English Vocabulary Organiser Abstract concepts

94 Time
1 Periods of time 4 Expressions with time
Match the time periods on the left with the time Complete the dialogues with these phrases:
periods on the right with the same meaning: u i . . „ ^
K a y all the time on time next time
1 . sixty secon ds a. a century at the same time just in time by the time
2 . sixty minutes b. a fortnigh t . . Te . -
-j j . 1. Did you h ear th at I failed my drivin g test?
3. seven days c. a minute . , „ . .
. , i mi • > t Jh , never mind. Better lu c k .....................
4. two weeks d. a millennium „ . , „ t iT i
_ y t * * 2. Aren t Paul an d Lynn here yet?
5. twelve months e. a decade XT * i . i >
, c , > N o, I m surprised they re so late, th ey re
6 . ten years h a week \\
7. a hundred years g. an h our , « ' \ ’ * i* r. i 1-1
o i j f 3. W hat w as Buckin gh am Palace like?
8 . a th ousan d years h. a year _ . ,
> It w as great. We ar r ive d ...........................to
2 Past, present and future se,e the ‘ ^ " g of th<; suard-
4 .1
Mark these expressions past, present or future: Departmen t. Th at must keep you busy.
1. in those days 10. right now > You’re not jokin g. I often have to do five
2 . in the future 11 . soon t h in gs.....................................
3. in a minute 12. last week 5 . Let’s get the bus, shall we?
4. in a few days 13. n ext week > We might as well w alk........................ the
5. a long time ago 14. ages ago next bus com es w e’ll alm ost be home!
6 . from now on 15. a whileback 6 . Did you find th ose keys?
7. at the moment 16. in the past > Yes, they were in my p o ck e t .........................
8. the other day 17. shortly N0W choose the correct ending for each sentence:
9. for the time being 18. soon er or later _ T , . XT
7. Jan e s very busy. Now is not a very
3 Time expressions 8- she f 1’1in a very good mood- It>s probably
r not the
Use these expressions in the sentences below: 9 . she’s very upset. It’s probably the
in those days in a minute 10. She’s in a meeting. You’ve picked a
straigh taw ay from now on a . best time to discuss your salary,
ages ago soon er or later b. bad time to call, I’m afraid,
the other day for the time being C- wron g time to talk about the meeting.
1 . 1 saw P a m ........................ She told me sh e’s g °od time to ask her for a day off.
got a new job.
2 . Fm surprised you still remember that. It 5 When?
h ap p en ed .......................... Today is Monday 15th June.
3. We didn t have t elevision .......................... Match the dates on the left with the expressions on
I used to play in the garden or read. rjg^ f
4. H e’s a very good player. I’m sure he’s goin g
to win a m ajor com pet it ion ................. .. , . 1* J une 13th a. a week today
5. Did you read that article about m ad cow 2. Jun e 17th b. the day before yesterday
disease? I m goin g veget ar ian .......................... 3 j une ^ 8th c. in three days’ time
6 . I can ’t find a flat of mv own so Fm stayin g . T i i i r
.i c• j ' 4. Jun e 20th /21st d. the day after tom orrow
with fr ie n d s........................................... J J
7 . W ait here. I’ll be b a c k .......................... 5 - June 22n d e. a fortn igh t today
8 . Di rang. Can you call her b a c k ......................? 6 . Jun e 29th f. next weekend

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6 Grammar words 7 Frequency adverbs

