Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6
6 EDUCATION
Pages 52–53
classmate  /ˈklɑːsˌmeɪt/ Noun
a classmate is someone who is in the same class as you
at school
I like most of my classmates | some of my classmates
aren’t very friendly | I met one of my classmates in the
shopping centre | she’s very popular with her classmates
| she went swimming with some of her classmates
difficult  /ˈdɪfɪk(ə)lt/ Adjective
something that is difficult is not easy to do or to
understand
Collocates:  difficult to do something
maths is a really difficult subject | that’s a difficult
question | it was very difficult to find a job | the exam was
more difficult than I expected | it was difficult to get up at
five in the morning
Noun: difficulty || Opposite – Adjective: easy
Collocates:  with difficulty | have difficulty
friendly  /ˈfren(d)li/ Adjective
if someone is friendly, they talk to you and are very nice
to you
the other students are all very friendly | our neighbours
are not very friendly | a friendly taxi driver | everyone
was very friendly towards me | he gave me a friendly
smile | a friendly wave
Opposite – Adjective: unfriendly
helpful  /ˈhelpf(ə)l/ Adjective
someone or something that is helpful helps you with
something
it was very helpful talking to her | our neighbours are
always very helpful | John is such a helpful boy | this
YouTube video about making soup was very helpful | she
gave me some very helpful advice
Adverb: helpfully
luck  /lʌk/ Noun uncount
luck is the good or bad things that happen to you by
chance
Collocates:  good/bad luck | bring someone luck
good luck with your exam | I wish you all the luck in the
world | she wears the necklace because she thinks it will
bring her luck | it was just bad luck that it rained all day
| by a stroke of luck, I found my phone under the bed | I
had some good luck yesterday
Adjective: lucky
modern  /ˈmɒdə(r)n/ Adjective
something that is modern is quite new and uses new
ideas or styles
a modern building | modern furniture | modern history
(the history of the world since about 1600) | the house
looks very modern
patient  /ˈpeɪʃ(ə)nt/ Adjective
someone who is patient is able to do something that
takes a long time without becoming angry or upset
Collocates:  be patient with someone or something
thanks for waiting, you’ve been very patient | the
teacher was so patient and helpful | Jack is always very
patient with the children | I’m not very patient when my
computer goes wrong | you need to learn to be patient
Adverb: patiently | Noun: patience || Opposite –
Adjective: impatient | Adverb: impatience | Adverb:
impatiently
Collocates:  wait patiently
popular  /ˈpɒpjʊlə(r)/ Adjective
if someone or something is popular, a lot of people like
them
he’s very popular with his classmates | a popular TV
programme | her music is very popular all over the world
| Miss Jenkins is a very popular teacher | football is the
most popular sport in this country | the Harry Potter
books are very popular
Noun: popularity || Opposite – Adjective: unpopular
subject  /ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/ Noun
a subject is a particular thing that you study at school or
university, such as history, maths, English, etc.
what subject do you want to do at university? | I think I
chose the wrong subjects – I wish I’d chosen languages
instead | she always did well in arts subjects | maths was
my favourite subject at school | science subjects are
very difficult | geography is such a boring subject
wrong  /rɒŋ/ Adjective
something that is wrong is not correct or true
I think I chose the wrong subject | I got on the wrong
train and went to Cardiff instead of Bristol | it’s a lovely
dress but it’s the wrong size for me | the letter went to
the wrong address | that’s the wrong answer | you’re
wrong – it’s Tuesday today, not Monday | we set off in
the wrong direction and had to turn round
year  /jɪə(r)/ Noun
in Britain, a school year is a period of time, usually
between September and July, when people go to school
or university
what year are you in? | I’m in my second year at
university | she’s in year nine | a third-year student
Pages 54–55
advice  /ədˈvaɪs/ Noun uncount
if someone gives you advice, they try to help you by
making suggestions about what you should do
Collocates:  give someone advice | take someone’s
advice | a piece of advice
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  1

