Pages 6–7
affluent  /ˈæfluːənt/ Adjective
if someone is affluent, they have a lot of money and
are able to live comfortably. If a district is affluent, it has
expensive houses and shops that sell good quality items,
and the people who live there are quite rich
Collocates:  an affluent suburb/neighbourhood/area | an
affluent lifestyle | an affluent family
an affluent district in the west of the city | most towns
have private schools for the children of affluent families
| Egremont developed as an affluent residential area
in the early 19th century | she had a well-paid job and
enjoyed an affluent lifestyle
Noun:  affluence
her climb out of poverty to greater affluence | the family
lived in relative affluence
chaotic  /keɪˈɒtɪk/Adjective
a chaotic situation is one in which lots of things are
happening at the same time and in a very confused and
disorganised way
the city is busy, chaotic, and noisy | it gets very chaotic in
the shop during the weeks before Christmas | conditions
at the airport were chaotic, with travellers sleeping on
the floor for a second night | it was difficult to stay calm
in such a chaotic situation
Adverb:  chaotically | Noun:  chaos
Collocates:  in chaos | chaos reigns
the station was chaotically busy on Friday evening | the
house was chaotically full of books | snow caused chaos
on the roads last night | chaos reigned as the banks all
stopped lending money | the meeting ended in chaos |
the defeat of the government led to a period of
political chaos
compact  /ˈkɒmpækt/ Adjective
if something is compact, it is small and does not take up
much space
the flat is nice and compact, so it’s easy to keep clean
| a compact car | the college occupies a relatively
compact campus | PDF files are very compact, so they
download quickly
congested  /kənˈdʒestɪd/ Adjective
roads that are congested have a lot of traffic on them, so
everybody moves very slowly
the M25 around Heathrow is always congested | the
congested streets of Bangkok | Oxford’s roads are
congested, polluted and dangerous | plan your journey
in advance to avoid congested areas
Noun:  congestion
Collocates:  ease congestion | avoid congestion | traffic
congestion | heavy congestion
the government brought in controls on car use to try
and ease congestion | traffic congestion is a serious
problem here
run-down  /ˌrʌn ˈdaʊn/Adjective
if a place is run-down, it is in a bad condition because no
one has been looking after it for a while
the city centre seems very run-down | it’s a bit more
run-down where I live, but at least it’s more lively | a rundown
restaurant near the station | the house was very
run-down when we bought it, but we’ve transformed it
over the last two years
secure  /sɪˈkjʊə(r)/ Adjective
something that is secure is safe and is not going to
change or be taken away from you. If you feel secure,
you are not worried and do not think that anything bad is
going to happen
a child should always feel safe and secure in the home
| her financial position was relatively secure | the hotel
offers secure parking (a car park that is protected from
thieves)
Noun:  security | Adverb:  securely || Opposites –
Adjective:  insecure | Noun:  insecurity
the company takes the security of its computer system
very seriously | the jewellery was kept securely at the
bank | the front door was securely locked | as a child, he
had always felt insecure when he was away from home
| their feeling of insecurity increased when the lights all
went out
spotless  /ˈspɒtləs/ Adjective
something that is spotless is very clean
the hotel room was absolutely spotless | the streets are
spotless, but it’s also very dull there | he was wearing a
spotless white suit
Adverb:  spotlessly
Collocates:  spotlessly clean
her shirt was old but spotlessly clean | a spotlessly white
handkerchief
sprawling  /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/ Adjective
a sprawling place or building spreads out over a large
area in an untidy or uncontrolled way
the sprawling suburbs of the capital city | the sprawling
Cairo district of Nasr City | Tokyo is exciting because
it is a sprawling urban environment to explore | it was
a sprawling , four-storey hotel that could house 2,000
guests | the college moved to a sprawling campus on
the outskirts of Chennai
Noun:  sprawl | Verb:  sprawl
Collocates:  urban sprawl
the city has seen population growth and considerable
urban sprawl | the city sprawls out over 43 square miles
| there is a definite tourist area which sprawls along the
coast
vibrant  /ˈvaɪbrənt/ Adjective
a vibrant place is one where lots of exciting and