Complete the sentences below with these words: Match the sentences:
until while for since 1 . I really love milk.
yet just by durin g 2 . I like red wine.
1. I’ve been w aitin g h e r e ages. W here 3. I quite like pasta.
h ave you been? 4 . 1 don ’t like fish very much.
2. I’ll try an d visit you som et im e.................. 5. I really hate spinach.
the summer h olidays. a. I quite often have a glass with dinner.
3 . 1 got an n oyed because they kept talkin g b. I never touch it. I alw ays refuse it.
.............I w as trying to watch the film. c. I drink it all the time.
4. If we don ’t get this fin ish ed Friday, d. I have it occasionally / from time to time.
w e’ll have to w ork at the weekend. e. I rarely / h ardly ever have it.
5. Sh e’s alw ays the last one to leave the office.
Sh e’s h e r e seven o ’clock som e 8 Time verbs
evenings. Use the correct form of these verbs to complete
6 . 1 don ’t want a cup of tea, th an ks. I’ve the sentences below:
.............had one. pass last find
7. D on ’t tell me w h at h appen s in the film. I run out spend take
h aven ’t seen i t ................
1. My d au gh t er .............hours talkin g to her
8 . It’s nearly three m o n t h s.............. I last saw
friends on the phone.
Alison . I must give her a call.
2 . These batteries are the best you can buy.
Now do the same with these words:
Th ey for ages.
finally in the end to begin with 3. It’ll p r o b ab ly about an hour to get
recently suddenly so far from here to Lon don by train.
9. Is Jan e still w orkin g here? I h aven ’t seen her 4. Take something to read on the plane. It’ll
h e lp .............. the time.
10. Th e b u s came after I’d been waitin g 5. We really need to get on with this job if we’re
for twenty-five minutes. goin g to finish it in time. T im e ..........................
1 1 .1 waited all day for him to help me, but he 6 . Do you think you’ll be able t o the
forgot all abou t it I had to time to help me with my h om ew ork later?
do it myself. Now underline the complete expressions
1 2 .1 h aven ’t finished the course yet, b u t ............. containing the verb. For example, find the time.
I’m really enjoying it.
1 3 .1 th ough t Jan e an d I were getting on really 9 Notes
well. Th en last weekend sh e ......................... 1. In spoken lan guage we often say till instead
said she didn ’t w an t to see me any more. of until - “Don ’t do anything till I say so ” .
14........................... I th ough t Joh n w as serious 2. We often say all of a su d d e n instead of
abou t goin g to Australia, but then I realised su d d e n ly - “All of a sudden , the lights went
he w as jokin g. ou t .”

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English Vocabulary Organiser Abstract concepts

95 Numbers
1 Basic vocabulary 4 Saying ‘0’
Match the words with the examples on the right: ‘O’ is said in different ways depending on the
1 . cardin al n umbers a. t , I , w context. Match the spoken phrases with the
situations below:
2 . ordin al n umbers b. first, second, third, ...
3. decim als c. 1, 2, 3, ... 1. It’s four two nine three two oh.
4. fraction s d. 25% , 50% 2. In nineteen oh three.
5. percen tages e. 24 + 24 = 48 3. It’s three degrees below zero.
6 . arith metic f. 2.5, 3.14 4. Th ey w on two nil.
We say three poin t one four. 5. Sh e’s winning two sets to love.
a. the result of a football match
2 Cardinal numbers b. the temperature
Match the numbers with the way they are said: c. a telephone number
d. the score in a tennis match
1. 240
e. the year som ebody w as born
2. 2,750
3. 265,000
4. 2,500,000 5 Arithmetic
5. 2,000,000,000 Put these words and phrases into the sentences
below:
a. two h undred an d sixty-five th ousan d
b. tw o th ousan d seven h undred an d fifty times divided by min us plus
c. two billion 1. S i x .................. six equals twelve.
d. two h undred an d forty 2. T e n ................. six equals four.
e. two million, five h undred th ousan d 3. T e n ................. six equals sixty.
2,4, 6, 8 etc are even n um bers. 1,3,5,7 etc are odd 4. T e n ......................two equals five.
n um bers. W e alw ay s say once in stead o f one tim e Now match the following words with the four
an d usually tw ice in stead o f tw o tim es - “Fv e patterns above:
been to Italy tw ice. ” m ultiplication addition division subtraction

3 Fractions, decimals and percentages 6 Dates

Match these written numbers with the way they are Dates are more difficult to say than to write. You
spoken below. Then practise saying them. can write February 26th or 26th February. You can
1. 50% 5. 4 say either February the twenty-sixth or the twenty-
2. 2i 6. 1.23 sixth of February. Match these important days with
3. 2.5 7. I the spoken dates and then practise saying them:
4. 4.6% 8. j 1. American Independence Day
a. four poin t six percent e. two an d a h alf 2 . Ch ristm as Day
b. one point tw o three f. three quarters 3. New Year’s Day
c. two poin t five g. a quarter 4. Valentine’s Day
d. tw o th irds h. fifty percent a. February the 14th / the 14th of February
A fter fraction s an d percen tages w e use o f - “A b. December the 25th / the 25th of December
third of all m arriages end in div orce” or “33% o f c. Ju ly the 4th / the 4th of July
all m arriages ...” d. Jan u ar y the 1st / the 1st of Jan u ary
M ore than h alf is a m ajority. Less than h alf is a A bbrev iation s for the m on th s are: Jan , Feb, M ar;
m inority. A pr; May, Ju n , Ju l, A ug, Sept, Oct, Nov, D ec.

