Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 9
9 EXPERIENCES
Page 79
ambulance  /ˈæmbjʊləns/ Noun
an ambulance is a vehicle which takes people to hospital
Collocates:  call an ambulance
they called an ambulance | two ambulances arrived
at the scene of the crash | an ambulance driver | the
ambulance took him to the hospital
bring  /brɪŋ/ Verb
if you bring something, you take it to the place where
you are now
Collocates:  bring someone something
I forgot to bring the flowers | I’ve brought you some
chocolates | can you bring some money with you? | did
you remember to bring your passport? | can I bring a
friend with me to the party?
call  /kɔːl/ Verb
if you call someone such as a doctor or ambulance, you
phone them to say that you need them to come to
you quickly
she called an ambulance when her father collapsed
| someone call a doctor quickly | they called the fire
brigade when they saw flames through the window
cry  /kraɪ/ Verb
if someone is crying, they are making a sad sound and
water is coming from their eyes because they are very
sad or because they are in pain
she read the letter and started crying | why is he crying?
Did you hurt him? | her baby brother was always crying
| their sad story made her cry | I cried when they said
goodbye | I couldn’t stop crying
exciting  /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/ Adjective
if something is exciting, it makes you feel happy
and interested
an exciting ride at the theme park | Moscow is a very
exciting city | the football match was really exciting |
my first week at university was very exciting | it was an
exciting match to watch
Adjective:  excited
Collocates:  excited about (doing) something | excited by
something
fall down  /ˌfɔːl ˈdaʊn/ Phrasal verb
if someone or something falls, they drop towards
the ground
Collocates:  fall down (something) | fall off (something)
he fell down and broke his arm | I fell down the stairs |
don’t fall on the ice | my glasses fell on the floor | the cup
fell off the shelf | don’t leave it there – it will fall off
hurt  /hɜː(r)t/ Verb
if you hurt yourself or part of your body, you damage part
of your body and you feel pain
I fell over and hurt myself | did you hurt your head | she
hurt her leg on the corner of the table | he hurt his hand
on some broken glass
Adjective:  hurt
palace  /ˈpælɪs/ Noun
a palace is a large and important building, especially one
where a king, queen, or president lives
an old royal palace by the river (where a king or queen
lived) | we visited a palace in the afternoon | the Queen
lives in Buckingham Palace | the presidential palace
(where the president lives and works)
ride  /raɪd/ Noun
in a theme park, the rides are the machines which move
around and which you can go on for fun
Collocates:  go on a ride
there are some great rides at the theme park | I wanted
to go on all the rides | there were some really scary rides
| he’s too young to go on the ride
Pages 80–81
lion  /ˈlaɪən/ Noun
a lion is a very large, wild cat with a brown or yellow coat
that lives in Africa and Asia. A male lion has a lot of fur
around his neck
we saw some lions in the zoo | the lions were kept in
a cage | we saw real lions when we went to Kenya | a
pride of lions (a group of them together)
zoo  /zuː/ Noun
a zoo is a place where a lot of animals are kept so that
people can come and look at them
we took the children to the zoo on Sunday | a lion
escaped from the zoo | it’s cruel to keep animals in a
zoo | a zoo keeper (a person who works in a zoo looking
after the animals)
Pages 82–83
arrive  /əˈraɪv/ Verb
if someone or something arrives somewhere, they reach
there after a journey
Collocates:  arrive late | arrive early | arrive on time
we waited at the airport, but our bags didn’t arrive |
when did you arrive in Paris? | the train broke down and
we didn’t arrive till 9 o’clock | we arrived at the hotel in
time for dinner | the plane arrived early | my train to work
never arrives on time in the morning (at the time it is
meant to arrive)
average  /ˈæv(ə)rɪdʒ/ Adjective
if someone or something is average, they are normal
or typical
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  1

I was an average student, but my sister always got top
marks | the hotel room was very good, but the restaurant
was just average | an average person needs to drink
three litres of water a day
check  /tʃek/ Verb
if you check something, you make sure that it is correct
or where you think it is by looking again
Collocates:  check that | check something for something
have you checked in your jacket pocket? | can you
check that this is the right address? | I just need to check
where I put my passport | she checked that she had her