interesting things are always happening. People who
are vibrant have a lot of energy and are always doing
interesting things
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  1
Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
1 CITIES
crawl  /krɔːl/ Verb
when cars, buses, and lorries are crawling, they are
moving very slowly because there is a lot of traffic. When
people crawl, they move slowly along the ground on
their hands and knees
the traffic is terrible and the cars just crawl along most
of the time | we spent over an hour in the taxi crawling
along – we should have walked | babies learn to crawl
at about six months old | we had to crawl through the
entrance to the tent
Noun:  crawl
Collocates:  at a crawl
traffic was moving at a crawl (very slowly) through the
Blackwall Tunnel
fume  /fjuːm/ Noun
fumes are gases and smoke from fires, burning
chemicals, car engines, etc., that are unhealthy and
unpleasant to breathe, and that can make people ill
Collocates:  toxic/poisonous fumes | petrol/diesel/
exhaust/traffic fumes
the smog is so bad you need a mask, otherwise you’d
choke on the fumes | chemicals which give off nasty
fumes | a petrol engine producing poisonous fumes | a
cloud of toxic fumes | he was overcome by fumes (made
unconscious by them)
insane  /ɪnˈseɪn/ Adjective
someone who is insane has a very serious mental illness
which means they do not behave in a normal way. In
informal English, if you refer to a person as insane,
you mean they are wild or foolish, and if you refer to a
situation or behaviour as insane, you mean that it is very
extreme or dangerous
the way people drive here is insane | the bureaucracy
is enough to drive you insane | an institution for the
criminally insane | he was totally insane and rarely had
any idea where or who he was | no person who is insane
may give evidence in court
Adverb:  insanely | Noun:  insanity || Opposite –
Adjective:  sane
Game of Thrones was an insanely popular series
(extremely popular) | he was found not guilty on the
grounds of temporary insanity | doctors agreed he was
rational and perfectly sane
litter  /ˈlɪtə(r)/ Noun uncount
litter is rubbish that is dropped in public places and
which makes those places look untidy
Collocates:  litter bin | drop litter
there’s not a trace of litter or chewing gum on the
pavements | the streets are covered in litter | don’t drop
litter in the street | pick your litter up | a litter bin | clear
up all the litter in the park
Verb:  litter
broken bottles littered the beach | the entrance to the
station was littered with fast food containers
mugging  /ˈmʌɡɪŋ/ Noun
a mugging is an attack on someone in the street in order
to steal from them
there have been a lot of muggings and shootings
recently | the newspaper carried a report about two
Collocates:  vibrant nightlife | a vibrant city
a lively city with a vibrant nightlife | Brazil’s most
culturally vibrant city | a young, vibrant and dynamic
company | we promote strong families and vibrant
communities here | the children ran around all afternoon,
vibrant and full of life
well-run  /ˌwel ˈrʌn/ Adjective
something that is well-run is properly organised
we stayed in a very well-run hotel in the city centre | the
school had been very well run until a couple of years
ago | a well-run factory that provides jobs for local
people
Pages 8–9
buzz  /bʌz/ Noun
if a place has a buzz, lots of exciting and interesting
things happen there. A buzz is also the feeling of
excitement and happiness that you get from doing
something exciting
Collocates:  a real buzz | a buzz about something
it’s expensive to live there, but London has a real buzz
| I get a real buzz every time I step onto the stage (start
performing in public) | there’s a fantastic buzz about
Cardiff at the moment
Verb:  buzz | Adjective:  buzzing
the club was still buzzing at 3 in the morning | in the
1960s, London was the crazy, buzzing capital of fashion
choke  /tʃəʊk/ Verb
if you choke, you have a lot of difficulty breathing
because you cannot get air into your lungs easily
Collocates:  choke on something | choke to death
the smog here is awful – you have to wear a mask or
you’d choke on the fumes | Isabel nearly choked on a
piece of meat | he lay in bed, coughing and choking |
two of the prisoners choked to death on the toxic smoke
condemned  /kənˈdemd/ Adjective
a condemned building is in a very bad and dangerous
condition, and the authorities have decided it must be
pulled down
a condemned cement factory | he lived for a few months
in a condemned block of flats
