PHRASAL VERBS

Chocked back: If you choke back feelings or tears, you force yourself not to show how
angry or upset you are
Sweep aside: to treat (something) as not important : to ignore (something).
Tone down: If you tone down something that you have written or said, you make it less
forceful, severe, or offensive.
Tease out: Lure out, obtain or extract with effort, This term alludes to the literal sense
of tease, “untangle or release something with a pointed tool.
Whip up: to excite (someone or something) : to cause (someone or something) to feel
strong emotions about something.
Blurt out: to say something suddenly, and without thinking of the results.
Fend off: to defend oneself against (someone or something).
Bottle up: to keep (a feeling or emotion) inside instead of expressing it : to hide
Shoot down
Keep up
Come in for
Come along
Speak out: outspoken
Go
· Go on: be spent on
· Go out fetch: ebb
· Go for: fetch
· Go in for: enter (a competition)
· Go down with: become ill with
· Go off: explode
· Go with: match
· Go off: go sour
· Go over/through: examine
· Go without: manage without

――

Cut down on
Pick up on
Touched on
Work out
Make up
Passed around
Go over
Carried out
Put forward
Had in mind
Sets out
Come up with
Make up for something – Provide something good, so that something bad seems less
important: He bought her some flowers to make up for being late.
Dawn on someone – if something dawns on you, you realize it for the first
time: It dawned on Jimmy that his wife was not coming back.
Take apart something – Dismantle something: Don’t take the laptop apart unless you
know what you’re doing.
Size up something – Think carefully and form an opinion about a person or a situation:
Peter has an incredible ability to size up a situation.
Settle up with someone – Pay someone the money you owe them: Let’s settle
up with the waiter and get out of here.
Grow out of something – Become too old, mature or big for something: As adults we
naturally grow out of spontaneous reactions.
Set out to do something – Start taking action with the intention of achieving a
particular aim: They set out to build their own house.
Die away – Disappear over a period of time and cease to exist: The sound of his
footsteps gradually died away.
Pack in something – Give up or stop doing something: She packed in her job in to focus
on her writing.
Break off – Stop doing something, especially speaking: He broke off when the phone
rang.
Wind up something – Bring something to an end: Let’s wind up this meeting now, it’s
time for lunch.
Pull out of something – Withdraw from or stop taking part in something: The football
player was forced to pull out of the World Cup because of injury.
Revolve around something – Have something as a very important part or purpose:
Everything he does revolves around his job.
Stand for something – Be willing to accept something that someone does: It’s
outrageous, and we won’t stand for it any more.
Break out in something – If you break out in a rash or a sweat it appears on your
skin: The skin on my arms was breaking out in a rash.
Think over something- Consider a problem or decision carefully:  I suggest you think
over your position very carefully.
See off someone – Go with someone to the station or airport that they are leaving from
and say goodbye to them there: I saw my parents off at the airport.
Catch on – Become popular: Energy bars have caught on as many runners have begun
to see the benefits.
Mistake someone/something for someone/something – Think that a person or thing is
someone or something else: I mistook a piece of rope for a snake.
Put off someone – Stop someone concentrating: The noise from the flat
above put her off revising for her exams.
IDIOMS, EXPRESSIONS

By word of mouth: communication that consists of comments that people make to each
other in an informal way, not formal communication such as news reports and
advertisements.
To be nose to tail: lined up very close to each other.
To lie face downwards: Of a person, lying on one's stomach with one's face literally
turned downward.
To come face to face with: having to deal with something unpleasant.
To set foot on: enter, go, into. (To land in somewhere)
To live from hand to mouth: To be extremely poor, having only enough money to
provide food and shelter each month.
To have a heart to heart: a candid and intimate conversation. (Una conversación de
corazón a corazón)

To be made by hand: something done handmade. (Hecho a mano)