door key before she left | ‘Did you shut the window?’ – ‘I
can’t remember. I’ll go and check’ | I checked my essay
for spelling mistakes
cloth  /klɒθ/ Noun
a cloth is a small piece of material that you use for
cleaning things
Collocates:  a wet cloth | a damp cloth
do you have a cloth I could wipe the table with? | could
we have a cloth, please? | wipe the door with a damp
cloth (one that is a little bit wet) | there’s a cloth under
the sink in the kitchen | a dish cloth (used for wiping
plates, saucers, etc)
feel  /fiːl/ Verb
if you feel a particular emotion or feeling, you experience it
Collocates:  feel fine/well/ill etc. | feel like
something sauce  /sɔːs/ Noun uncount
I was feeling ill | how are you feeling now? | I felt very sad
after they went back to Italy | I felt better after a glass
of water | he said he felt fine now | you must be feeling
hungry after the walk | I was so tired I felt like an old man
gas  /ɡæs/ Noun
gas is something that is not solid and not liquid. You
cannot see it, and it burns easily. Gas is used in homes
and factories for heating or cooking
I forgot to turn off the gas | we have a gas cooker (which
burns gas to make heat) | can you smell gas? | a gas
leak (when gas is coming out from a broken pipe) | do
you cook with gas or electricity? | gas central heating
let me  /ˈlet mi/ Phrase
you say ‘let me...’ when you offer to do something for
someone
let me clean that for you | let me show you where to park
your car | let me get you a drink | let me move this chair
for you
passport  /ˈpɑːspɔː(r)t/ Noun
a passport is an official document like a little book which
says who you are, and which you need in order to go
from one country into another country
Collocates:  a valid passport | a passport expires | a
passport holder | renew a passport
I lost my passport | a passport photograph (a photo of
you in your passport) | my passport is valid for 10 years
(it will stop being legal after 10 years) | her passport
expired two months ago (stopped being valid) | his
passport is out of date (it has stopped being legal and
he will need to get a new one) | passport control (the
place at an airport where they look at your passport
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 9
when you fly into a country) | are you a British passport
holder (do you have a British passport)? | it took three
weeks to renew my passport (get a new passport after
the previous one expired)
pocket  /ˈpɒkɪt/ Noun
a pocket is a sort of small bag that is part of a piece of
clothing or part of a larger bag, that you can keep
things in
Collocates:  a jacket/trouser pocket | a front/back pocket
| a breast pocket
his jacket pocket was full | he stood with his hands
in his pockets | there was a pocket in her handbag
for a mobile phone | there’s a hole in my pocket | the
policemen made me empty my pockets (take everything
out of them) | I put my keys in the front pocket of my
jeans and my wallet in my back pocket | he keeps his
phone in his breast pocket (a pocket quite high in the
front of his jacket or shirt)
remember  /rɪˈmembə(r)/ Verb
if you remember something, it is still in your head and
you can repeat it or talk about it
he can remember the whole poem | what do you
remember from the history lesson? | can you remember
the address? | I know him, but I can’t remember his name
| she told me where she lives, but I can’t remember now
Opposite – Verb:  forget
sauce is a liquid that you serve with food to give it a
nice taste
Collocates:  tomato sauce | brown sauce | cheese sauce
he spilt some sauce on the carpet | do you want sauce
with your chips? | a bottle of tomato sauce | stir the
sauce until it boils | pour the sauce over the rice | I don’t
like brown sauce (a kind of sauce with lots of spices in it)
take  /teɪk/ Verb
if you take a train, bus, plane, etc., you go somewhere in
a train, bus, plane, etc.
I took the wrong train by mistake | I usually walk or take
the bus | she takes the train to work | it’s raining – let’s
take a taxi | take the number 72 bus to Victoria station
Pages 84–85
airline  /ˈeə(r)ˌlaɪn/ Noun
an airline is a company that has planes which it uses to
carry passengers from one place to another
Collocates:  a national/regional airline | an international
airline | airline passengers | a budget airline
a large international airline | Qantas is the national airline
for Australia | the airline industry (all the airlines in the
world) | the airport is used by a number of budget airlines
(airlines that offer very cheap flights) | airline passengers
could not get to the airport because of the strike
celebration  /ˌseləˈbreɪʃ(ə)n/ Noun
if you celebrate, you do something enjoyable to show
that a particular day or event or occasion is special.
