Unit 6 - Gold Experience B2

accelerate

Meaning: to begin moving faster or to make a process happen more quickly

Example 1: The car accelerated as it joined the motorway.

Example 2: Digital tools can accelerate the research process.

Pattern / Usage: verb; accelerate + noun / accelerate rapidly

Spanish: acelerar

at the last minute

Meaning: as late as possible, just before it is too late

Example 1: He cancelled the meeting at the last minute.

Example 2: I hate packing at the last minute.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase

Spanish: a último momento

begin with

Meaning: to start with something

Example 1: Let's begin with the main problem.

Example 2: The presentation begins with a short video.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: begin with + noun

Spanish: empezar con

be in the middle of doing sth

Meaning: to be busy doing something that has already started and is not finished

Example 1: I'm in the middle of writing a report.

Example 2: She called while I was in the middle of cooking dinner.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: be in the middle of + -ing

Spanish: estar en medio de hacer algo

be in time (for sth)

Meaning: to arrive early enough to do or experience something

Example 1: We arrived just in time for the film.

Example 2: Hurry up or we won't be in time to catch the train.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: in time for + noun / in time to + verb; contrast 'on time'

Spanish: llegar con tiempo / a tiempo para algo

be on the point of doing sth

Meaning: to be just about to do something

Example 1: I was on the point of leaving when she called.

Example 2: He was on the point of giving up.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: be on the point of + -ing

Spanish: estar a punto de hacer algo

be on time

Meaning: to arrive or happen at the planned time

Example 1: The meeting started on time.

Example 2: Please be on time tomorrow.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase; on time = punctual

Spanish: ser/llegar puntual

be running late

Meaning: to be behind schedule and likely to arrive late

Example 1: Sorry, I'm running late—I'll be there in ten minutes.

Example 2: The train is running late because of bad weather.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase; be running late

Spanish: estar llegando tarde / ir retrasado

by the time

Meaning: used to say what has happened or will happen before another time or event

Example 1: By the time I arrived, everyone had left.

Example 2: By the time you finish, it will be dark.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: by the time + clause; often past perfect with past reference

Spanish: para cuando

every other (day/week, etc.)

Meaning: on alternate days, weeks, etc.; one yes, one no

Example 1: I go to the gym every other day.

Example 2: We have a team meeting every other week.

Pattern / Usage: fixed pattern: every other + singular time noun

Spanish: día/semana por medio

in good time

Meaning: early enough, with enough time to spare

Example 1: We arrived in good time for the flight.

Example 2: Send the documents in good time so they can review them.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase; in good time for + event

Spanish: con suficiente antelación

in no time

Meaning: very quickly; after a very short period

Example 1: You'll get used to the new system in no time.

Example 2: We finished the task in no time.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase

Spanish: en muy poco tiempo

keep up the momentum

Meaning: to continue making progress at the same strong pace

Example 1: We had a good start, so now we need to keep up the momentum.

Example 2: Daily practice helps you keep up the momentum.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: keep up/maintain the momentum

Spanish: mantener el impulso/ritmo

on a daily basis

Meaning: every day

Example 1: I use English on a daily basis at work.

Example 2: The figures are updated on a daily basis.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase; more formal than 'every day'

Spanish: a diario

sooner or later

Meaning: at some point in the future, even if the exact time is unknown

Example 1: Sooner or later, you'll have to make a decision.

Example 2: If you keep practising, sooner or later it will feel natural.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase

Spanish: tarde o temprano

speed up

Meaning: to make something happen or move faster

Example 1: We need to speed up the approval process.

Example 2: Traffic started to speed up after the accident was cleared.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb; speed up + object / intransitive

Spanish: acelerar; hacer más rápido

stick at

Meaning: to continue trying to do something even when it is difficult

Example 1: Stick at it and you'll improve.

Example 2: She stuck at the course even when it became difficult.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb; stick at + noun/it

Spanish: seguir con algo; perseverar

throughout

Meaning: during the whole period of time, or in every part of a place

Example 1: It rained throughout the night.

Example 2: The company has offices throughout the country.

Pattern / Usage: preposition/adverb; throughout + period/place

Spanish: a lo largo de; durante todo

behavioural

Meaning: related to the way people or animals behave

Example 1: The study looks at behavioural changes in teenagers.

Example 2: The programme uses behavioural techniques to build habits.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; behaviour → behavioural

Spanish: conductual; de comportamiento

environmental

Meaning: related to the natural world and the effect humans have on it

Example 1: The project has several environmental benefits.

Example 2: We discussed the environmental impact of the new road.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; environment → environmental

Spanish: ambiental

exciting

Meaning: making you feel interested, enthusiastic, or eager

Example 1: It was an exciting opportunity.