To walk hand in hand: To work alongside or in conjunction (with someone or
something else), especially in pursuit of a common goal.
To fight tooth and nail: fight very fiercely. (Luchar con uñas y dientes)
To stroll arm in arm: With one person's arm linked around another's; also, closely
allied or intimate.
To see eye to eye: be in full agreement.
To take something to heart
For better, for worse:
Tying the know: getting married
Cast my enet: look around for someone else
Bolt from the blue: a total surprise
Time on her hands: plenty of free time
Calling the tune: in charge
Carrying a torch for: in love with
Rolled up her sleeves: behave very practically
At death’s door: very ill
Giving me the cold shoulder: ignoring me
Get a grip: take charge, get in control
The final nail in the coffin: something that has finally caused failure
To call a spade (a) spade: to speak directly
To go down the tubes: to fail
A weak link in the chain: unreliable part of something, usually used of people
To blow a fuse: to lose your temper
With (no) strings attached: unconditional
To get your wires crossed: to misunderstand
To shoot your bolt: to fail
To get into gear: to start to deal with something effectively
To twist the knife: to deliberately make someone feel worse
In the vanguard
A double-edged sword
The lay person
For its own sake
Subject to enough regulations
The greater good
As an end in itself
Effectively controlled by law
At the cutting-edge
Having advantages and disadvantages
Non-expert
The benefit of society at large
Set

 set the wheels in motion

 set the world on fire
 set the scene
 set out your stall
 set your heart on
 set the record straight
  set a dangerous precedent
 set in stone
 set your sights on
 set your teeth on edge

Pull

 pull your weight: work as hard as other people in a group

 pull your socks up: improve your behaviour or work
 Pull the other one!: if you use this expression, it means you don’t believe what
someone has just said to you. Also: Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it.
 pull the strings: control people or an organisation
 pull a fast one: trick someone

Run

 run rings round: beat or do better than someone

 run the risk of: do something although something bad might happen because of
it
 run counter to: have the opposite effect to something else
 run a tight ship: manage something efficiently

Live

 Live it up: have a good time

 Learn to live with: get used to
 Live up to our expectations: be everything we wanted
 Live down: forget
 Live through: experience
 Live by his wits: cleverly manage to survive through his ingenuity

a golden handshake: financial reward for long service

cut their teeth: get experience

progress up the rungs: climb the career ladder

a mixed blessing: good and bad

dog-eat-dog: fiercely competitive

the slightest whiff of: a tiny bit of

snapped up: recruited immediately

a track record: evidence of previous success

mindset: way of thinking

the jury’s still out: people haven’t decided

a quantum leap: huge improvement

quick fixes: apparently simple and instant solutions (which don’t succeed)

keep their heads down: avoid trouble by behaving in a quiet way

red ink

green shoots

blue chip

white good

golden hello

white knight

in tones of determined sweetness

turn a cheerful face

tended like orchids

put a crimp in

set great store on

be on cloud nine: be extremely happy

through rose-tinted spectacles: with a positive view of the past that is unrealistic

beyond my wildest dreams: better that anything you could imagine or hope for

in my book: in my opinion

put yourself on the line: commit yourself, stand up for what you believe in

feel under the weather: feel ill

tip the balance: sway (an argument) in one direction

cut corners: save time, money or effort by not following the usual procedure

down and out: without hope and usually without a job or place to live

keep your head above water: struggle to survive, usually under pressure

feel the pinch: have less money than previously and suffer as a result

in the red: overdrawn at the bank

on a shoestring: with very little money

tighten your belt: economise

a rough ride: a time when you experience a lot of problems

in limbo: caught between two stages of development

a rather faltering endeavour: a relatively weak attempt

a loosening of the reins: a relaxing of the rules

a (soft) sideshow: a less important event

dealing a blow to: causing something or someone great difficulties

remit: brief or scope

wield… power: have a lot of influence

proliferation: expansion (in the number of)

raised the profile: made people more aware of

propitious: favourable

infringe: violate

enshrined in: confirmed in

promulgated by: put forward by

under the auspices of: under the direction of

COMPOUND ADJECTIVES, COLLOCATIONS,
WORD FORMATION
deep-sea

record-breaking

long-standing

glass-bottomed -fondo de vidrio?

wider-ranging -mayor alcance

inter-continental

easy-going

trouble-free

meticulously-planned

half-day

Environment collocations

 fossil fuel
 severe famine/shortages
 pristine environment / ice cap – ambiente prístino / capa de hielo
 finite resources
 greenhouse gases – gases de efecto invernadero
 water shortages/resources
 climate change
 solar energy
 population density/change
 melting ice cap -derretimiento de la capa de hielo
 rising sea levels -aumento del nivel del mar
 life expectancy -esperanza de vida

