Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

16 EVENTS
Page 141 there was a buffet, and everyone helped themselves |
a cold buffet (with only cold food) | a buffet meal | they
ceremony  /ˈserəməni/ Noun serve a good breakfast buffet at the hotel
a ceremony is a formal event which involves a traditional
set of actions chat  /tʃæt/ Verb
Collocates:  a wedding/funeral ceremony if you chat, you talk to someone in a friendly and
informal way
they were married in a religious ceremony last weekend |
wedding ceremonies are frequently performed in Collocates:  chat to someone
the park | the opening ceremony of the Olympic it was nice to see people and chat at the party | we
Games | over 2000 guests attended the ceremony at chatted for a while before his train arrived | she spent
Westminster Abbey the journey chatting to her aunt on the phone
Adjective:  ceremonial Noun:  chat | Adjective:  chatty
a ceremonial parade will take place in Moscow on Collocates:  a chat with someone
May 8th Nice to see you! Have you got time for a chat? | I
had a long chat with the neighbour yesterday | my
parade  /pəˈreɪd/ Noun
granddaughter’s only three but she’s very chatty (talks
a parade is a big event when a lot of people or vehicles
a lot)
go through the streets of a town as part of a big
celebration clear  /klɪə(r)/ Verb
the parade will set off from the Town Hall | a military if you clear a place, you make it empty by removing
parade | the parade took over an hour to pass by the everything from it
front of our shop | there were street parades, followed the second DJ completely cleared the dance floor |
by fireworks in the evening police cleared the area around the accident | will you
help me clear the table? | I had to clear a space on my
religious  /rəˈlɪdʒəs/ Adjective
desk for the new computer
someone who is religious believes in a god and follows
the rules of a particular religion. A religious activity is one convert  /kənˈvɜː(r)t/ Verb
that is organised by a particular religion if you convert something, you make it into something
a religious ceremony | many of them were deeply different
religious | many religious leaders disagreed with the Collocates:  convert something into something
government | she taught religious education in the local
it used to be a factory, but they converted it into an
school
events venue a few years ago | the house has been
Noun:  religion converted into flats | our house used to be a school
they did not belong to any organised religion | she before it was converted | they’ve just moved into a
taught us to respect all religions converted church
Noun:  conversion
Pages 142–143 we’ve had a loft conversion done (the space under the
background  /ˈbækˌɡraʊnd/ Adjective roof has been made into a room)
if an object is in the background, it is behind the main distant  /ˈdɪstənt/ Adjective
thing you are looking at. Sounds you can hear but are if someone is distant, they are not very friendly or
not listening to are in the background interested in the people around them
Collocates:  background music | background noise | in they were a bit cold and distant, to be honest | he’s
the background become rather distant since he lost his job | his father
it was good background music | the TV was on in the stood silent, looking distant
background | you could see it in the background | the
dance music continued in the background gorgeous  /ˈɡɔː(r)dʒəs/ Adjective
someone who is gorgeous is very attractive. Something
bowl  /bəʊl/ Noun that is gorgeous is beautiful or tastes wonderful
a bowl is a round, deep dish with an open top that you Collocates:  absolutely/utterly gorgeous | drop-dead
use to serve food gorgeous
a few bowls of olives | a glass bowl | a wooden bowl | he his new girlfriend is absolutely gorgeous | you look drop-
poured some soup into the bowls dead gorgeous! (extremely attractive) | thank you for the
buffet  /ˈbʊfeɪ/ Noun flowers, they’re gorgeous | a gorgeous chocolate cake |
a buffet is a meal at a social event or in a hotel or what a gorgeous day!
restaurant in which people take food from a large table
and sit somewhere else to eat it