the teacher gives us help and advice | I always go to
her for advice | let me give you some advice | my advice
is to go by train | I think that’s very good advice | I took
his advice (did what he suggested) and went back to
college | he gave me a useful piece of advice
Verb: advise
Collocates:  advise someone to do something
awful  /ˈɔːf(ə)l/ Adjective
something that is awful is very bad
the training session was awful | what an awful film! | the
food there was really awful | you look awful in that coat
| what’s that awful smell? | it was an awful journey – the
plane was three hours late
change  /tʃeɪndʒ/ Noun
if something changes, or if someone changes it, it stops
being one thing and starts being a different thing. A
change is when this happens
our manager gave us information about changes in
the company | there have been a lot of changes at the
hotel since my last visit | we made some changes to the
programme | there’s been no change in his condition –
he’s still very ill
Verb: change
choice  /tʃɔɪs/ Noun
if there is a choice, you can choose between different
things
Collocates:  a choice of something | have no choice
the food is OK, but there isn’t much choice | there’s a
choice of three desserts | it wouldn’t be my first choice of
hotels (not the one I prefer) | all the other tables were full
so we had no choice
comment  /ˈkɒment/ Verb
if you comment or comment on something, you say what
you think about it. If you comment on something on the
Internet, you write what you think about it on the site
where it appeared
Collocates:  comment on something
we watch videos and lots of people comment | any
student on the course can comment on the lectures |
he spends every evening commenting on articles in the
online newspaper
Noun: comment | Noun: commenter
Collocates:  make a comment
course  /kɔː(r)s/ Noun
a course is a set of lessons on a particular subject that
are given over a period of time
Collocates:  a course in something
a six-week course in English | we finished the course
successfully | I’m doing a maths course at college | a
course in engineering | he took a course in history | an
online course (using the Internet)
fashion  /ˈfæʃ(ə)n/ Noun
fashion is the style of something that is popular for a
time. If something is in fashion, it is popular and done,
used, or worn by a lot of people for a time. If it is out of
fashion, people no longer want to do it, use it, or wear it
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6
Collocates:  in fashion | out of fashion
the Beatles’ music will never go out of fashion | the
fashion industry (making clothes that are the latest
fashion) | I want to work in fashion | they talked about
music, travel, and fashion | these shirts are back
in fashion
Adjective: fashionable | Adverb: fashionably
grow up  /ˌɡrəʊ ˈʌp/ Phrasal verb
to grow up means to go through the process of being a
child and then becoming an adult
I grew up in the countryside | she grew up in a little
village near Bristol | what do you want to be (what job
do you want) when you grow up? | she grew up in St
Petersburg but went to university in Moscow
horse  /hɔː(r)s/ Noun
a horse is a large animal with four legs. People ride
horses by sitting on their back, or use them to pull
heavy things
she used to ride horses when she was younger | can you
ride a horse? | I fell off my horse yesterday | three horses
stood in the field | two of the horses galloped (ran very
fast) up the hill
idea  /aɪˈdɪə/ Noun
an idea is a thought or plan that you think of
we share ideas about how to do things | that’s a good
idea | I’ve just had an idea | what a great idea! | she
always has interesting ideas | tell me your idea
in public  /ɪn ˈpʌblɪk/ Adverb
if something happens in public, it happens where lots of
people can see and hear it, rather than in private where
people are not allowed to be present
I’d never made a speech in public before | this was the
first time the painting had been shown in public | the
president never appears in public without his hat | the
meeting was held in public
Opposite – Adverb: in private
last  /lɑːst/ Verb
if something lasts for a particular length of time, it exists
for that time
his training course lasts three years | I had a pair of
shoes that lasted six years | the film lasts over three
hours | their marriage didn’t last very long | the lessons
last 40 minutes | the rain lasted all day | the meeting
didn’t last very long
open  /ˈəʊpən/ Adjective
if an event is open, anybody can go to it
she’s doing an open online course with thousands of
other people | the English Open Championship (people
from any country can take part)
paint  /peɪnt/ Verb
if you paint, you draw a picture of something
using paints
I’m trying to paint a picture of my house | Picasso
painted this in 1927 | we paint whatever we want to |
she wants to learn how to paint
Noun: paint | Noun: painting | Noun: painter
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  2