The activity you do is a celebration
Collocates:  a birthday/anniversary celebration | a big/
small celebration
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  2

a birthday celebration | the celebrations lasted all day
and all night | we all joined in the celebrations | we
organised a big celebration for the opening of the new
school | the news caused celebrations across the city
Verb:  celebrate
completely  /kəmˈpliːtli/ Adverb
if you do something completely, you do it to the greatest
degree possible
at last I was able to relax completely | I completely forgot
about our meeting | I was completely exhausted by the
end of the day | the building was completely destroyed
Adjective:  complete
cooler  /ˈkuːlə(r)/ Noun
a cooler is a piece of equipment that keeps water cold
so that it is nice to drink
I went to get some water from the cooler | an office
water cooler | they stood and talked by the cooler for
five minutes
cup final  /ˈkʌp faɪn(ə)l/ Noun
a final is the match between the last two players or
teams who are left in a competition. The winner of the
final is the winner of the whole competition. If there is
a cup as a prize for winning, the match is called a
cup final
Collocates:  reach the final | be through to the final
my team played Arsenal in the FA Cup Final | the cup
final is always played at Wembley | Murray reached the
final at Wimbledon last year | Real Madrid are through to
the European final again
Noun:  finalist
delay  /dɪˈleɪ/ Verb
if you delay doing something, or delay something,
you do it or make it happen later than it was planned
to happen
Collocates:  delay something until something | delay
doing something
I often delay doing things I don’t enjoy | they have
decided to delay the start of the game until three o’clock
| the train was delayed by two hours | a storm delayed
our departure from Southampton
Noun:  delay
Collocates:  a long/short/brief delay | a delay of
something
embarrassing  /ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ/ Adjective
if something is embarrassing, it makes you feel a little
ashamed and worried about what people will think
of you
it was so embarrassing when my dad started dancing | it
was a bit embarrassing, because I forgot his name | can
you stop asking embarrassing questions? | there was a
long and embarrassing silence | the situation was very
embarrassing
Adjective:  embarrassed | Noun:  embarrassment |
Verb:  embarrass
Collocates:  embarrassed by/about something |
embarrass someone
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 9
exactly  /ɪɡˈzæk(t)li/ Adverb
you use exactly to emphasise that the thing you mention
is the only thing that is right in that situation
this is exactly what I need | it was exactly what I was
looking for | this book is exactly right for her birthday
present
Adjective:  exact
gun  /ɡʌn/ Noun
a gun is a weapon that shoots bullets (small pieces
of metal)
Collocates:  point a gun at someone | fire a gun (at
someone)
he pointed a gun at me | you need a licence to own
a gun in Britain | police found two guns in the car | I
learned to fire a gun in the army | the gun went off | we
need better gun control (stronger laws to stop people
having guns)
happen  /ˈhæpən/ Verb
if something happens, it starts to exist or be done,
especially something that was not planned
the accident happened outside the cinema | it all
happened so quickly and I didn’t see who was in the
car | you look worried. What’s happened? | no one knew
what was going to happen next | you’ll never guess
what’s happened! | I hope it doesn’t happen again
helicopter  /ˈhelɪˌkɒptə(r)/ Noun
a helicopter is a vehicle that can fly. Helicopters do not
have wings, but have a set of long thin parts (called
blades) that go round very fast
he took us for a ride in a helicopter | the helicopter
blades started turning | I had to shout because of
the noise of the helicopter | two people died when a
helicopter crashed | a helicopter pilot (the person who
controls it when it is in the air)
motorway  /ˈməʊtə(r)ˌweɪ/ Noun
a motorway is a wide road between cities that lets cars
and trucks drive fast over long distances
Collocates:  a motorway junction | join/leave a motorway
| a section of motorway
we saw a terrible accident on the motorway | there
are too many trucks on the motorways these days |
the motorway from Birmingham to London | there was
heavy traffic on the motorway | I don’t like driving on the
motorway | a busy section of motorway that goes past
the airport | join the motorway at junction 7
national  /ˈnæʃ(ə)nəl/ Adjective
something that is national involves the whole of a
country or is available in the whole country, not just a
part of it
a national dance festival | a national football competition
| Churchill was a national hero during the war | a
national newspaper | the national football team |
politicians from national and local government
Noun:  nation
Collocates:  a great/powerful nation | a poor nation
pain  /peɪn/ Noun
pain is the physical feeling you have when a part of your
body hurts because it has been hit or cut
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  3

Collocates:  be in pain | a lot of pain | relieve/ease
the pain
I was in a lot of pain until the doctor arrived | can you
feel any pain in your arm? | I just want the pain to go
away | the doctor gave me some medicine to relieve
the pain
Adjective:  painful
sad  /sæd/ Adjective
if you are sad, you feel unhappy, especially because