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 Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

impressive  /ɪmˈpresɪv/ Adjective the evening setting up her new computer | I run the
something that is impressive is very good and makes company now, but it was my father who set it up
you admire it
supposed  /səˈpəʊzd/ Adjective
the organisation of the whole event was very impressive |
if something is supposed to happen, it has been planned
his piano playing was really impressive | an impressive
and is meant to happen in a particular way. If you say
achievement | the view from the hotel towards the Tower
that something is supposed to be true, most people
of London was impressive
believe it, although you are not sure
Adverb:  impressively | Verb:  impress
Collocates:  supposed to be
an impressively large collection of CDs | her singing
don’t tell her about the party – it’s supposed to be a
really impressed me | we were very impressed by the
surprise | I haven’t read it, but it’s supposed to be a
food in the restaurant
really good book | you’re supposed to buy a ticket
mix  /mɪks/ Verb before you get on the train | he was supposed to be
if you mix at a social occasion, you move around talking coming home for the weekend but his car broke down
to lots of different people rather than just talking to one
surprise  /sə(r)ˈpraɪz/ Noun
or two people the whole time
a surprise is something exciting or shocking that
No-one was really mixing at the party | she was very shy happens which you did not expect
and found it difficult to mix
Collocates:  by surprise
occasion  /əˈkeɪʒ(ə)n/ Noun don’t tell her about the party – it’s meant to be a
an occasion is an event that is important surprise | it was a pleasant surprise to get your email |
Collocates:  a special occasion | mark the occasion the question took me by surprise | he paid a surprise
visit to his brother in Manchester
what was the occasion for the party? Was it someone’s
birthday? | I only wear this dress on special occasions | Verb:  surprise | Adjective:  surprising |
how are we going to celebrate the occasion? | a tree Adjective:  surprised | Adverb:  surprisingly
was planted to mark the occasion of the Queen’s visit the news surprised us all | the ending of the film was
really surprising | it was rather surprising to get a letter
pick at  /ˈpɪk ˌæt/ Phrasal verb from her after 15 years | he looked surprised when I
if you pick at food, you eat only small amounts of it told him who I was | I was really surprised how much I
there were some crisps for guests to pick at | I wasn’t enjoyed the film | it’s surprisingly easy to make a cake
hungry so I didn’t eat the chicken and just picked at the
salad venue  /ˈvenjuː/ Noun
a venue is the place where an event is happening or is
reception  /rɪˈsepʃ(ə)n/ Noun going to happen
a reception is a big formal party for a celebration such as it’s an amazing venue for a party | a perfect venue for
a wedding, or in order to welcome someone somewhere weddings | a popular concert venue | the World Cup is
Collocates:  a wedding reception | an official reception | held at various venues across the country
hold a reception
my brother’s holding his wedding reception on a boat | Pages 144–145
a reception for 500 people was held in the evening | we
were welcomed to the conference at a reception in the age  /eɪdʒ/ Noun
town hall | the couple were given £2,000 towards their you can refer to certain periods of time as a particular
wedding reception (to help pay for it) Age. For example, the period when people used stone
for making things is called the Stone Age. A later period
round  /raʊnd/ Adverb is called the Iron Age because people discovered iron
if you have people round, they come to your home on a and used it to make tools, weapons etc.
social visit Collocates:  the Stone/Bronze/Iron Age | the Age of
Collocates:  have someone round | come round | go round Steam | the Atomic/Nuclear Age
I had a few friends round for dinner | why don’t you people have lived in the region since the Stone Age | the
come round on Thursday after work? | we’re going round 1960s were known as the Space Age (because people
to the neighbours’ tonight to hear about their holiday started exploring space and went to the Moon for the
first time) | the 19th century was the age of steam and
ruin  /ˈruːɪn/ Verb steel | the Nuclear Age
to ruin something means to spoil it completely
there was a big argument which ruined the rest of the civil war  /ˌsɪv(ə)l ˈwɔː(r)/ Noun
evening for me | the rain ruined my shoes | I know it will a civil war is a war fought between groups of people
just ruin my life if I don’t get in to university | I was so late within one country
for the interview it ruined my chances of getting the job the English civil war was nearly 400 years ago | after the
revolution of 1917, Russia faced several years of civil
set up  /ˌset ˈʌp/ Phrasal verb war | he fought in the Spanish civil war
if you set something up, you make all the necessary
preparations for it to start and to work properly communist  /ˈkɒmjʊnɪst/ Adjective
we’ve set up a new website | she wants to set up her communism is the political system that controlled Russia
own business when she finishes university | she spent and the Soviet Union from 1917, and a lot of Eastern