pilot  /ˈpaɪlət/ Noun
a pilot is someone who flies planes, usually as a job
my brother wants to be a pilot | my father’s a pilot, so
he’s away from home a lot | an airline pilot | he was the
first pilot to fly Concorde | a qualified pilot (someone who
has passed the exams to become a proper pilot) do you know any bilingual people? | she’s bilingual in
prepare  /prɪˈpeə(r)/ Verb
if you prepare, you do everything that is necessary for
you to be ready for a particular situation or for you to do
a particular activity
Collocates:  prepare for something
I have to prepare a talk for class tomorrow | we need to
prepare for tomorrow’s meeting | I wasn’t prepared for
the exam | can you help me prepare lunch?
Noun: preparation
sales  /seɪlz/ Noun plural
a company’s sales are the amount of goods it sells over
a period of time
we need to improve sales | last month’s sales were
down | an increase in sales | sales increased 10% last
year | the sales manager (the person in charge of selling
things in the company)
session  /ˈseʃ(ə)n/ Noun
a session is a period of time during which a class or
meeting or other activity takes place
there’s another training session on Friday | each session
lasts about 45 minutes | the final session begins at
5 o’clock | the course involved 6 sessions over
three weeks
talk  /tɔːk/ Noun
if you give a talk, you stand in front of a group of
people at an event and tell them something about a
particular subject
Collocates:  a talk about something | a talk on something
| give a talk
I have to prepare a talk for class tomorrow | I went to a
talk about local history last night | she was very nervous
before she gave her talk | I’m looking forward to your
talk this afternoon | the talk was really boring | a one-
hour talk on computers
train  /treɪn/ Verb
if you train, or if someone trains you, you learn the skills
that you need to do a particular job
Collocates:  train (someone) to do something | train as
something
my brother is training to be a pilot | he trains teachers at
the local college | I trained as an engineer
Noun: training | Noun: trainer
useful  /ˈjuːsf(ə)l/ Adjective
something that is useful is good because it helps you to
do something or get something
she had some very useful ideas | there’s plenty of useful
information on the Internet | these pockets are useful for
keeping money in | that was a very useful meeting | she
gave me some very useful advice
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6
Pages 56–57
bilingual  /baɪˈlɪŋɡwəl/ Adjective
someone who is bilingual can speak two languages
very well
English and Russian | Joseph Conrad was bilingual |
they grew up bilingual | bilingual children are better at
solving problems
experience  /ɪkˈspɪəriəns/ Noun
an experience is something that happens in your life
Collocates:  have (an) experience
some of the children had bad experiences at home |
going to Canada was an amazing experience | I had a
horrible experience at the dentist | my first experience
of living in another country | she told us about her
experiences in the Soviet Union | do you have any
experience of teaching English?
Verb: experience | Adjective: experienced
explain  /ɪkˈspleɪn/ Verb
if you explain something, you give details about it to
someone so that they can understand it
Collocates:  explain something to someone
she’s good at explaining ideas | can you explain
what you mean, exactly? | I can’t explain it – it’s too
complicated | he tried to explain what he was feeling |
she tried explaining it to me | I think you should explain
what you were doing there
Noun: explanation
Collocates:  an explanation for something
funny  /ˈfʌni/ Adjective
something that is funny makes you laugh
a really funny joke | Mr Platt is funny sometimes |
we watched funny YouTube videos all evening | it’s the
funniest book I’ve ever read | a funny story in
a magazine
grade  /ɡreɪd/ Noun
a grade is a number or letter that you get showing how
well you did in a test or exam
she always gets better grades than me | they got top
grades | I got an A grade in maths | if you want to get a
good grade, you’ll have to work a lot harder | I’m trying
to improve my maths grades
high  /haɪ/ Adjective
something that is high on a scale is very great in amount
she always gets high grades for English | who got the
highest marks for the maths test? | he got a higher grade
than me again | the rent is very high | a high-speed train
| prices are higher in London than in Liverpool | we get
high temperatures in the summer
Opposite – Adjective: low
important  /ɪmˈpɔː(r)t(ə)nt/ Adjective
if something or someone is important, they can have a
big effect on something or they have a lot of power
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  3

