Oxford Word Skills Basic - Vocabulary Practice

Vocabulary flashcards extracted from Oxford Word Skills Basic, covering definitions and terms across all thematic units.

About

A bit more or a little less than.

Midday

12.00 p.m. or twelve o'clock in the middle of the day.

Midnight

12.00 a.m. or twelve o'clock at night.

Birthday

The day you were born.

Great Britain

England, Wales, and Scotland.

The United Kingdom (The UK)

England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Forename(s)

First name(s).

Surname

Family name.

Date of birth

The day, month, and year you were born.

Mother tongue

First language.

Marital status

Whether you are married or single.

Occupation

Job.

Relatives

All the people in your family.

Get married

Become husband and wife.

Get divorced

Stop being husband and wife.

Slim

Thin in a positive or attractive way.

Overweight

A polite word for fat.

Kind

Warm, friendly, and always wanting to help other people.

Funny

Making you laugh.

Clever

Able to learn and understand very quickly.

Shy

Unable to talk easily to people you do not know.

Sociable

Friendly and liking to talk to people.

Organized

A person who plans things well.

Tidy

A person who likes everything to be in the right place.

Lazy

A person who does not like working.

Partner

Someone you have a romantic relationship with, such as your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, or husband.

Flatmate

A person you live with, but not in a romantic relationship.

Advice

An opinion or information that you give to help someone with a problem.

Boiling

Very, very hot.

Freezing

Very, very cold.

Ill

Not well.

Stay in

Stay at home.

Go out

Leave home to go to a bar, cinema, restaurant, etc.

Try something on

Put something on to see if the size is right.

Changing room

A place in a shop where you try something on.

Cash desk

The place in a shop where you pay.

Change

The money you get back if you give the shop assistant more than something costs.

Debit card

A card used so that money comes directly out of your bank account.

Fare

The money you pay to go by plane, train, bus, etc.

Humid

Warm, wet, and uncomfortable weather.

Breeze

A light, pleasant wind.

Damp

Cold and a bit wet.

GP (General Practitioner)

Family doctor.

Chemist's

Shop where you get medicine.

Ripe

Ready to be eaten.

Still water

Water without gas.

Sparkling water

Water with gas.

Single ticket

A ticket for a journey from location A to location B.

Return ticket

A ticket for a journey from location A to location B, and from B back to A.

Direct journey

A journey where you do not need to change trains.

Motorway

A large, fast road between towns.

Speed limit

The fastest speed you are permitted to go.

Rush hour

The time when a lot of people are travelling to and from work.

Overtake

Pass another car by going faster.

Enormous

Very big.

Capital

A city where a country has its government.

Inland

Not near the sea.

Population

The number of people who live in a place.

Industrial

Having a lot of industry, such as making cars or steel.

Historic

Important in history.

Cosmopolitan

Having people from many different countries living there.

Crop

A plant a farmer grows and sells, such as rice or apples.

Healthy

Something that helps to keep you well, or a person who is well.

Alone

Not with other people.

Lonely

Unhappy about not being with other people.

Convenient

Easy and quick to use.

Housework

Cleaning and looking after the house.

Homework

Work teachers give students to do at home after class.

State school

A school where education is free.

Private school

A school where parents pay for their children's education.

Undergraduate

A student doing a first degree at university.

Graduate

A person who has completed a degree.

Self-employed

Working for yourself, not for a company.

Unemployed

With no job, but wanting to work.

Salary

Money you receive every month for the work that you do.

Wages

Money you receive every week for the work that you do.

Client

A person who pays an architect, lawyer, etc. for their work and help.

Colleague

A person who works with you.

Backup copy

A copy of a document or folder that you can use if you lose the first one.

Broadband

An internet connection that allows you to get information very fast.

Download

Copy information or data from the internet to your computer.

Media

TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the internet.

Event

Something important that happens.

Disaster

Something very bad that happens, often when a lot of people die.

Celebrity

A famous person, usually from TV, film, or sport.

Weather forecast

A description of the weather for the next few days.

Go abroad

Go to another country.

Foreign currency

The money used in another country.

Rent

Pay to use something, such as an apartment or a car, for a period of time.

En suite

A bedroom with an attached bathroom.

Exchange rate

How much money from one country you can buy with money from another country.

Commission

The money you pay a bank for changing currency.

Lend

Give something to someone to use for a short time.

Borrow

Use something belonging to someone else and give it back.

Apologize

Say sorry to someone.

Waste of money

A bad way to use money.