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 Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

Europe from 1945 until 1991. They had a communist in 2005, the company exported 20,000 tons of steel |
political system, and that period in their history is the last year we sent over £2 billion pounds of exports to
communist period Europe
in 1920, Kazakhstan became part of the communist
force  /fɔː(r)s/ Verb
Soviet Union | the communist party of the Soviet Union |
to force someone to do something means to make them
fears of a communist revolution | the formerly communist
do it even though they really do not want to
countries of Poland and Bulgaria
Collocates:  force someone to do something
Noun:  communism | Noun:  communist
the last Kazakh nomads were forced to live on farms or
Russian communism came to an end in 1991 | under
work in industry | my parents never tried to force me to
communism, there was no private property (everything
go to university | I forced myself to get out of bed at five
belonged to the state) | she became a communist during
o’clock | there’s no point trying to force me. I won’t pay
the war
you a penny
economic  /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ Adjective
free spirit  /ˌfriː ˈspɪrɪt/ Noun
a country’s economy is all the business activity that goes
a free spirit is someone who does only what they want to
on and the money that is moving around the country.
do and does not behave in the way people are expected
Things related to the economy are economic
to behave. If you call someone a free spirit, you admire
there were political and economic problems in the them because of the way they live
country | the economic situation is getting worse | our
the name for Kazakhstan comes from a word for “free
economic policy is failing | an economic crisis (serious
spirit” | as a child she had been very wild, a free spirit |
problems for business activity)
Bev was a free spirit and always said exactly what she
Noun:  economy | Noun:  economics thought
the economy is recovering after the crisis of 2008 |
free-market economics (where the government does not friendship  /ˈfren(d)ʃɪp/ Noun
control business activity) friendship is the state of being someone’s friend and the
feelings friends have for each other
empire  /ˈempaɪə(r)/ Noun Collocates:  develop a friendship (with someone) | a
an empire is a group of countries that is controlled by close friendship
just one country. An empire is also a group of companies
on 22nd March, we celebrate friendship and unity | after
controlled by one person or organisation
12 years, we met up again and renewed our friendship |
the Roman Empire lasted about 500 years | the ancient she developed a strong friendship with Picasso | it was
Egyptians established a huge empire | Murdoch created the beginning of a lifelong friendship (a friendship that
a global business empire lasted all their life) | their close friendship ended only
Noun:  emperor | Noun:  empress | Adjective:  imperial when Joshua died
Napoleon liked to call himself emperor | he took his Noun:  friend | Adverb:  friendly
orders directly from the empress Catherine | Britain’s Collocates:  a close friend | best friend
imperial past
Charles became a close friend while we were in
establish  /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ Verb Switzerland | I was so sad when my best friend moved to
to establish something means to start it or build it so that Hull | I still have lots of friends from my schooldays | our
it will last for a long time new neighbours are very friendly
London was established by the Romans | my grandfather grass  /ɡrɑːs/ Noun uncount
established the company in 1963 | a committee was grass is a low green plant that grows all over the ground.
established to check the work of the engineers | it was It is made up of thin pointed green leaves
an all-boys school when it was established, but now it
they moved around to find grass and water for their
takes girls too
animals | the snake disappeared in the long grass | he’s
Noun:  establishment cutting the grass in the back garden | it had rained in the
the first business establishments here opened in night and the grass was still wet | all cows eat grass
1905 | he left all his money to the city’s educational Adjective:  grassy
establishments
a quiet, grassy lane led up to the church | the children
exporter  /ɪkˈspɔː(r)tə(r)/ Noun ran down the grassy hillside
an exporter is a company or country that sells goods to
independent  /ˌɪndɪˈpendənt/ Adjective
other countries. Countries or companies that buy goods
if a country is independent, it controls itself and does not
from other countries are importers
have another country ruling it
Kazakhstan is also an exporter of other natural
Collocates:  become independent
resources | Thailand is one of the world’s largest rice
exporters | Asia’s oldest car exporter | Japan is one of the United States became independent in 1776 |
the largest importers of wood products in the world | Mugabe is the only leader Zimbabwe has had since it
by 2020 the US will be a net exporter of gas (it will sell became independent
more gas abroad than it buys from other countries) Noun:  independence
Verb:  export | Noun:  export