English and Spanish are very important languages
| it’s very important that you don’t arrive late | that’s
an important question | exercise is very important for
your health | I’ve got an important message for you |
they’re having an important meeting this afternoon | the
headteacher is the most important member of staff
Adverb: importantly | Noun: importance
Collocates:  the importance of something
population  /ˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ Noun
the population of a place is all the people who live there
70% of the world’s population speak two or more
languages | the population of Australia is 23 million
| the population of the UK will reach 65 million very
soon | Birmingham has a large student population | the
population is still growing
positive  /ˈpɒzətɪv/ Adjective
if you are positive, you believe you can be in a good
situation and that you will succeed, and you do not think
about any bad possibilities
he’s a very positive sort of person | he stayed positive
even after he failed the first exam | everyone who works
here has a really positive attitude | she was always
smiling, positive, and hard-working
Adverb: positively || Opposite – Adjective: negative
research  /rɪˈsɜː(r)tʃ/ Noun
if you do research, you study a subject in detail to find
new information about it
Collocates:  do research (into something)
research shows that bilingual children are better at
solving problems | scientific research | a research project
| our research found a link between music and maths |
we need to do more research into the causes of cancer
Verb: research
show  /ʃəʊ/ Verb
if something shows that something else is true, it
provides information that makes you believe the other
thing is true
research shows that bilingual children are better at
solving problems | the article clearly shows that smoking
is dangerous | the report shows that exercise is very
important for health | figures show that sales are
going down
simple  /ˈsɪmp(ə)l/ Adjective
something that is simple is not complicated and is easy
to understand
it’s a simple question | it was a very simple but very good
idea | I can play a few simple tunes on the guitar | there
are just a few simple rules you need to follow | making
bread is simple
Adverb: simply
slow  /sləʊ/ Adjective
something that is slow does not move or happen quickly
my old computer was very slow | the traffic is very slow
today | the bus was very slow all the way into work | a
slow train (that stops at lots of stations) | she can still
walk, but she’s very slow
Adverb: slowly || Opposite – Adjective: fast | Adverb: fast
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6
thank you  /ˈθæŋk jʊ/ Phrase
you say thank you to someone to tell them that you are
glad they did something kind for you
how do you say ‘thank you’ in French? | thank you for
cooking such a lovely meal for us | ‘Can I give you a
lift?’ – ‘Yes, thank you. That would be very kind.’
Page 58
excited  /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ Adjective
if you are excited, you are very happy about something
and interested in it
Collocates: be excited about (doing) something
they are very excited about showing their work | I’m
feeling really excited | they were excited about going on
holiday | I’m excited about the future of the company
Adjective: exciting | Noun: excitement
exhibition  /ˌeksɪˈbɪʃ(ə)n/ Noun
an exhibition is an event where people can go and look
at paintings and other works of art. Some exhibitions last
just a day and others go on for months
Collocates:  an art exhibition | an exhibition of something
| put on/stage/hold an exhibition
the students organised an exhibition at the end of the
programme | an exhibition of Henry Moore’s work |
there’s an art exhibition in the school hall on Saturday
| our annual photography exhibition | the museum is
putting on a big new exhibition
inspiration  /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ Noun
an inspiration is something that gives you a particular
idea or that makes you believe more strongly in yourself
it was an inspiration for many of the refugees | Beckham
was an inspiration to me when I was a child | I got
inspiration from a visit to Windsor Castle
Verb: inspire | Adjective: inspiring
Collocates:  inspire someone to do something
photo  /ˈfəʊtəʊ/ Noun
a photo is a picture that you make by using a camera.
The word photo is short for photograph
Collocates:  take a photo
do you have any photos of your children? | let me
take a photo of you | I took a photo of my meal in the
restaurant | she took hundreds of photos of her holiday
| a photo of my family | click this link to add a photo to
your Facebook page
professional  /prəˈfeʃ(ə)nəl/ Adjective
someone who is professional gets money for doing a
particular activity as a job. For example, a professional
footballer plays football as a job, not just for pleasure
she wants to become a professional photographer | a
professional baseball player | a professional musician
(someone who plays a musical instrument as a job)
Noun: professional
programme  /ˈprəʊɡræm/ Noun
a programme is a series of events or activities that help
or improve a situation
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  4
 Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6