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7 Ordinal numbers 8 Approximate numbers

To form ordinal numbers we usually add 'th /to the
cardinal number - fourth, sixth, seventh, etc. You have
to change the spelling with tiventieth, thirtieth, fortieth
etc but this is usually spoken language anyway - “Ifs
their fiftieth wedding anniversary next w eek /3 The
exceptions are first, second, third and fifth. Notice
how we write ordinal numbers: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
10th, 25th, 100th etc.
Use these expressions which contain ordinal
numbers to complete the sentences below:
third time lucky at the eleventh h our
in seventh heaven first class
first impression s second-hand
sixth sense secon d nature
1. Pm very lucky. M y firm pays for me to fly
.................................. when I travel on busin ess.
2 . 1 bough t this ja c k e t ...............................from
a sh op near the station .
3. Fve got my drivin g test n ext week. Fve failed
it twice already.
> Well, you kn ow w h at they say - .................
I
4. My wife seems to kn ow exactly w h at Fm
thinking. Sh e’s got a .......................................
5. I grew up in the moun tain s so skiing w as
................................................. to me.
6 . Disn eylan d w as fan tastic. The kids were
7 . 1 didn ’t like Tony much when I met him but
now I really like him.
> Well, it just sh ows t h a t ................................
can be m isleading.
8 . They told everyone the meeting w ould be in
Lon don and t h e n ...............................................
they decided to change it an d have it in
O xford instead.
We are often imprecise about numbers. Mark the
sentences M (if the idea is many) or F (few):
1. Lor n a’s party w as very dull. Only abou t h alf
a dozen people turn ed up.
2. It w asn ’t a very good concert. Lots of people
left before the end.
3. There are quite a few new studen ts in the
class this week.
4. There were hardly any tickets left for this
concert, so I w as lucky to get one.
5. There were loads of people in town this
mornin g. I think there w as some kind of
demon stration .
6 . Fve h ad dozens of replies to the advert I put
in the paper.
A dozen =12 .
A couple o f (people) = tw o.
Several (people) = m ore than tw o, but n ot many.
Now use these words to complete the dialogues:
about give or take so
7. So, how many people went to Kim ’s party?
> Oh, I don ’t k n o w . thirty or thirty-
five, I suppose.
8 . So, Carlos, h ow many girlfriends did you
have before me?
> H m m , maybe fifteen o r ................Fve never
really counted!
9. So, h ow m any tickets have we sold for this
con cert w e’re doin g?
> Aroun d tw o h un dred - ........................ a few.
You can say abou t 30 or aroun d 30.
A pproxim ately an d roughly are m ore form al
than abou t or aroun d - “A new com puter sy stem
w ould cost us approxim ately / roughly £15,000. ”

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96 Similarity and difference

1 The same or different?
Which of the following descriptions of people can be used in the three situations below:
a. Th ey’re exactly the same. e. Th ey’re quite similar.
b. Th ey’re completely different. f. I can ’t tell the difference.
c. Th ey’re quite alike in some ways. g. I can ’t tell them apart.
d. Th ey’re identical. h. Th ey’re nothing like each other.
1 . Jack and Ben are identical twins. At sch ool their teachers are always mixin g them up!
D escrip t ion s...............................................
2. Peter and Jan e are twins. They both have fair hair and blue eyes.
D escrip t ion s.....................
3. Bill an d M att are broth ers, but you’d never guess. Bill h as pale skin and red hair while M att
h as dark hair and alw ays looks tanned.
D escrip t ion s.....................

2 Saying that things are the same

Choose the correct ending for these sentences:

very similar his last one.

DiCaprio’s new film is the same from his last one.

no different to his last one.
just like as his last one.