Verb:  condemn
these buildings should all be condemned and rebuilt
| the factory was condemned two years ago, but the
owners still haven’t taken any action
conspicuous consumption  /kənˌspɪkjʊəs kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/
Noun uncount
conspicuous consumption involves buying a lot of
expensive and often unnecessary things in order to
impress people and show them you are rich
there’s a lot of conspicuous consumption with people
showing off their wealth | conspicuous consumption
used to be regarded as acceptable behaviour but
nowadays most people don’t approve of it | Thorstein
Veblen was the first economist to identify the concept of
conspicuous consumption in 1899
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  2
Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
separate muggings last night | he suffered a broken arm
during the mugging | the gang committed a number of
muggings and armed robberies
Verb:  mug | Noun:  mugger
he was mugged on his way home from work | the
mugger dropped the wallet as he ran off
scene  /siːn/ Noun
a particular scene is the activity and people involved in it
Collocates:  a music/arts/drug/club, etc. scene
there’s a huge music scene in Brighton | I was very
active in the club scene when I lived in London | he’d
been involved in the drug scene in San Francisco in the
1960s | Tehran’s art scene is growing fast
show off  /ˌʃəʊ ˈɒf/ Phrasal verb
if someone is showing off, they are trying to impress
people by talking about their achievements or
possessions in a very annoying way
there’s a lot of conspicuous consumption, with people
showing off their wealth | he was eager to show off his
new car | oh, stop showing off!
slum  /slʌm/ Noun
a slum is an area of houses that are in very bad
condition, and that are lived in by people who have little
or no money and no opportunity to move away
the area is a slum, and the buildings should be pulled
down and rebuilt | the slums were knocked down to
make way for a golf course | they cleared a large slum in
the middle of Bogota | by 1890, official slum clearance
programmes had begun (work on rebuilding the slums
and creating better quality houses) | factory workers
lived in slums on the edge of the central area
spring up  /ˌsprɪŋ ˈʌp/ Phrasal verb
if something springs up, it suddenly starts to exist
somewhere
there are new businesses springing up all over the
place | new luxury hotels are springing up everywhere |
several more airports have sprung up across the country |
a large town had sprung up around the gold mines
trace  /treɪs/ Noun
a trace of something is a very small amount of it, or a
sign that shows it had existed or been somewhere
Collocates:  a trace of something | without trace
there’s not a trace of litter or chewing gum on the
pavements | the product contained traces of horse
meat | the air we breathe contains traces of carbon |
tiny traces of blood were found at the scene | he simply
disappeared without trace (no one could find out where
he had gone)
Pages 10–11
armed  /ɑː(r)md/ Adjective
arms are weapons such as guns. If someone is armed,
they are carrying guns or have guns available. Armed
robbery, conflict, struggle, etc. is a robbery, conflict,
struggle that involves people using guns
Collocates:  heavily armed | armed robbery/conflict
crowds throwing bottles confronted armed police in the
main square | in June, armed conflict broke out between
the two states | armed robbers got away with jewellery
worth nearly half a million pounds | three heavily armed
warships
Opposite – Adjective:  unarmed
police fired on unarmed protestors | unarmed combat
(fighting someone without using any weapons at all)
bring in  /ˌbrɪŋ ˈɪn/ Phrasal verb
to bring in a new law or rule means to introduce it
officially
the government brought in restrictions on car use |
the new rules were brought in to improve safety in the
factory
credit  /ˈkredɪt/ Verb
if you credit something to something else, you mean
that the the first thing succeeded because of the second
thing. If someone is credited with something good, they
were responsible for its success
Collocates:  credit something to someone or something
the mayor’s new policy was credited with reversing the
trend | Labour’s victory in 1997 was largely credited to
the appeal of of Tony Blair | she credited her success to
the team who supported her throughout the campaign
demolish  /dɪˈmɒlɪʃ/ Verb
to demolish a building means to destroy it completely,
for example because it is old and no longer safe or
because you are going to put a new building there.
