Unit 2 Wordlist Macmillan English Hub C1  

Part of
Word/Phrase speech IPA (UK) IPA (USA) Definition Sample sentence
Describing art
acclaimed adjective əˈkleɪmd publicly written and talked It was an internationally
about in an admiring way acclaimed production,
praised by critics worldwide.
appalling adjective əˈpɔːlɪŋ əˈpɔlɪŋ very bad or disappointing The jokes were
absolutely appalling.
awesome adjective ˈɔːs(ə)m ˈɔsəm extremely good My trip around
the world was an
awesome experience.
groundbreaking adjective ˈɡraʊn(d)ˌbreɪkɪŋ using new methods or This study is
achieving new results groundbreaking, with
many new findings on
plant diversity.
hilarious adjective hɪˈleəriəs hɪˈleriəs extremely funny For some reason, she finds
his jokes hilarious.
iconic adjective aɪˈkɒnɪk aɪˈkanɪk very famous and well-known, His photographs have
and believed to represent a become iconic images
particular idea of war.
overrated adjective ˌəʊvəˈreɪtɪd ˌoʊvərˈreɪtəd not as good or important as The film is so overrated
some people believe and just doesn’t live up to
its publicity.
pretentious adjective prɪˈtenʃəs intended to impress other Most of the songs have
people but seeming false or such pretentious lyrics.
too deliberate
repetitive adjective rɪˈpetətɪv involving repeating the same A lot of my work is very
action over long periods repetitive and I’m just
of time doing the same things all
day long.
sensational adjective senˈseɪʃ(ə)nəl very attractive, impressive The best part of the
or good performance was the
singing, which was just
sensational!
tedious adjective ˈtiːdiəs ˈtidiəs boring and continuing for It was such a tedious
too long journey with nothing to
see or do the whole time
we were travelling.
thought- adjective ˈθɔːt prəˌvəʊkɪŋ ˈθɔt prəˌvoʊkɪŋ interesting in a way that makes It was an incredibly
provoking you think of new ideas or thought-provoking
that changes your attitude documentary.
to something
unconventional adjective ˌʌnkənˈvenʃ(ə)nəl different from what most He has a really
people consider to be usual unconventional
or normal dress sense.
underrated adjective ˌʌndəˈreɪtɪd if a person or thing is He’s seriously underrated
underrated, especially a as an actor.
performer, writer or sports
player, most people do not
recognise how good that
person or thing really is
Ideas and inspiration
bounce ideas off verb phrase baʊns aɪˈdɪəz ɒf baʊns aɪˈdiəz ɔf to discuss something with If you have a moment,
someone someone in order to get their can I bounce a few ideas
opinion and make a decision off you?
draw inspiration verb phrase drɔː ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən drɔ to get a new idea that helps I drew inspiration from
from something frɒm ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən you to do or create something the surrealists when
frʌm painting and copied some
elements from their style.

Macmillan English Hub C1 Teacher’s Resource Centre.

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Unit 2 Wordlist Macmillan English Hub C1  

Part of
Word/Phrase speech IPA (UK) IPA (USA) Definition Sample sentence
get a fresh verb phrase get ə freʃ get ə freʃ to get a new way of thinking I got a fresh perspective
perspective on pəˈspektɪv ɒn pərˈspektɪv ɑn about something on life when I took a
something break from work.
get into the right verb phrase get ˈɪntuː ðə raɪt to start thinking or feeling Meditation helps me get
state of mind steɪt ɒv maɪnd appropriately for a task ahead into the right state of
mind for work.
hit a wall verb phrase hɪt ə wɔːl hɪt ə wɔl to reach a point where you are Emily’s teacher says
physically or mentally unable to she has hit a wall with
make progress or to continue her schoolwork.
doing something
immerse yourself verb phrase ɪˈmɜːs jɔːˈself ɪn ɪˈmɜrs jərˈself ɪn to spend most of your time Sandra immersed herself
in something doing something or thinking in work to try and forget
about it her problems at home.
jump start verb phrase ʤʌmp stɑːt ʤʌmp stɑrt to make someone more Going for a run usually
someone’s creative in a very active and jump starts my
creativity successful way creativity.
run with an idea verb phrase rʌn wɪð ən aɪˈdɪə to take control of something Let’s pick up this idea and
such as a plan or a problem run with it.
and add your own ideas in
order to make it successful
trust your verb phrase trʌst jɔːr trʌst jʊər to behave according to your If in doubt, trust your
instincts ˈɪnstɪŋkts ˈɪnstɪŋkts natural ability to know what to instincts.
do in a particular situation
work from a verb phrase wɜːk frɒm ə wɜrk frʌm ə to start a project with no I’d never done anything
blank canvas blæŋk ˈkænvəs blæŋk ˈkænvəs pre-set ideas about what to like this before, so
do or how to do it I was working from a
blank canvas.
Compound adjectives
highly-motivated adjective ˈhaɪli ˈhaɪli extremely enthusiastic and We have very highly-
ˈməʊtɪveɪtɪd ˈmoʊtəˌveɪtəd determined to achieve success motivated teachers
who are enthusiastic and
serious about their work.
late-night adjective leɪt naɪt happening late at night I bought some snacks at
a late-night store.
open-minded adjective ˈəʊpən ˈmaɪndɪd ˈoʊpən willing to consider new ideas She’s very open-minded
ˈmaɪndəd about trying new food.
part-time adjective pɑːt taɪm pɑrt taɪm done for only part of the I need a part-time job so
time that an activity is I still have time to study
usually performed when I’m not working.
self-employed adjective ˌself ɪmˈplɔɪd working for yourself instead Have you ever considered
of for an employer and paid going self-employed?
directly by the people who you
provide a product or service to
thick-skinned adjective ˌθɪk ˈskɪnd not easily upset or offended You have to be
by what other people say thick-skinned to be
about you a police officer.
well-paid adjective wel peɪd a well-paid person receives She’s very well-paid with
a good amount of money one of the highest salaries
for work in the company.
world-famous adjective wɜːld ˈfeɪməs wɜrld ˈfeɪməs known by people in all parts of The hotel is world-
the world famous and has hosted
many celebrities.

Macmillan English Hub C1 Teacher’s Resource Centre.

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited, 2020. This page may be photocopied and used within the class. 2