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Collocates:  gain independence Noun:  Muslim

Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991 | the country I was the only Muslim in my class at school | a mosque is
is fighting for its independence a building where Muslims go to pray

invade  /ɪnˈveɪd/ Verb occupy  /ˈɒkjʊpaɪ/ Verb

when an army invades a country, it goes in there and to occupy a country means to stay and control it after
tries to take control of the country by fighting invading it
the Vikings first invaded Britain in 786 | 20,000 soldiers the Vikings eventually occupied half the country | Macau
were waiting for the order to invade | Napoleon invaded was previously occupied by Portugal | the Channel
Russia in 1812 Islands were the only parts of Britain to be occupied
Noun:  invasion | Noun:  invader during the last war
Collocates:  launch an invasion Noun:  occupation
the German invasion of Russia was launched on during the occupation no one was allowed to leave
22 June 1941 | the invasion was successful and a new the city
government was set up | the invaders took control of the
parliament  /ˈpɑː(r)ləmənt/ Noun
whole country within weeks | the invasion was launched
a parliament is a group of people who have been
(started) on June 6th
chosen to make the laws and govern a country. In the
Islam  /ˈɪslɑːm/ Noun uncount English Civil War, Parliament was all the people who did
Islam is the religion that follows the teachings of not want the king to control the country, but who wanted
Mohammed. People who belong to this religion are to choose a group of people to rule
called Muslims she was elected to parliament in 2010 | the Houses
Islam was introduced to the region in the eighth century | of Parliament (where the group of people meets) | a
major world religions, such as Christianity, Islam and member of parliament | three weeks before the election,
Judaism parliament is dissolved (stops meeting until after the
election)
Adjective:  Islamic
Adjective:  parliamentary
he studied Islamic law | an Islamic school in Ankara
parliamentary elections are due next year
key  /kiː/ Adjective
a key event, thing, or person is one that is very important party  /ˈpɑː(r)ti/ Noun
in a particular situation a political party is an organised group that tries to get
elected and become the government in a country
two key events had an important influence on the region |
a key figure in the French Revolution | a key part of the she joined the Labour party when she was 16 | the two
course is the two weeks work experience on a farm | main parties each got over 40% of the votes | Corbyn
write down the three key points from chapter 1 was 66 when he became party leader | a party political
broadcast (a short programme on television or radio
king  /kɪŋ/ Noun where a political party tries to persuade people to vote
a king is a man who rules a country, and whose son or for them)
daughter will rule after he dies. A woman who rules a
country in this way is a queen. In Britain, the queen is political  /pəˈlɪtɪk(ə)l/ Adjective
the head of the country, but she has a parliamentary politics is the work of getting power and running a
government that makes the laws country. Things that are to do with politics are political,
and the people involved are politicians
the king was killed in 1649 | Henry VIII is probably the
most famous English king | a list of all the English kings there were political problems for a while | our political
and queens since 1066 system needs to change | his political career ended
when he lost the election in 1997 | there were two main
leader  /ˈliːdə(r)/ Noun political parties in the country |
the leader of an organised group is the person who Adverb:  politically | Noun:  politics | Noun:  politician
is in charge of it and who is responsible for all the big
she was politically active at university | he went into
decisions
politics because he wanted to improve people’s lives |
political and religious leaders joined together to agree we spent the evening arguing about politics | people
a plan of action | the leader of the Scottish Nationalist don’t always trust politicians | Barack Obama was the
Party gave a speech in Edinburgh last night | effective most famous politician in the world
schools need effective leaders | Churchill was a great
leader producer  /prəˈdjuːsə(r)/ Noun
Verb:  lead | Noun:  leadership a producer of something is a company or country that
makes that thing or that takes it out of the ground
she led a team of 12 scientists | under his leadership,
the school improved enormously Collocates:  a producer of something
Kazakhstan is now the 11th largest producer of oil and
Muslim  /ˈmʊsləm/ Adjective gas in the world | Scotland is a major producer of wood
a Muslim is someone who belongs to the religion of
Verb:  produce
Islam. Muslim traditions and beliefs are based on Islam
they produce 20 tons of paper a week | Kazakhstan is
Iran is a Muslim country | a Muslim religious leader |
an important oil-producing country
Muslim teachers | she was born into a Muslim family
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 Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