Demolish is a formal word; in ordinary spoken English,
people usually say knock down
the slums were demolished to make way for a golf
course | they demolished the old cinema last week |
the old school is going to be demolished | most of the
remaining buildings were demolished in 2010 | the farm
buildings were demolished and replaced by four new
houses
Noun:  demolition
Collocates:  the demolition of something
the factory continued making cars until its closure
and demolition in 1997 | they won the contract for the
demolition and removal of the old bridge
downturn  /ˈdaʊnˌtɜː(r)n/ Noun
a downturn is a serious reduction in economic activity
which can lead to businesses failing and people losing
their jobs
Collocates:  an economic downturn | a global downturn
the city was hit by an economic downturn | if there’s
another downturn, a lot of companies will go out of
business | the Australian economy recorded 20 years of
uninterrupted growth despite two global downturns
ease  /iːz/ Verb
if something bad eases or if you ease it, it becomes less
severe, dangerous, or unwelcome
in order to ease congestion, the government brought
in restrictions on car use | the pain was beginning to
ease | when the storm eased, we were able to continue
our journey | his financial situation eased after he got a
new and better-paid job | the directors tried to ease the
financial pressure by reducing staff pay
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  3
Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
flourish  /ˈflʌrɪʃ/ Verb
to flourish means to be very successful over a period of
time
businesses are springing up and flourishing | the
coal industry flourished in Victorian times | the trees
flourished and spread across most of North America |
throughout the 1970s her career flourished
Adjective:  flourishing
a flourishing city with a vibrant nightlife | England was
then a rich and flourishing nation
halt  /hɔːlt/Verb
if you halt something or if it halts, it stops happening or
developing. Halt is a formal word. In ordinary spoken
English, people usually say stop
they are to receive funding to halt the decline that has
taken place over a number of years | the new policy
failed to halt the spread of anti-government feeling |
progress on the new building was halted by storms that
lasted over a week | production at the factory halted
while the accident was investigated
Noun:  halt
Collocates:  come to a halt | call a halt (to something) |
put a halt to something
the epidemic finally came to a halt after six months
| Sam called a halt just after dark and we started to
put up the tent | the train came to a sudden halt | the
accident put a halt to further flight tests
house  /haʊz/ Verb
to house something means to be the building where
that thing is or where it operates from. To house people
means to provide them with somewhere to live. To
re-house people means to provide them with a new
home after their original home is destroyed or no longer
available for them to live in
the Geffrye Museum houses a collection of photographs
of English domestic life | the building now houses offices,
classrooms and seminar rooms | we were offered a flat
that could house up to six people | social housing was
created to temporarily house those in need | the former
inhabitants of the slums were re-housed in new estates
outside London
Noun:  housing
most farms used to provide housing for the workers | the
city has a severe housing shortage (not enough places
for everyone to live)
impose  /ɪmˈpəʊz/ Verb
to impose a law, rule, or restriction means to introduce it
officially and make people accept it, even if they do not
want to
Collocates:  impose something on someone | impose a
fine/punishment/penalty | impose a condition/deadline/
limit/restriction | impose a ban
the government has imposed restrictions on car use |
it’s difficult to impose controls on internet use | there can
be no justification for imposing limits on the amounts
that can be spent | they imposed a ban on all tobacco
advertising
Noun:  imposition
Collocates:  the imposition of something (on someone
or something)
the Chicago Convention prevents the imposition of
tax on aviation fuel (the fuel that aeroplanes use) | the
imposition of import controls
inhabitant  /ɪnˈhæbɪtənt/ Noun
the inhabitants of a place are the people who live there
the old slums were demolished and the inhabitants were
re-housed | the city has around 200,000 inhabitants | in
1843 the village had 81 inhabitants living in 12 houses |
10 years ago the post office closed there, and only 100
inhabitants remained | the inhabitants of Liverpool are