Example 2: Starting a new job can be exciting and stressful at the same time.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; exciting describes the thing; excited describes the person

Spanish: emocionante

confident

Meaning: feeling sure about your abilities or about what will happen

Example 1: I feel more confident speaking English now.

Example 2: She's confident that the team will meet the target.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; confident about/in + noun / confident that + clause

Spanish: seguro/a de sí mismo/a

deadly

Meaning: able or likely to cause death; extremely dangerous

Example 1: The snake's venom can be deadly.

Example 2: The disease was once deadly but is now treatable.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; death → deadly

Spanish: mortal

industrial

Meaning: related to industry, factories, or manufacturing

Example 1: The city developed as an industrial centre.

Example 2: Industrial production fell slightly last month.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; industry → industrial

Spanish: industrial

poisonous

Meaning: containing poison or able to cause harm if eaten, touched, etc.

Example 1: Some wild mushrooms are poisonous.

Example 2: The snake is poisonous, so keep your distance.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; poison → poisonous

Spanish: venenoso/a

accuracy

Meaning: the quality of being correct and exact

Example 1: Accuracy is more important than speed in this calculation.

Example 2: The test measures the accuracy of the system.

Pattern / Usage: noun; accurate → accuracy; accuracy of + noun

Spanish: precisión

arrival

Meaning: the act or time of reaching a place

Example 1: We waited for her arrival at the airport.

Example 2: Our expected arrival time is 8:30.

Pattern / Usage: noun; arrive → arrival; arrival at/in

Spanish: llegada

educator

Meaning: a person whose work is teaching or improving education

Example 1: The conference brought together teachers and other educators.

Example 2: She is an experienced educator and researcher.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun; educate → educator

Spanish: educador/a

enthusiasm

Meaning: a strong feeling of interest, excitement, and energy

Example 1: His enthusiasm for the project was contagious.

Example 2: She spoke about the idea with real enthusiasm.

Pattern / Usage: noun; enthusiastic → enthusiasm; enthusiasm for + noun

Spanish: entusiasmo

failure

Meaning: a lack of success, or an occasion when something does not work

Example 1: The first attempt was a failure.

Example 2: Failure can teach you what to improve next time.

Pattern / Usage: noun; fail → failure

Spanish: fracaso

inhabitant

Meaning: a person or animal that lives in a particular place

Example 1: The island has fewer than a thousand inhabitants.

Example 2: Local inhabitants opposed the development.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun; inhabit → inhabitant

Spanish: habitante

naturalist

Meaning: a person who studies or is very knowledgeable about plants and animals

Example 1: The documentary follows a naturalist in the rainforest.

Example 2: A local naturalist identified the bird species.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun; nature → naturalist

Spanish: naturalista

shortage

Meaning: a situation in which there is not enough of something

Example 1: The city is facing a housing shortage.

Example 2: A shortage of skilled workers is slowing production.

Pattern / Usage: noun; shortage of + noun

Spanish: escasez

variety

Meaning: a number of different types of the same thing

Example 1: The course offers a wide variety of activities.

Example 2: Eating a variety of foods is usually healthier.

Pattern / Usage: noun; a variety of + plural noun

Spanish: variedad

daily

Meaning: every day or relating to every day

Example 1: I take a short walk daily.

Example 2: The website publishes a daily market update.

Pattern / Usage: adverb/adjective; daily = every day

Spanish: diariamente

dramatically

Meaning: by a large or noticeable amount, or in a sudden impressive way

Example 1: Prices rose dramatically in a few months.

Example 2: The skyline has changed dramatically.

Pattern / Usage: adverb; dramatic → dramatically

Spanish: drásticamente; de manera espectacular

occasionally

Meaning: sometimes, but not often

Example 1: I occasionally work from home.

Example 2: We still meet for coffee occasionally.

Pattern / Usage: adverb; occasional → occasionally

Spanish: ocasionalmente; de vez en cuando

deep → depth → deepen

Meaning: a word family showing adjective, noun, and verb forms related to how far something goes down or how intense it is

Example 1: The lake is very deep, but nobody knows its exact depth.

Example 2: The crisis deepened after another company failed.

Pattern / Usage: word family: deep (adj) → depth (noun) → deepen (verb)

Spanish: profundo → profundidad → profundizar

high → height → heighten

Meaning: a word family showing adjective, noun, and verb forms related to vertical distance or increased intensity

Example 1: The building is very high, and its height is impressive.

Example 2: The announcement heightened concerns about inflation.

Pattern / Usage: word family: high (adj) → height (noun) → heighten (verb)

Spanish: alto → altura → aumentar/intensificar

long → length → lengthen

Meaning: a word family showing adjective, noun, and verb forms related to distance or duration

Example 1: The meeting was long, and its length surprised everyone.