rapidly  /ˈræpɪdli/ Adverb trade  /treɪd/ Noun uncount

if something happens rapidly, it happens very quickly trade is the business activity of buying and selling or
the population grew rapidly | things improved rapidly goods
after the election | the disease can spread very rapidly Talaz was a city on the Silk Road trade route | our
Adjective:  rapid company does a lot of trade with China | a trade
delegation (a group of business people who go to
a period of rapid population growth
another country to try and encourage more trade) | he
region  /ˈriːdʒ(ə)n/ Noun believes in free trade (the ability to buy and sell goods
a region is a large area of a country with another country without paying taxes when goods
go into a country) | we need to increase trade with
people have lived in the region for thousands of years | it
Europe | the tourist trade (the business of making money
can get very cold in the northern and eastern regions of
by encouraging tourists to visit an area)
Russia | beyond this region lie the great nations of Asia |
coastal regions (near the sea) have a lower temperature | Verb:  trade | Noun:  trader
he wrote a book about German regions and cities Collocates:  trade with someone
Adjective:  regional we trade with companies in 17 countries | they earned a
a regional government | regional cooperation is strong living as shopkeepers and traders
and improving
unique  /juːˈniːk/ Adjective
resource  /rɪˈzɔː(r)s/ Noun if something is unique, there is only one of it, and there
resources are things that you have and can use. Natural is nothing else that is the same
resources are things like coal, gas, oil, iron, etc. that are the unique Kazakh culture developed over the next
in the ground and that can be taken out and used 200 years | this is a unique opportunity | the band had
they are an exporter of natural resources | the country a unique style of music | I met a lot of interesting and
is rich in natural resources | the university library is a unique people
fantastic resource Adverb:  uniquely
her language ability makes her uniquely qualified for the
route  /ruːt/ Noun
job (no one else has the same skills as her)
a route is the roads and direction you follow to get from
one place to another -wing  /wɪŋ/ Noun
the Silk Road trade route went through Talaz | I’m going in politics, people who are on the left-wing have ideas
to try a different route when we go to Scotland next that are based on socialism and equality. People on the
week | what’s the shortest route home from here? | it’s right-wing believe in capitalism
important to plan your route before you set off | we took Michael Foot was a politician on the left-wing of the
the scenic route (not the fastest way, but the prettiest) Labour party, while Tony Blair was on the right-wing | she
thought that Johnson was too right-wing so she didn’t
rule  /ruːl/ Verb
vote for him
to rule a country means to have power and control
over it
Collocates:  rule over something Pages 146–147
America was once ruled by Britain | Queen Elizabeth I come up  /ˌkʌm ˈʌp/ Phrasal verb
ruled for nearly 45 years | Stalin ruled over Russia and when the sun comes up, it appears in the sky at the
another 14 Soviet republics beginning of the morning and it becomes light. At the
Noun:  rule | Noun:  ruler end of the day, the sun goes down and it becomes dark
Collocates:  be under someone’s rule we reached the peak just as the sun was coming up | I
watched the sun come up then went inside for breakfast
the area was under British rule for 200 years | the region
is under military rule (controlled by the army, not by Opposite – Phrasal Verb:  go down
civilian politicians) | her rule was firm but fair | Peter the we hurried home, hoping to get back before the sun
Great was a strong ruler went down