known as Liverpudlians
Verb:  inhabit
the area is inhabited by about 20,000 people | Delhi has
been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BCE
initiate  /ɪˈnɪʃieɪt/ Verb
if you initiate a process, you officially start it
Collocates:  initiate a discussion/negotiation/debate |
initiate an inquiry/investigation | initiate a process
the mayor initiated an ambitious plan to redevelop the
city centre | the government initiated an inquiry into
the causes of the war | Alexander initiated substantial
reforms in education | he has initiated legal proceedings
against his neighbour (he has started a court case
to solve a disagreement) | peace negotiations were
initiated in May, and agreement was reached in July
Noun:  initiation
Collocates:  the initiation of something
last year saw the initiation of a programme of major
reforms
inward  /ˈɪnwə(r)d/ Adjective
inward actions or movements are directed towards the
centre of something. Inward investment is investment
made in one country by people and companies from
other countries
Collocates:  inward investment | inward migration
the city has managed to attract a lot of inward
investment | over that period, inward migration to the UK
fell by 42,000 to 536,00 | up to 100 jobs will be created
in the town by a new inward investor
knock down  /ˌnɒk ˈdaʊn/ Phrasal verb
to knock down a building means to destroy it completely,
for example because it is old and no longer safe or
because you are going to put a new building there.
Knock down is used in informal and spoken English; a
more formal word is demolish
the slums were knocked down to make way for a golf
course | they thought the Eiffel Tower was so ugly it
should be knocked down | my old school is going to be
knocked down | they’re knocking down some of the old
high-rise blocks | I think it’s time they knocked it down
neglected  /nɪˈɡlektɪd/ Adjective
if someone or something is neglected, they have not
been looked after properly and are not in a good
condition
the whole area has become neglected and needs
rebuilding | a wild and neglected garden that she had
brought back to life | the shed was in such a neglected
state that it had to be pulled down | I want to draw your
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  4
Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
attention to the neglected issue of sheep farming in
Dorset | a charity that helps abandoned and neglected
children
Verb:  neglect
if you neglect your schoolwork you won’t make it to
university | the farmer was accused of cruelly neglecting
his horses | he criticised those parents who neglected
their children’s education | the government has been
neglecting its duty to the poorer cities in the north
pour into  /ˌpɔː(r) ˈɪntuː/ Phrasal verb
if you pour money into an activity or organisation, you
spend a large amount of money on it over a period of
time in order to try and make it as successful as possible
the government poured £3 billion into the new rail
network | the company was still pouring money into its
advertising campaign | they’ve been pouring money into
education, building new schools and libraries
reverse  /rɪˈvɜː(r)s/ Verb
to reverse something means to change it to the opposite
the mayor’s new policy was credited with reversing the
trend | the High Court reversed the decision | an attempt
to reverse the decline in tourism | attempts were made
to reverse the ban on hunting
Noun:  reversal
Collocates:  a reversal of something
she said this represented a reversal of the government’s
policy | the 20th century saw a reversal of that trend
secure  /sɪˈkjʊə(r)/ Verb
if you secure something, you succeed in getting it after a
long process of trying
Collocates:  secure a contract/deal | secure funding
the council has managed to secure EU funding for the
project | he managed to secure a contract with a major
Hollywood studio | she helped in securing his release
from prison | 90% of our students secured permanent
jobs within three months of graduating | he failed to
secure the approval of the prime minister and the
project was shelved (did not go ahead)
set out  /ˌset ˈaʊt/ Phrasal verb
to set out a plan or proposal means to provide details
about it so that people can understand what it is about
the mayor set out an ambitious plan to develop the city
centre | a mission statement is a sentence which sets
out why an organisation exists | the proposal was set out
in a 20-page booklet | full details are set out in chapter 2
soar  /sɔː(r)/ Verb
if the rate or level of something soars, it increases very
quickly and by a large amount