something unpleasant has happened. A sad time or
event is one that makes you feel sad
it was a really sad day | the film was so sad that I cried
at the end | she looked very sad | I was very sad when
your father died | the book had a sad ending
Adverb:  sadly | Noun:  sadness
scary  /ˈskeəri/ Adjective
someone or something that is scary makes you
feel afraid
Collocates:  a bit scary | really scary
it was a bit scary until the doctor arrived | she can be
very scary when she’s angry | it was really scary when
he started shouting at me | it was really scary walking
across the field in the dark | those spiders look scary
Adjective:  scared | Verb:  scare
Collocates:  be scared of something or someone | scared
of doing something
speech  /spiːtʃ/ Noun
a speech is a talk that someone gives to an audience at
an important event
Collocates:  give/make a speech | deliver a speech
my dad gave a speech at my wedding | the president’s
speech was shown on television | her speech lasted
over an hour | I found his speech really boring | a speech
about the future of the United Nations | she delivered a
speech thanking the fans for their support
stressful  /ˈstresf(ə)l/ Adjective
something that is stressful makes you very worried and
stops you being able to relax
Collocates:  a stressful experience/time/situation
I had a stressful day at work | the job interview was
very stressful | a stressful job | moving house is a very
stressful experience | try to avoid stressful situations
Noun:  stress | Adjective:  stressed
Collocates:  be under stress | relieve stress
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 9
theme park  /ˈθiːm pɑː(r)k/ Noun
a theme park is a large area outside with a lot of
activities for people to enjoy
they visited the Disneyland theme park in Paris | we
went on some great rides at the theme park | my friend
spent a week at a theme park | the number of theme
parks in China is growing
GO (WENT, GONE, GOING)
Go can mean different things. Look at the examples
below. Translate them. How many different verbs in your
language do you use?
travel / move:  I went to Hong Kong for my holiday / go to
the park / I need to go to the shops / I want to go home
leave:  I need to go / let’s go / the last train goes at 11.23
attend / be at:  he goes to university / do you ever go to
church? / I need to go to a meeting / go to the match / I
don’t go to work every day
doing activities:  I go swimming a lot / I like going walking /
go running / go fishing
a thing’s usual position:  where do these plates go? / it
goes on the top shelf
change to:  the apples went bad / he goes really red
when he spends time in the sun / I went blue with cold /
everyone went crazy
how good?:  how’s it going? / How did the exam go? / It
went really well / my job’s going badly / I hope it goes well
disappear:  where has my pen gone? / he was gone when
I got back / a lot of trees have gone from the area
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  4
 Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 9

EXERCISES

Prepositions Collocations
A Complete the sentences with the correct D Complete the sentences with the correct form of
preposition. Look up the word in bold if you the verbs in the box.
need help.
call   feel   happen   take   make   give
1 I’m really excited starting university in October.
2 You shouldn’t be embarrassed winning all the 1 I’m going to a speech at my sister’s
prizes. wedding.
3 You could see from his face that he was terrible 2 As soon as I saw the accident, I quickly
pain. an ambulance.
4 Students are a lot of stress at this time of year. 3 The film was so sad it her cry.
5 There are a lot of accidents this motorway every 4 I always a bus to go to work in the
year. city.
6 I went for a ride a helicopter. 5 The accident outside the cinema.
6 She better when she got home.
Word families
E Match the words to make collocations from the
unit.
B Complete the sentences with the best adjective
from the box. 1 jacket a photograph
2 airline b pocket
scary exciting embarrassing
scared excited stressful 3 birthday c keeper
embarrassed stressed 4 gas d industry
5 passport e cooker
1 I’m really about meeting my
favourite actor. 6 zoo f celebration
2 Being lost and alone in a big city can be a F Complete the missing adjectives from the unit.
experience. Look up the adjectives if you need help.
3 She had a very day at work 1 a s_ _ _ _ _ _ _l situation
because she had too much work to do.
2 the n_ _ _ _ _ _l football team
4 It was very when I fell off my chair!
3 an a_ _ _ _ _e student
5 She didn’t tell me she was of
spiders. 4 a c_ _ _ _ _ _e disaster
6 Meeting a famous Hollywood actor was very 5 a p_ _ _ _ _l knock on the head
! G Choose the word that does NOT make a
7 I was so because everybody was collocation from the unit.
looking at me.
1 a birthday / anniversary / delay celebration
8 He was very because he had too
2 a budget / international / pocket airline
much work to do.
3 tomato / gas / cheese sauce
C Complete the sentences with the correct form of
4 a leg / breast / back pocket
the word in bold.
1 My leg was broken and it was to
move my arm. pain
2 How do you usually your birthday?
celebration
3 When he said goodbye, you could see the
in his eyes. sad
4 We were all really when the lights
suddenly went out. scary
5 She tried very hard to hide her
about her mistake. embarrassing
6 Teachers and students are always
during exams. stressful

© 2017 National Geographic Learning  5