shortage  /ˈʃɔː(r)tɪdʒ/ Noun consider  /kənˈsɪdə(r)/ Verb

if there is a shortage of something, there is not enough if you consider something, you think about it carefully
of it before making a decision
Collocates:  a shortage of something Collocates:  consider doing something
there were serious food shortages during the winter | have you considered going to university? | I considered
many companies are facing staff shortages (not enough taking the job, but in the end decided to go travelling for
workers) | there’s a shortage of teachers in London a year | you should consider your decision carefully, then
Adjective:  short ring me to let me know
Collocates:  be short of something | run short of Noun:  consideration
something Collocates:  give consideration to something | under
I’m a bit short of cash at the moment. Can you lend me consideration
£10? | if you’re short of carrots, just use more potato | they gave serious consideration to the idea of opening a
they were running short of petrol new shop in Leeds | after long consideration, the judge

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 Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

decided not to send him to prison | two new laws are one of my biggest regrets was that I missed his
under consideration memorial service | he has finally expressed regret for his
unacceptable behaviour | I had no regrets at all about
controversial  /ˌkɒntrəˈvɜː(r)ʃ(ə)l/ Adjective leaving school before the exams
if something or someone is controversial, different
Verb:  regret
people hold different opinions about them very strongly
and cannot agree about them Collocates:  regret that | regret doing something
Collocates:  highly/deeply controversial | a controversial she sometimes regrets the decisions she has made | I
subject/issue/topic | a controversial decision regret what happened that day in Rome | he regretted
sending the email while he was still angry
he was a controversial figure, but I liked him | the
government has done a few controversial things restore  /rɪˈstɔː(r)/ Verb
recently | a highly controversial issue | a controversial if you restore something that was broken or not working
politician | the referee made a number of controversial properly, you repair it or do something so that it starts
decisions | his controversial remarks were reported on working normally again
radio and TV
luckily, my sight was restored | we must restore peace
Adverb:  controversially | Noun:  controversy to the country after the war | the church has been
Collocates:  cause controversy beautifully restored
controversially, there were no women teachers in the Noun:  restoration
school | the proposals caused a lot of controversy the doctor couldn’t promise complete restoration of my
hearing | restoration of the cathedral took over 20 years
experimental  /ɪkˌsperɪˈment(ə)l/ Adjective
an experiment is a scientific test that you do to see what severely  /sɪˈvɪə(r)li/ Adverb
happens under certain conditions. Activities that you do severely means extremely badly
like this are experimental
my eyes had been severely damaged in an accident at
the medicine was still in the experimental stage | the work | he became severely depressed after losing his
experimental methods of Dr Hughes | an experimental job | two passengers were severely injured in the crash
research project | the experimental nature of his work |
Adjective:  severe | Noun:  severity
the experimental results were encouraging
there will be severe storms in the south of the country
Adverb:  experimentally | Verb:  experiment |
tomorrow | you should see a doctor if you’re suffering
Noun:  experiment
from severe chest pain | the severity of his illness
Collocates:  experiment on someone or something | worried his family
carry out/conduct an experiment
it has been proved experimentally that the plant will not sexual discrimination  /ˌsekʃuəl dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ Noun
grow in the dark | we experimented on rabbits before uncount
giving the drug to humans | I don’t think they should discrimination is behaviour that deliberately deals with a
carry out experiments on animals | we spent the whole person or group of people unfairly and unequally. Sexual
chemistry lesson doing just one experiment discrimination or sex discrimination is unfair treatment
of someone because of their gender (whether they are
grateful  /ˈɡreɪtf(ə)l/ Adjective male or female); racial discrimination is unfair treatment
if you are grateful to someone, you are glad that they of people because of the colour of their skin
have helped you or given you something Collocates:  racial/gender/sex discrimination
Collocates:  be/feel grateful to someone | be/feel grateful she fought for women’s rights and against sexual
for something discrimination | there was no evidence of racial
I’ll always be grateful to the doctor who saved my sight | discrimination in the school | although it’s not as common,
I’m grateful for all your help | I’d be very grateful if you men can also suffer from sex discrimination | discrimination
could phone me | the families were very grateful for the still happens, even though it’s against the law
work she did Verb:  discriminate
Adverb:  gratefully | Noun:  gratitude Collocates:  discriminate against someone
any suggestions will be gratefully received | he accepted some people say the new law discriminates against
my offer with gratitude women | he said the tax system discriminates against
small companies
peak  /piːk/ Noun
a peak is the top of a mountain sight  /saɪt/ Noun uncount
we reached the peak just as the sun was coming up | Mont someone’s sight is their ability to see things
Blanc is the highest peak in Europe | the mountain peak luckily, my sight was restored | she lost the sight in one
was still a long way ahead of us | snow-covered peaks eye after the accident | the doctors saved my sight by
operating straight away | he’s still got very poor sight |
regret  /rɪˈɡret/ Noun
these birds have a powerful sense of sight
if you have regrets about something, you feel bad about
it and wish things had happened differently stage  /steɪdʒ/ Noun
Collocates:  have (a) regret a stage is a particular period of time during a process
Collocates:  the early/final stages of something