Collocates:  prices soar | unemployment/inflation soars
the crime rate had soared in the 1980s | factories closed
and unemployment soared | property prices in London
have soared | profits have soared dramatically | inflation
looks set to soar in the coming months
Adjective:  soaring
Collocates:  soaring prices/inflation
soaring house prices have made living in London
impossible for young professionals | the soaring inflation
of the 1970s | soaring levels of student debt
undergo  /ˌʌndə(r)ˈɡəʊ/ Verb
if you undergo something necessary or unpleasant, you
experience it or it happens to you
the city has undergone huge changes in recent years |
you might need to undergo surgery | the port is currently
undergoing a programme of expansion and rebuilding |
students must undergo academic testing prior to entry to
the college
Pages 12–13
brim  /brɪm/ Noun
the brim of a container is its top edge. If you say that
something is full to the brim, you mean it is very full and
there is no room for anything else
Collocates:  full to the brim
her trolley was almost full to the brim | she left bright red
lipstick on the brim of the glass
Verb:  brim | Adjective:  brimful
Collocates:  brimful of something
a cup brimming with hot tea | he brought in a bowl
brimful of fruit salad
calm  /kɑːm/ Verb
if you calm people who are worried about something,
you say something or do something that reassures them
and stops them worrying
they needed to calm public fears | he found that listening
to music helped to calm his anxiety | a letter from home
helped to calm his nerves
compel  /kəmˈpel/ Verb
to compel someone to do something means to force
them to do it, even if they do not want to
Collocates:  compel someone to do something
the police felt compelled to issue an official statement
to calm public fears | her sense of duty compelled her
to report the missing money to her boss | the grand jury
can compel a witness to appear in court | the company
was compelled to close its two foreign factories
Noun:  compulsion | Adjective:  compelling
Collocates:  a compulsion to do something |
a compelling reason
there is no legal compulsion on you to return the money
| later, I felt a compulsion to explain to my parents
why I had run away | the risk of a heart attack was a
compelling reason for him to try a healthier lifestyle
deed  /diːd/ Noun
a deed is an action or something that someone does.
People usually use the word deed when they are making
a judgement about whether something was a good or
bad action
Collocates:  a good/bad deed
he felt like he’d done his good deed for the day | bad
deeds will bring their own punishment | it was one of the
bravest deeds by a soldier that I ever saw | the bombing
was condemned as an evil deed | the whole world was
inspired by Mandela – by both his words and deeds
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  5
Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
drug  /drʌɡ/ Verb
to drug someone means to give them a drug without
their knowing about it so that they will be sleepy or
unconscious. To drug their drink means to put a drug
into something that they will drink
the gang was planning to drug visitors to the city |
investigators believe he drugged his victims before
taking them to the beach house | he was so heavily
drugged he didn’t regain consciousness for another
ten hours
emerge  /ɪˈmɜː(r)dʒ/ Verb
if something emerges it becomes visible or known about
after having been hidden or unknown
these urban myths apparently emerge from nowhere
and take on a life of their own | the truth will emerge
eventually | “Mindfulness” has recently emerged as a
multi-billion dollar industry | more details have emerged
about the new iPhone
Noun:  emergence
Collocates:  the emergence of something
the 1960s saw the emergence of a new popular culture
| the emergence of digital learning has been both a
challenge and an opportunity for our universities
entitled  /ɪnˈtaɪt(ə)ld/ Adjective
if a book, piece of music, play, etc. is entitled something,
that is its name
an email entitled “Travellers beware” went viral | a short
film entitled “How to Change a Light Bulb”
Verb:  entitle
she published a collection of poems which she entitled
“Verses for a Summer Evening”
fate  /feɪt/ Noun
if you talk about someone’s fate, you are talking about
what is going to happen to them in the future, usually
something unpleasant
Collocates:  decide someone’s fate
there were stories about people tempting American men
to a similar fate | the election will decide his fate as a
politician | will we suffer the same fate as the dinosaurs
and become extinct?