3 Expressions with same 5. You look a bit stressed.

Complete the dialogues below with these phrases:
> Oh, I just couldn ’t find anywhere to park
again . It’s ........................every morning.
stay the same the same again
6 . W ould you like another drink?
the same at the same time
> Yes, I’ll h av e ........................ please.
the same to you all the same
1 . So, wh o are you goin g to vote for in the 4 Adjectives
election?
Complete the sentences with these adjectives:
> Oh, I don ’t know. Th ese politician s are
equal constant i denti cal f ami l i ar
.......................... They say one thing and then
do just wh at they like. 1. Th is watch i s ...................to the one I lost.
2. Bye! Have a nice weekend! Perh aps it’s mine.
> T h an k s,................................. 2. Th is place lo o k s.......................I’m sure I’ve
3 I don ’t like change very much. I like things to been here before.
.............................. 3 . W omen w h o ate doin g exactVy the sam e )ohs
4. If I put all my money into this scheme, I as their male colleagues sh ould receive
could make a fortune. ................. pay*
> Yes, b u t ........................you could lose 4 . The number of death s from drug abuse has
everything. r em ain ed ................. for the last ten years.
 Abstract concepts English Vocabulary Organiser

5 Saying that things are different

Complete the dialogues below with these words and phrases:
var ied n ot th e sam e op p osit e un iqu e in com pat ible altern at ive
1. So, have you been to lots of Chinese restauran ts since you came back from Ch ina?
> Well, I’ve tried a few, but they’re ju st .................................... as the ones in China.
2. So, does Sam ’s broth er look like him, then?
> N o, h e’s the com p lete..................... H e’s tall and thin with blon d hair.
3. Th ere’s no other film maker with quite the same style, is there?
> N o, I must say he’s ab solu t ely .....................
4. H ow ’s the new job goin g?
> Th e one thing I really like abou t it is th at it is s o ..................... N o two days are the same.
5 . 1 h ear Extrico are thinking of puttin g their prices up.
> Well, if they do, we’ll have to look for a n .............................supplier. We need to keep our costs
under con trol.
6 . 1 can ’t believe Kerry and Frank are getting married. They seem com pletely........................

6 Expressions with difference 7 Comparing things

Use these expressions to complete the sentences: Complete the sentences below with these words:
makes all the difference m u ch a lot n ow h er e n ear far
makes no difference 1. Our house i s ...................... bigger than theirs.
see the difference
tell the difference
split the difference
2. Their house i s ...................... as big as ours.
1. As far as I’m concerned, takin g the money
Now choose the correct ending for each sentence:
w ith out askin g is the same as stealing it. I
really don ’t ................................................... 3. Com pared to our little flat,
4. In com parison with Mexico City,
2. W ould you prefer butter or margarin e?
5. Th ere’s a huge con trast
> I really don ’t mind. To be h onest, I can ’t
6 . You can ’t com pare

3. We really don ’t mind whether we have a boy a. between the north and the south.
or a girl. I t .................................................to us. b. life in Lon don with life in a Welsh village.
c. Lon don seems quite quiet.
4. W hen Rivaldo isn ’t playin g, Brazil are not the
d. his house is like a castle.
same team. H e’s the player t h a t ......................
You can say com pared w ith or com pared to. You
5. I’ll give you £20 for it. m ak e a com parison betw een tw o th ings.
> N o, I wan t at least £30. I f w e say tw o people are like chalk an d cheese,
OK, let’s ......................................... an d say £25. are they very sim ilar or very differen t?

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97 Thoughts and ideas

1 Thought processes 3 Thinking1verbs
Complete the sentences below with the following In the following sentences two of the words or
verbs: phrases in green are correct. Delete the wrong
predict decide imagine remember one.
judge wonder w ork out guess 1. Well, perh aps you sh ould give yourself a few
1 . I met a lovely girl at a party last week, but days to think about / con sider / reckon our
I can ’t e v e n ................... her name. offer before you m ake a decision.
2 . I can ’t whether to apply for this 2. Let’s call a taxi. Th en we can all have a
job or not. It’s really well-paid, but the h ours drink. W h at do you think / con sider /
are so long. reckon?
3 .1 if w e’ll ever find a cure for the > I suppose / suggest / guess we could. But
com m on cold. w on ’t a taxi be very expen sive?
No, I suppose not / I don ’t think so / 1 doubt
4. Go o n !..................how old M ark is.
it. It’s only a few miles.
> I don ’t know. 40?
3. I’ve just h ad an idea / a con sideration / a
5. I’d love to be able to travel back in time to
thought. Why don ’t we drive to the coast?
ancient Egypt or ancient Rom e. Can you
................. w h at it w ould be like? 4. I’m sorry. I didn ’t realise / h ad no idea /
6 . I’m trying t o .....................h ow long it will take didn ’t con sider th at you were w aitin g for me.
to get to Venice from Rom e by car. 5. I’m am azed that Peter an d Liz are goin g out
7. Don ’t ask me t o w h o’ll win the together. I just can ’t realise / imagine / picture
W orld Cup. I’ve got no idea. them together.
8 . I don ’t kn ow why you don ’t like Paul. You 6 . D on ’t m ake excuses. You hit the car in front
don ’t really kn ow him well enough to because you weren ’t con centrating / were
................. him. daydream in g / weren ’t realising.