the students organised an exhibition at the end of the GET (GOT, GOT, GETTING)
programme | a programme of events over three weeks |
the programme helps young people from poor areas | a Get can mean different things and you can get different
training programme for unemployed people things. Look at the examples below. Translate them. How
many different verbs do you use in your language?
receive  /rɪˈsiːv/ Verb
receive:  I got an email from him this morning / I got
if you receive something, you get it because someone
several presents for Christmas
gives it to you or sends it to you. Receive is formal, and
the usual word is get buy:  can you get a paper when you go to the shops? / did
all students receive a certificate at the end of the you get anything nice? / I got some things to make dinner
programme | I still haven’t received the parcel | did you find and bring:  can you get me a cup? / go and get
receive my email | I received a letter from my old school | my coat
I received my invitation to the party yesterday
arrive:  I got there late / what time did you get home? /
refugee  /ˌrefjʊˈdʒiː/ Noun the train gets there at 6.20
a refugee is someone who has left their country to
change to:  don’t get angry! / I get bored easily / it gets
escape from war or danger
very cold at night / he’s getting old / the situation’s
the war has created thousands of refugees | thousands got better
of people live in the refugee camp | more refugees
arrived by boat last week | life is very difficult as a transport:  let’s get the train / I got the bus here / get
refugee the plane
results:  I got 78% / I got a C grade / I didn’t get what
skill  /skɪl/ Noun
I wanted
a skill is an ability to do something well
we learned a new skill on the training course | I’ve got
good computer skills | it’s important to keep learning
new skills | a course that helps develop business skills |
good language skills are essential in this job
Adjective: skilled

© 2017 National Geographic Learning  5

 Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 6

EXERCISES

Prepositions
A Complete the sentences with the correct E Complete the sentences with the noun form of
preposition. Look up the word in bold if you the word in bold.
need help. 1 Our teacher explained the of using
1 A good teacher needs to be patient young English outside of the classroom. important
students.
2 The was very friendly and gave a lot
2 We had a good choice languages to choose of good advice. train
from.
3 She helped me with all the for the
3 Everyone commented the clothes he was party. prepare
wearing.
4 It’s difficult to understand the of
4 I need to prepare my journey to London some modern fashions. popular
tomorrow.
5 We had a lot of with the traffic.
5 I tried to explain my ideas the teacher. difficult
6 They are doing research the English language. 6 She’s a very skilled and popular .
paint

Word families
Collocations
B Write the opposite of these adjectives from
the unit. F Complete the sentences with the correct form of
the verbs in the box. Look up the words in bold if
1 difficult
you need help.
2 friendly
give   hold   
take   
give   do   have
3 patient
4 popular 1 I some good luck yesterday.

5 high 2 He them all some useful pieces of

advice.
6 positive
3 She was very nervous before she
7 slow her talk.

C Tick the words in the unit that are both a verb 4 They are research into how animals
and a noun. communicate.

1 comment 5 They the art exhibition in the old

school last year.
2 paint
6 I want to a photo of my classmates.
3 last
G Complete the missing adjectives from the unit.
4 train
1 a m_ _ _ _n building
5 explain
2 g_ _d luck
6 experience
3 p_ _ _ _ _r music
D Complete the sentences with the adjective form
of the word in bold. 4 a d_ _ _ _ _ _ _t question

1 Long hair is very at the moment. 5 a f_ _ _ _ _ _y smile

fashion 6 h_ _ _ _ _l advice
2 Trevor is a very and patient driver.
experience
3 The story of his life was really .
inspiration
4 The company is looking for workers
with a lot of experience. skill
5 I was very to get the last ticket to the
concert. luck

© 2017 National Geographic Learning  6