Open Mind

WORD LIST upper intermediate

Unit 5  Something in the water

WORDS AND PHRASES
Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence
access noun [uncountable] /ˈækˌses/ the right or opportunity to Many people in the world
have or use something that will don’t have access to the
bring you benefits internet.
appeal (for) verb /əˈpiːl/ to make an urgent request for Several charities are appealing
people to give you something, for money to help people
such as money or information affected by the crisis.
be more about phrase /biː mɔː(r) əˈbaʊt when a decision is based more Sometimes my decision to
(something) ðən/ on one factor than another buy a product is more about
than the packaging than about the
product itself.
bottled water noun [uncountable] /ˈbɒt(ə)ld ˌwɔːtə(r)/ water that is sold in bottles Some companies claim bottled
water has health benefits.
brand noun /brænd/ a product or group of products Ferrari is a well-known brand
that has its own name and of car.
is made by one particular
company
charity noun /ˈtʃærəti/ an organisation that you give She gives £15 to an animal
money to so that it can help charity every month.
people who are poor, ill, etc
climate noun [uncountable] /ˈklaɪmət tʃeɪndʒ/ the changes that are thought Climate change has made
change to be affecting the world’s the situation with water much
weather so that it is becoming worse.
warmer
compound noun /ˈkɒmˌpaʊnd/ a chemical substance that Water is a compound of
consists of two or more hydrogen and oxygen.
elements
customise verb /ˈkʌstəˌmaɪz/ to change the appearance of New technology allows
something so that it is exactly customers to customise things
what you want or need such as birthday cards and gifts.
disease noun /dɪˈziːz/ an illness, especially one that is This disease is easily
caused by an infection preventable.
donation noun /dəʊˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ money that you give to a The bank has promised a
charity or other organisation to donation of £24 million toward
help them do something the disaster fund.
drought noun /draʊt/ a long period of time when A lot of plants and animals
there is little or no rain and died in the drought.
plants die
famine noun /ˈfæmɪn/ a serious lack of food that Another season without rainfall
continues for a long time and is likely to cause a major
causes people to die famine.
flood noun /flʌd/ a large amount of water that There have been floods in
covers an area that is usually many areas of the country.
dry
hygiene noun [uncountable] /ˈhaɪdʒiːn/ the practice of keeping people They want to improve hygiene
and places clean to avoid in the city.
diseases
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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

limited-edition adjective /ˌlɪmɪtɪd ɪˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ produced in very small You always pay more for
numbers limited-edition books.
litre noun ˈliːtə(r)/ a unit for measuring liquid, You can buy bottled water in
equal to 1000 millilitres litre bottles.
make phrase /ˌmeɪk ˈwɜː(r)θ/ to make an attractive product Designer labels don’t
(something) in order to sell it for a high necessarily make clothes worth
worth price the prices they cost.
market verb /ˈmɑː(r)kɪt æz/ to use advertising or other Pumpkins are now marketed as
(something) as methods in order to persuade ‘Halloween essentials’.
people to buy something
marketing noun [uncountable] /ˈmɑː(r)kɪtɪŋ/ the ways in which a company The marketing manager is
encourages people to buy its responsible for selling the
products company’s products.
range from verb /ˈreɪndʒ frɒm tuː/ to include a variety of things We sell items ranging from TVs
(something) to to computer software.
specially- adjective /ˈspeʃ(ə)li dɪˈzaɪnd/ created for a specific purpose The soap was specially-
designed designed for people with
sensitive skin.
water pollution noun [uncountable] /ˈwɔːtə(r) the process of damaging A lot of diseases are caused by
ˌpəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ water with chemicals or other water pollution.
substances so that it is no
longer clean
water poverty noun [uncountable] /ˈwɔːtə(r) ˌpɒvə(r)ti/ a situation in which someone The charity is committed to
does not have enough clean preventing water poverty.
water
water usage noun [uncountable] /ˈwɔːtə(r) ˌjuːsɪdʒ/ the amount of water that Reducing your water usage is
someone uses good for the environment.

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Useful Expressions
Expression Topic / Category Sample Sentence
Another option/idea would be to … Suggesting alternatives We could organise a cake sale to raise
some money. Another option would be
to do a sponsored run.
Have you considered giving … a try? Suggesting alternatives There are lots of good ideas for
fundraising. Have you considered giving
a charity concert a try?
I’d suggest … Suggesting alternatives I’d suggest writing to local businesses to
ask them for donations.
There’s always … Suggesting alternatives If we don’t raise much money this way,
there’s always just collecting in the
street.
We could try … Suggesting alternatives We could try organising a water
awareness day in town.
What about …? Suggesting alternatives What about delivering a monthly
newsletter to raise public awareness of
the problem?
What if we … instead? Suggesting alternatives I’m not sure a cake sale will raise much
money. What if we organised a concert
instead?

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