D o y ou have a logical m ind? D o y ou think 7. I’ll never finish this report. I keep losin g my
logically ? concentration / getting distracted / losing my
mind.
D o y ou have a good m em ory ? O r have y ou got
a m em ory like a sieve? 8 . W ould you turn th at music dow n , please?
I can ’t imagine / can ’t hear myself think /
I f you say th at som eon e h as a good m in d, you
can ’t concentrate.
m ean th at they are intelligent.

2 Asking for an opinion 4 Making decisions

Choose the correct endings for these sentences: Choose two correct endings for eachsentence:

1. W h at do you a. opin ion of this report? 1. I’m not a. decide.

2. W h at’s your b. feel if we invited Jim ? 2 . I can ’t b. sure about it.
3. I’ve got c. mixed feelings about it.
3. W h at are your c. think will h appen?
d. sure w h at I think.
4. H ow w ould you d. feelings on drugs?
e. a few reservation s about it.
I f som eon e ask s for y our opin ion an d y ou 'd
f. m ake my mind up.
rath er n ot give it, you can say : Lm not sure
abou t that or I'd need tim e to think about th at . Y ou can also say ; “I ’m in tw o m inds about
I f you are ask ed to m ak e a decision , you can say : w hether to go or not. ”
Let m e sleep on it or Lll get back to y ou. A re you a decisive person or are y ou indecisive?

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5 Not understanding 7 Expressions with mind

Use the correct form of these verbs to complete Complete the expressions below with these words:
the sentences: make slipped changed
follow un derstan d lose make sense don ’t on take
1. Fm trying to set up this music system but I 1. Fve my mind.
don ’t ................. the instructions. 2. Fve got a l o t ................. my mind.
2 . Fm trying to set up this music system, but the 3. It’l l ...................your mind off it.
instructions don ’t ................................. 4. I can ’t ................. up my mind.
3. Sorry, I don ’t ................. you. Can you 5. I really mind.
explain th at again ? 6. It com pletely................. my mind.
4. Fm sorry. Y o u ..................me. Could you Now use the whole expressions to complete these
start again ? sentences:
7. Fm sorry Fve been so quiet recently.
6 Intelligent or unintelligent? ........................................at the moment.
Use these words to complete the following: 8 . 1 don ’t kn ow whether to give her flowers or
genius fool brilliant ch ocolates.................. .
bright slow stupid 9. I w as goin g to go to university but
........................................... Fm goin g to get a
1. Our Professor is con sidered to be one of the job instead.
w orld’s m o st ................. ph ysicists. 10. W h at do you fancy - fish or pasta?
2. Our daugh ter w as a v e r y ................. child. She > Either, really. You ch oose...............................
w as readin g before she w as five.
3. You drove home after drinking all night! 11. Did you post my letter?
H ow can you be s o ................... ? > Oh no, sorry...............................................
4. I don ’t really un derstan d w h at you’re getting 12 . I can see you’re really worried about this
at. Sorry if Fm being a b i t ................... new job. Why don ’t you go aw ay for the
5. Salvador Dali might have been very strange, w e e k e n d ?......................................... for a
but you have to adm it the man w as a couple of days.

6 . He lost all his money in some crazy business

deal. Th e m an ’s a com p let e.....................
A void the w ord idiot. It can he a very stron g
w ord in som e lan guages. I f y ou w an t to say to
som eon e "D on 't be so st u p id !y\ y ou can also say ,
“Don 't be so silly !”
We often use n ot very + a positive w ord w hen w e
w an t to be n egative: “She's n ot very brigh t
“He's not very clever. ”
Y ou can also say ; “He's not exactly Ein stein . ”

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