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the medicine was still in the experimental stage | we’re flat  /flæt/ Adjective
still in the early stages of the project | the building is in something that is flat is level and even, not round or
its final stage, and should be finished next month | most curved
pupils start here at the age of 11, but some join the people used to think the world was flat | put the board
school at a later stage on a flat surface | Holland is very flat (it doesn’t have
many hills)
surgeon  /ˈsɜː(r)dʒ(ə)n/ Noun
a surgeon is a doctor who cuts people’s bodies open in persuade  /pə(r)ˈsweɪd/ Verb
order to repair them or replace parts of them if you persuade someone to do something, you talk to
thanks to my surgeon, I can now see my two kids | them and give them reasons which make them do it
it takes years of training to become a surgeon | the Collocates:  persuade someone to do something |
surgeon removed a lump from my knee | a top heart persuade someone that
surgeon (a surgeon who specialises in operating on
Columbus persuaded the king to give him some money |
people’s hearts)
her teacher persuaded her to start doing judo | she
welcoming  /ˈwelkəmɪŋ/ Adjective persuaded her father that it was a good idea | I tried to
if someone you do not know is welcoming, they are very persuade him to change his mind
friendly to you when you arrive somewhere Noun:  persuasion | Adjective:  persuasive |
the people there were very welcoming when we arrived | Adverb:  persuasively
she gave a welcoming smile | a hotel with a welcoming after a little persuasion, he agreed to lend me his car | it
atmosphere | the staff are very friendly and welcoming didn’t need much persuasion to get her to come to the
Verb:  welcome | Adjective:  welcome theatre | he was so persuasive I finally agreed to buy the
car | she spoke persuasively about the need to fight to
Collocates:  make someone welcome
keep the hospital open
the owner liked to welcome guests at the door of the
hotel | John, the manager, welcomed us and showed voyage  /ˈvɔɪɪdʒ/ Noun
us around | they were so friendly that we felt welcome a voyage is a long journey, usually across the ocean on
from the start | the staff made us welcome after our long a ship
journey Columbus did not have enough money to pay for his
voyage himself | the voyage took over two weeks | the
Page 148 sea was very rough on the first day of the voyage | he
hardly slept during the whole voyage | a transatlantic
continent  /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ Noun voyage (across the Atlantic Ocean)
a continent is one of the seven large areas of land on
Noun:  voyager
the earth. They are Asia, Africa, North America, South
America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia the island was discovered by Dutch voyagers in the
18th century
Asia is the largest continent, and Australia is the
smallest | an attempt to cycle across the continent in
three weeks | when he got to Cuba, Columbus thought
he had discovered a continent, not an island