freak out  /ˌfriːk ˈaʊt/ Phrasal verb
if you freak out, or if something freaks you out, you
become very worried or frightened by something
strange or unusual that you cannot explain and don’t
understand
he was getting a bit freaked out by her staring at him |
I’m still freaking out at the thought of having to give a
speech at my brother’s wedding | whatever was freaking
him out, he didn’t like it and wanted it to stop
grip  /ɡrɪp/ Verb
if a story or event grips you, you are very interested in it
and can’t stop paying attention to it
Collocates:  be gripped by something
Guatemala was gripped by stories about Americans
kidnapping local children | we were all gripped by the
TV reports from Kyiv
Adjective:  gripping
it was a gripping read | the plot is gripping from start to
finish | the drama unfolds in a tense, gripping manner
harvest  /ˈhɑː(r)vɪst/ Verb
to harvest crops means to collect them from the fields
where they have been growing once they are ripe and
ready. To harvest cells or organs from someone’s body
means to collect them surgically in order to use them for
medical purposes
Guatemala was gripped by stories of Americans
kidnapping local children and harvesting their organs
| the hospital was accused of harvesting organs from
the victims of the earthquake | boys were released from
school to help the farmers harvest their crops
raise  /reɪz/ Verb
to raise something means to tell people about it or make
them think about it more
Collocates:  raise an issue/question | raise a subject |
raise concerns
a campaign to raise awareness of AIDS (tell people
more about it) | he didn’t raise the subject of money (he
didn’t talk about it) | the accident has raised concerns
about safety regulations | the article raises doubts
about the honesty of the chairman | you have raised an
important issue that deserves proper consideration
spark  /spɑː(r)k/ Verb
to spark something violent or extreme means to cause it
to start
the email sparked hundreds of calls to the police
department | the speech sparked a heated debate
| what sparked this explosion of anger? | the
announcement has sparked widespread demonstrations
| the incident sparked controversy across the country
Noun:  spark
the assassination of Crown Prince Ferdinand in Sarajevo
was the spark that led to the First World War
surgically  /ˈsɜː(r)dʒɪkli/ Adverb
if a medical operation is done surgically, it is done by a
doctor who cuts into someone’s body in order to repair it
or take something out
the finger was so badly damaged it had to be surgically
removed | the wound was surgically closed | doctors
surgically repaired his left knee
Adjective:  surgical | Noun:  surgery
the operation was successful and no further surgical
treatment was needed | nephrectomy is the medical
term that means surgical removal of a kidney | he
underwent heart surgery in a five-hour operation
thrilled  /θrɪld/ Adjective
if you are thrilled, you are extremely happy and excited
about something
the woman was really thrilled to get the concert tickets |
I was thrilled when I realised George Clooney was in the
same restaurant | he’ll be thrilled when he hears we’re
going to New York for the weekend | I was thrilled to bits
(very thrilled) when I came first in the poetry competition
Adjective:  thrilling | Verb:  thrill | Adverb:  thrillingly
Wales won 19-16 in a thrilling match | a thrilling tale of
adventure in the Canadian wilderness | Keith Jarrett
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Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
thrilled his audience with his hour-long solo | John
thrilled everyone with his skill and artistry | the game
ended thrillingly with a last-minute goal for Spurs
trial  /ˈtraɪəl/ Noun
a trial is a process during which a court of law discusses
a crime and decides whether an accused person is guilty
or not
Collocates:  be on trial
the trial has gripped the nation | the trial began with the
opening statement from the prosecution (the lawyers
who think the accused person is guilty) | the trial judge
had never presided over (been in charge of) a murder
case before | Watkins was caught and put on trial
wave  /weɪv/ Noun
a wave of something unpleasant or unwanted is a large
amount of it that appears suddenly
Collocates:  a wave of something
the proposal sparked a wave of protests across the
country | the company faced a wave of criticism after
its cars were found to have a serious fault | a wave of
