
1 My room is very clean. opp dirty
2 It’s a permanent job. opp
3 He was kind to all of his animals. opp
4 Babies have very soft, smooth skin. opp
5 Where’s the entrance? opp
6 Was the bird dead? opp
7 Did they accept the invitation? opp
• Building word families (see Units 70–72) will also help to expand your vocabulary. From a
noun, verb or adjective, you can often find related words in the dictionary with a similar
meaning. So, you can often learn two or three words, and not just one, e.g. argue v = have
an angry discussion; n = argument.
1.5 Use a dictionary to find the related parts of speech for the words in bold.
1 She gave me some advice. verb advise
2 We mustn’t argue. noun
3 I will have to revise this unit. noun
4 Is there a choice? verb
5 I want to expand my vocabulary. noun
6 The two boys are very different. noun verb
7 They need to communicate more. noun adj
• Try to read and listen to English as much as possible. The more you read and listen, the
more you will learn. When you read, try to:
– Highlight or underline interesting new words.
– Highlight words if they are familiar but you can’t remember the meaning.
• There is a lot of spoken English on the Internet which you can play again and again.
Try to make a note of interesting words and look up the meaning.

1.6 Over to you

Now choose a unit that interests you. Study the left-hand page, then do the exercises in
pencil. Wait for at least 24 hours, revise the unit, then answer these questions.
1 How many answers did you get right the first time?
2 How many answers did you get right the second time?

English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and intermediate 9

Study
unit 2 Keeping a vocabulary notebook

A What do you do?

This is what some students do. cup saucer mug

RAFAEL I write down new English words and phrases in my notebook, and
next to each one I write a Spanish translation. I usually write down if
a word is a noun, verb, adjective, and so on.

KAZUO I sometimes write a word in phonemics because English pronunciation

is very difficult for me. But my notebook is a mess [nothing is in a good
order; syn untidy]. I like to draw pictures.

EUN I sometimes make a note of new words in my notebook, but I often

forget [don’t remember]. I usually write a translation, and sometimes I
write example sentences as well.

ANDREY I’ve got a notebook. I don’t use it much but when I do, I try and list words
by topic, so I put all the animals together, and all the clothes words
together, and so on. I find it’s easier to remember the words this way.

DONATA I note down new words and phrases. Sometimes I translate them
into Polish, and sometimes I write an explanation [a description of what
something means] in English if it is not difficult. For example:
kitten – a very young cat

B Tips for your notebook

A tip is a piece of advice to help you. Here are some tips for your notebook.
• Put words from one topic in the same place, e.g. food in one place, clothes in another, etc. Don’t
mix them up [put them together with no order]. You can also have grammar topics, e.g. ‘uncountable
nouns’, or a page for words that all have a connection, e.g. words and phrases that were all in a
story you read in English. Some words and phrases will go in more than one topic.
• If you can’t find a topic for a new word or phrase, e.g. useful or in particular, put them in a different place
in your notebook, e.g. a page for each day or each week, or perhaps one page for every English lesson
you have. Write the date clearly at the top, e.g. Monday 14th May.
• When you write down new vocabulary, write a translation if it is necessary [you need it; opp
unnecessary], but also write the meaning in English if it is possible, or draw pictures.
• If possible, add synonyms, opposites, other parts of speech, etc. (See Unit 1.)
awful adj = terrible (syn dreadful)
enjoy v = like something and get pleasure from it n = enjoyment adj = enjoyable
• Example sentences help you with the grammar of a word, or with word partners (collocations).
I enjoy living in a big city. (NOT I enjoy to live in a big city.) (See Units 87–8.)
I spent two weeks in Rome. (NOT I passed two weeks in Rome. You spend time in a place.)
(See Unit 74.)
• Remember, words often have more than one meaning that you need to know, e.g. a tip is also
money that you give, for example, to a waiter for serving you in a restaurant.

10 English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and intermediate

 Exercises 2 Study
unit
2.1 Organise the words into the topics below. One word can go in two different topics.
Use a dictionary to help you.

diet branch lay the table count v dig v ground flour add up
raw leaf minus butcher thousand frozen zero butterfly

food garden numbers

diet

2.2 Explain these words in English, or draw a picture, or if you think an explanation is too
difficult and a drawing is not possible, write a translation instead.
1 raw not cooked
2 dig
3 butcher
4 leaf
5 flour
6 lay the table
7 add up
8 minus
2.3 What information could you include with these words? The answers are all on the
opposite page.
1 forget opposite – remember
2 awful
3 necessary
4 translate
5 tip
6 enjoy

2.4 Over to you

Answer the questions. If possible, compare your answers with someone else.
1 Look again at what the students said on the opposite page. What are the good things that
they do? Underline them.
2 Do you do all of these things?
3 Is there anything you don’t do now, but will do in the future?

4 At the moment, which person’s notebook is most like your notebook?

5 What are the most useful tips on the opposite page for you?

English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and intermediate 11