Rely on

Take pride in- enorgullecerse de

Look forward to- esperar con interés

Prohibited from

Consists of

Interfere in

Admire her for

Apologise to
Accused of

Believe in

agreeable (adjective) – disagreeable, agree, disagree, agreement, agreeably

imaginary (adjective) – imagine, imagination, unimaginable, unimaginably, image, imaginable

expectations (plural noun) – expect, unexpected, expected, unexpectedly, expectant

reality (noun) – real, realise, realism, unreality, unreal, realistic, realistically, unrealistically, surreal,
surrealism

enthusiasm (noun) – enthusiastic, enthusiastically, unenthusiastic,unenthusiastically, enthuse

measure (verb) – immeasurable, measurement, measurable, measureless, measured

dismissive (adjective) – dismiss, dismissal, dismissively

clearly (adverb) – clear, clarity, clarify, unclear, unclearly

transform (verb) – transformer, transformation, transformed, untransformed

introductory (adjective) – introduce, introduction

excuses (noun) – excusable, inexcusable

Quick bite: sth quick to eat

Fast lane: the quickest but most competitive route to success (original meaning: the outside
overtaking lane of a motorway)

Quick buck: (earn) money fast

Fast track: the quickest line in e.g. airport check-in

Brisk nod: a quick move of the head in acknowledgement

Swift denial: a public announcement to say that something isn’t true, given quickly to prevent media
interest

Rapid response: answering/reacting quickly

Quick catnap: brief sleep, usually during daytime

Some collocations with adv+adj

 utterly impressive characterisation

 zealously detailed chronicle
 painstakingly accurate depiction
 utterly enigmatic hero
 hauntingly moving images
 intensely compelling narrative
 ingeniously woven plot
 subtly realistic portrayal
 annoyingly pompous protagonist
  exquisitely intricate storyline

Metaphors
 a crop of critical reviews- cosecha de críticas
 an epidemic of feverish activity – epidemia de actividad febril
 a flash of minor complaints
 a glut of public sympathy -exceso de simpatía pública
 an outbreak of pure joy -brote de alegría pura
 a plague of scandalous stories
 a storm of spontaneous laughter – tormenta de risa espontánea
 a surge of unfair publicity - oleada de publicidad injusta
 a wave of violent protests
 a whirlwind of wild inspiration – torbellino de inspiración salvaje

Similes
as gently and clingingly as pollen
glossy and colourful as a child’s transfer

Metaphor
the dark skin of night would peel off
barred with gold
ADVERBS
a) indiscriminately (without care - these dogs do not attack indiscriminately - waste
was dumped indiscriminately - licenses were issued indiscriminately) 
b) painstaking (extremely careful and correct, involving a lot of effort - it took years
of painstaking research to write the article - the process is a laborious and painstaking
one - weeks of painstaking research bore their fruits)
c) single-handedly (without any help from anyone else - she single-handedly
supported her family after her husband’s death - he single-handedly built an empire)
d) concurrently (at the same time - Co-ownership entitles two or more
persons concurrently to the possession and enjoyment of the same land - missile
development was going ahead concurrently with aircraft design)
e) unwarranted (not having a good reason, unfair, annoying - he finds this
an unwarranted conclusion - unwarranted optimism - your unwarranted intrusion is
annoying - an unwarranted intrusion of government into private)
f) cumbersome (awkward becuse of being heavy, large or not effective -
cumbersome and time-consuming method of voting - cumbersome structure of the
Labour Party - slow and cumbersome in its rate of change) 
g) consummate (perfect or complete in every way - consummate skills -consummate
organizer - consummate patience - consummate feminine grace)
h) unmitigated disaster (unmitigated = complete, normally negative -unmitigated
resentment/horror)
i) all and sundry (everyone - it will be open to all and sundry - I have been branded a
disreputable opportunist to all and sundry)
j) neither here nor there (irrelevant - what I think about him is neither here nor there
- Whether I find her attractive is neither here nor ther.)
k) utter nonsense (utter = complete - normally negative)
l) rank disobedience (complete or extreme -rank stupidity, rank outsider [not
favourite])
m) sheer stupidity (sheer = complete - distort the market due to their sheer size - the
sheer quality - the sheer scale of the task is frightening)
n) out-and-out (complete - in every way - even an out-and-out fascist state - can an act
of out-and-out mass annihilation be justified - an out-and-out win for Ayuso)
o) outright (completely or immediately -hunting should be banned outright - some had
been killed outright - give more freedom to nationalised industries rather than
privatising them outright [outright ban, outright violence, outright support])
p) downright (extremely or very great -normally something bad or negative
[depressing, hostility, unfriendly, disgrace, incompetent, dangerous])
q) patently obvious (patently = clearly - he was patently not happy - it is patently
unsuited to the job - fear was now patently manifest - it is patently false)
r) Absolutely staggering- absolutamente asombroso
s) Doubly disappointing
t) Fairly laid-back- bastamente relajado
u) Highly suspicious
v) Remarkably accurate- notablemente preciso
w) Slightly embarrassed
x) Somewhat envious- algo envidioso
y) Utterly miserable- absolutamente miserable
z) Alternative
aa) Cautionary
bb)Collapsible- plegable?
cc) Detestable
dd)Honorary, honourable
ee) Laborious
ff) Loathsome- aborrecible
gg) Hypocritical
hh)Philosophical
ii) Repulsive
jj) Tenacious
kk)Theatrical
ll) Virtuous
mm) Voluntary
nn) passionately
oo) confidently
pp) categorically
qq) Peevishly ?
rr) tentatively
ss) reluctantly- a regañadientes
tt) resignedly
uu)stubbornly- obstinadamente
vv) predatory- depredador
ww) sustainability
xx) coniferous- conífero
yy) diversity
zz) evolutionary
aaa) inevitability
MODAL VERBS
(1) DYNAMIC: ability, impossibility