disappointment came over him | a sudden cold wave of
fear gripped the ship’s captain
BINOMIALS
every now and then
if something happens every now and then or every now
and again, it happens occasionally but not very often
the roof needs repairing, and water comes through every
now and then
first and foremost
you use first and foremost to emphasise what you think is
most important about a place, person, or organisation
Ronaldo is, first and foremost, a fantastic athlete
here and there
things that are present here and there exist in a few
different places in an area but not everywhere there
it’s an affluent area, but there are pockets of poverty here
and there
law and order
law and order is a peaceful state of affairs in which people
obey the law
it’s the job of the police to keep law and order
long and hard
if you do something long and hard, you put a lot of effort
into it over a long period of time
I thought long and hard about it before making a decision
on and off
something that happens on and off or off and on doesn’t
happen all the time, but happens sometimes or for parts of
a period of time
I’ve been learning Russian now for six years, on and off
peace and quiet
peace and quiet is a quiet atmosphere with no loud
activity, in contrast to a busy, noisy atmosphere
all she wanted was some peace and quiet after a long
journey on a crowded train
rules and regulations
rules and regulations are the rules or laws in a particular
place or in a particular organisation. People usually use
the term rules and regulations when they think there are
too many of them and that they are not sensible or helpful
the city is being ruined by the ever-growing number of
rules and regulations
sick and tired
if you are sick and tired of something, you really don’t like
it and think it has been happening for too long
she was sick and tired of their endless complaining
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Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1
3	 It’s the job of the police to keep law and
.
4	 I’ve thought about it and hard and
I’m not going to accept his offer.
5	 I’m sick and of the constant noise.
6	 It’s a poor neighbourhood with some nice houses
and there.
7	 I still see my old classmates every now and
.
8	 It’s hard to find and quiet in the city.
Collocations
E	 Match the adjectives (1–6) with the nouns (a–h).
Look up the adjectives if you need help.
1	affluent	 a)	parking
2	chaotic	 b)	robbery
3	vibrant	 c)	 neighbourhood
4	spotless	 d)	car
5	armed	 e)	migration
6	inward	 f)	 suit
7	secure	 g)	nightlife
8	compact	 h)	situation
F	 Complete the missing adjectives. Look up the
nouns if you need help.
1	 t _ _ _ c fumes
2	 g _ _ _ _ l downturn
3	 u _ _ _ n sprawl
4	 a g _ _ d deed
5	 f _ _ l to the brim
6	 h _ _ _ y congestion
Phrasal verbs
G	 Complete the sentences with the correct form of
the phrasal verbs in the box.
set out 	 knock down	 pour into
bring in	 spring up	 show off
1	 He wanted to his new suit.
2	 New regulations were to reduce
the traffic.
3	 The mayor an ambitious plan to
develop the city centre.
4	 They’ve been money
housing.
5	 New shops and restaurants are all
over town.
6	 My old school is going to be .
EXERCISES
Prepositions
A	 Complete the sentences with the correct
preposition.
1	 We had to crawl the entrance to the tent to
get in.
2	 The dog nearly choked his ball.
3	 The water contains traces salt.
4	 She credited her success her partner’s support.
5	 The government has imposed restrictions
car use.
6	 His bucket was almost full the brim.
Word families
B	 Complete the sentences on the right with the
correct form of the word in bold.
1	 London has a real buzz	London is a
city.
2	 commit a mugging	He was
on his way home.
3	 thrilled to hear 	 I’ve heard 		
the news	 news
	 about John.
4	 it was demolished 	These flats are due for
.
5	a spotless white shirt	His shirt was
clean.
6	 congested streets 	There’s heavy
in
the city.
7	an affluent	 The family lived in
neighbourhood	relative .
C	 Tick the words in the unit that are both a verb
and a noun.
1	spark
2	emerge
3	compel
4	reverse
5	initiate
6	halt
7	crawl
8	buzz
Phrases
D	 Complete the binomials with the correct words in
the box. Read the binomials box if you need help.
on	 long	 peace	here
then	first	 tired	 order
1	 Ronaldo is, and foremost, a
fantastic athlete.
2	 We worked together off and for
twenty years.
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Outcomes Advanced Vocabulary Builder  Unit 1