earth  /ɜː(r)θ/ Noun

the earth is the planet that we live on
he now knew the earth was round | Asia is the largest
continent on the earth | a photograph of the earth taken
from the moon | the earth is about 4 billion years old

© 2016 National Geographic Learning  7

 Outcomes Pre-Intermediate Vocabulary Builder  Unit 16

EXERCISES 4 We had to write down the three

points from chapter 1.
5 His career ended when he lost
Prepositions the election.

A Complete the sentences with the correct 6 The country went through a period of
economic growth.
preposition.
1 The dance music continued the background. F Complete the collocations from the unit. Look up
2 The house has been converted flats.
the nouns if you need help.
1 a f_ _ _ _ _l ceremony
3 She spent the journey chatting her aunt on
the phone. 2 a w_ _ _ _ _g reception
4 There’s a shortage teachers in London. 3 a s_ _ _ _ _l occasion
5 Scotland is a major producer wood. 4 r_ _ _ _l discrimination
6 I don’t think scientists should experiment animals. 5 the R_ _ _ n Empire

B Choose the correct preposition. 6 the n_ _ _ _ _ r age

1 We trade with / to companies in 17 countries. G Complete the sentences with the correct form
2 The question she asked took me by / on surprise. of the verbs in the box. Look up the words in
bold if you need help.
3 The area was over / under British rule for 200 years.
4 I’m a bit short from / of cash at the moment. Can you give  launch  have  conduct  make  hold
lend me £10?
5 She developed a strong friendship with / for Picasso. 1 My brother’s ……………………… his wedding reception
on a boat.
6 People say the new law discriminates against / to
women. 2 They ……………………… the invasion three weeks ago.
3 They didn’t serious consideration
to the idea.
Word families
4 We never experiments on animals.
C Complete the expressions with the correct form 5 I no regrets about leaving school
of the word in bold. before the exams.
1 Germany invaded Poland a military 6 The staff us welcome after our
in 1939. long journey.
2 Vikings occupied half the the Viking
country of Britain Phrasal verbs
3 My grandfather established an important business
the company.  H Choose the correct word to complete the
4 The USA became they gained phrasal verb.
independent in 1776.  in 1776 1 She wants to set up / out her own business after
5 The economic situation improvements university.
is improving. in the 2 I didn’t eat the chicken and just picked up / at the
6 He was a controversial he caused a salad.
figure. 3 I watched the sun come down / up then went inside
for breakfast.
D Tick the words which are both a verb and a noun.
4 In the evening, we sat in the garden until the sun
1 regret 4 invade went out / down.
2 trade 5 chat
3 occupy 6 convert Patterns

Collocations I Put the verb in brackets in the correct form (to +

infinitive or -ing).
E Complete the sentences with the adjectives in the 1 You’re supposed a ticket before
box. Look up the adjectives if you need help. you get on the train. (buy)
2 My parents never tried to force me
rapid      religious     
political    
key to university. (go)
drop-dead    
background
3 He regretted the email while he
1 I can’t hear you. There’s a lot of was still angry. (send)
noise. 4 I considered the job, but I decided
2 His girlfriend is gorgeous! against it. (take)
3 They were deeply and went to 5 Columbus persuaded the king him
church often. some money. (give)

© 2016 National Geographic Learning 8