(2) DEONTIC: obligation, advice, permission, willingness [volition]

(3) EPISTEMIC: deduction, speculation

FOREIGN WORDS
FAUX PAS: Blunder, mistake

PAR EXCELLENCE: Best or most typical of its kind

IN LIEU OF: Instead of

NICHE: Vocation, sector, suitable place

AD INFINITUM: Unendingly, to infinity, without end

RISQUÉ: Naughty, racy- usually jokes

FRACAS: Quarrel, disturbance

QUID PRO QUO: something in return

PRIMA FACIE: at first sight

PROTÉGÉ: someone you have under your wing / a follower

CUL-DE-SAC: street open at one end only

CLIQUE: small group of people not welcoming to outsiders, in-crowd

NOM DE PLUME: pseudonym used when writing

BÊTE NOIRE: sthg you dislike

TÊTE À TÊTE : friendly, confinding conversation

HOI POLLOI: the ordinary people

COUP DE GRÂCE: finishing stroke

SOME VOCABULARY
A pump: bomba

Valves: válvula

(A pair of) scissors

(some) tweezers: pinzas

A (padlock and) chain

Vivacious: vivaz

Pompous: pomposo

Nettle: ortiga

Yank: tirón?

Harangue: a lengthy and aggressive speech *arenga*

resolve

swear

seethe: boil or be turbulent as if boiling *hervir, bullir* / (of a person) be filled with intense but
unexpressed anger.

unearth *desenterrar*

crave *ansiar*

flout: openly disregard/ mock; scoff *burla*

scrounge: seek to obtain (something, typically food or money) at the expense or through the
generosity of others or by stealth. *gorronear, robar*

The three verbs for downward movement or decline are drop, evaporate and dwindle. Other possible
verbs are:

 drops – plummets
 evaporate – fade
 dwindles – diminishes.

The verb that describes an upward trend is rises. Possible verbs to replace it are soars/blossoms

Nouns

used of men

bounder (old-fashioned), charmer (slightly derogatory), geek (informal), lout, Neanderthal (informal
and derogatory ), nerd, patriarch (formal), thug

used of women
bag (informal and offensive), bimbo (informal and offensive), duchess (old-fashioned), vamp (old-
fashioned)

used of both

actor, chairman (many people prefer to say chair or chairperson as a gender-neutral choice), chav
(informal and offensive), freshman (US – the British equivalent is fresher), mate (informal), partner,
sibling, spouse (formal), whizz kid

Adjectives

used of men

chivalrous, effeminate

used of both

bullish, doting (but see Possible answers below), laddish, lanky (but usually of men and boys),
prickly, wimpy

Opposites:

 articulate / inarticulate
 brazen / modest
 callous / compassionate
 fickle / steadfast
 flawed / impeccable
 garrulous/ taciturn
 trustworthy / treacherous
 unflappable / panicky
 rebellious / conventional
 spunky / spineless
 passionate / apathetic

Meaning the same:

 Engrossed- immersed
 Overpowering- compelling
 take for granted- assume
 conjectures- suppositions
 classic- masterpiece
 perceptions- insights
 painstaking- meticulous
 bravery- guts

Apropos: with regard to

Coup: a brilliant achievement

Mnemonic: a memory aid often using rhyme

Penchant: a particular liking for

Pseudonym: not a real name

Denouement: events at the end of a novel

Indebted: very grateful

About happiness

 bliss *felicidad, dicha*

 contagious
 elation *júbilo*
 ephemeral
 euphoria
 fleeting *fugaz*
 infectious
 invasive
 momentary
 rapture *arrebato*
 transient *pasajero, fugaz*
 virulent

Metaphors

 bruised: egos
 contagious: criticism
 fatal: dose of scepticism, flaw in the argument
 feverish: state of activity
 healthy: bank balance, criticism, dose of scepticism, turnout of voters
 jaundiced: criticism, sense of humour
 sick: sense of humour, bank balance
 sore: loser

Growth/ plants: bloom, flourish, mushroom, spring up

Water/ liquid: flow *flujo*, ooze *sudar, chorrear*, ripple out *ondulación*, trickle *goteo*

Fire: burn out *quemar*, flare up *estallar*, ignite*encender* , smoulder *arder*

Bad weather/ storms: blow up, break, rage, sweep *barrido^*

Light: dazzle *deslumbrar*, light up, shine, sparkle

Cooking: boil, bubble, simmer *cocer a fuego lento*, stew *guisar*

Pleased: cheerful, content, merry

 Lucky: opportune, propitious, timely

Willing: amenable, inclined, prepared

There’s an odd word in each line:

· a naïve sceptical ingenuous simple - The other words all have the idea of ‘easy to
mislead or deceive’. Sceptical means ‘doesn’t believe things easily’.
· b gullible derisive credulous trusting - The other words all mean ‘easy to deceive’.
Derisive means ‘not worth taking seriously’
· c cynical scornful apathetic contemptuous - The others all have an active meaning.
Apathetic is passive.
· d sensitive sensible susceptible suggestible - The other words have the meaning of
being aware of things. Sensible means ‘having common sense – knowing what to do’
· e nosy curious inquisitive humble - The other words all mean wanting to find out about
something. Humble means modest.
· f upright immature irresponsible disrespectful - This is a positive word – the others are
all negative.
· g pushy eccentric persistent assertive - The other words mean ‘forceful’. Eccentric
means ‘unconventional’.
· h pragmatic resourceful ingenious inventive - The other words mean ‘clever’ or
‘skilful’. Pragmatic means ‘practical in decision making’.
· i tactful diplomatic impulsive discreet - The other words mean ‘careful’ or ‘sensitive’.
Impulsive means ‘hasty’.

Sounds:

Creak: wooden floor *crujido*

Rumble: thunder, train on track *estruendo*

Slap: waves on the beach, hand against face *bofetada*

hiss: steam, a snake *siimiento*

drip: a tap *goteo*

tinkle: a bell, broken glass *tintineo*

crunch: gravel or crisp snow when walked on *crujido*

slam: a door

growl: angry dog, people *gruñido*

peal: bells, laughter

squelch: mud

slash: an angry person cutting cloth viciously with a knife

click: door lock

screech: parrot, brakes

slither: snake moving smoothly, person sliding down or across sthg smooth

slapstick: silly behaviour like moving a chair when someone is about to sit down: similar to Charlie
Chaplin humour

political satire: cartoons in the newspaper or comedy TV programmes on political topics

stand-up: where a comedian is alone on stage telling jokes to the audience

farce: a (sometimes irritating) type of comedy where the audience is aware that the actors are
confused about a situation: often within a family

black comedy: making fun of something you shouldn’t – like death or murder *humor negro*

Some vocabulary

adventure, exhilarating, expansion, far-flung, historic, likelihood, multiplicity, unknown, venture

emissions, expansion, global warming, impinge, intolerable, judicious, multiplicity, perspective,

tendency, trend, wipe out

birthrate, bread-winner, code, domesticity, historic, intolerable, likelihood, morals, patriarch, rules,
stress, trend, unemployment

code, denouement, exhilarating, judicious, morals, perspective, plot, rules, tendency, trend,
unmistakable

context, denouement, judicious, plot, unmistakable