Example 2: We decided to lengthen the training session.

Pattern / Usage: word family: long (adj) → length (noun) → lengthen (verb)

Spanish: largo → longitud → alargar

strong → strength → strengthen

Meaning: a word family showing adjective, noun, and verb forms related to power or ability

Example 1: The team is strong because its main strength is communication.

Example 2: Regular exercise can strengthen your back.

Pattern / Usage: word family: strong (adj) → strength (noun) → strengthen (verb)

Spanish: fuerte → fuerza → fortalecer

weight → weigh

Meaning: a noun and verb pair related to how heavy something is

Example 1: The package has a weight of five kilos.

Example 2: Please weigh the bag before you leave.

Pattern / Usage: word family: weight (noun) → weigh (verb)

Spanish: peso → pesar

wide → width → widen

Meaning: a word family showing adjective, noun, and verb forms related to side-to-side distance

Example 1: The road is quite wide, but its exact width varies.

Example 2: The council plans to widen the bridge.

Pattern / Usage: word family: wide (adj) → width (noun) → widen (verb)

Spanish: ancho → anchura → ensanchar

blur

Meaning: an unclear shape or image without sharp details

Example 1: The car was only a blur as it passed us.

Example 2: The photo is slightly blurred because the camera moved.

Pattern / Usage: noun/verb; blur → blurred (adj)

Spanish: imagen borrosa; desenfoque

combination

Meaning: two or more things joined or used together

Example 1: Success usually comes from a combination of skill and effort.

Example 2: This combination of colours works really well.

Pattern / Usage: noun; combination of + plural/singular nouns

Spanish: combinación

expand

Meaning: to become larger or to make something larger

Example 1: The company plans to expand into Brazil.

Example 2: Heat causes metal to expand.

Pattern / Usage: verb; expand into + market/area

Spanish: expandir

functional

Meaning: designed to work well and be practical rather than mainly decorative

Example 1: The kitchen is small but functional.

Example 2: We need a functional design, not just an attractive one.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; function → functional

Spanish: funcional

miniature

Meaning: very small compared with the usual size, or a small copy of something

Example 1: The museum has a miniature model of the city.

Example 2: They built a miniature railway in the garden.

Pattern / Usage: adjective/noun

Spanish: miniatura

narrative

Meaning: a story or an account of events, especially how they are presented

Example 1: The documentary follows a clear narrative.

Example 2: The company is trying to change the public narrative around the issue.

Pattern / Usage: noun/adjective; narrative about/of + topic

Spanish: narrativo/a; relato

neutralise

Meaning: to stop something from having an effect or to make it harmless

Example 1: The medicine helps neutralise the acid.

Example 2: Good controls can neutralise some of the risk.

Pattern / Usage: verb; British spelling

Spanish: neutralizar

perspective

Meaning: a particular way of thinking about or viewing something

Example 1: Try to look at the problem from the customer's perspective.

Example 2: Travelling gave me a different perspective on work.

Pattern / Usage: noun; from + perspective / perspective on + topic

Spanish: perspectiva

predator

Meaning: an animal that hunts and eats other animals

Example 1: The eagle is a powerful predator.

Example 2: Small animals use camouflage to avoid predators.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun

Spanish: depredador

prey

Meaning: an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal

Example 1: The bird watched its prey from above.

Example 2: Rabbits are common prey for foxes.

Pattern / Usage: usually uncountable collective noun

Spanish: presa

project

Meaning: a planned piece of work with a specific aim, or to estimate something in the future

Example 1: We're working on a new valuation project.

Example 2: Analysts project sales to grow next year.

Pattern / Usage: noun/verb; project + figures / project that + clause

Spanish: proyecto; proyectar

revolve

Meaning: to move around something, or to be mainly about a particular subject

Example 1: The Earth revolves around the Sun.

Example 2: The discussion revolved around cost and timing.

Pattern / Usage: verb; revolve around + noun

Spanish: girar; tratar sobre

separate

Meaning: to divide things or people, or existing apart from each other

Example 1: Please separate the documents into two groups.

Example 2: The office and warehouse are in separate buildings.

Pattern / Usage: verb/adjective; separate A from B

Spanish: separado/a

sequence

Meaning: a set of events or things that follow one another in a particular order

Example 1: Put the pictures in the correct sequence.

Example 2: The events happened in a different sequence than we expected.

Pattern / Usage: noun; sequence of + events

Spanish: secuencia

struggle

Meaning: to have difficulty doing something or to make a great effort

Example 1: I sometimes struggle to understand fast speech.

Example 2: Small firms are struggling with higher costs.

Pattern / Usage: verb/noun; struggle to + verb / struggle with + noun

Spanish: lucha; dificultad

survival strategies

Meaning: methods used to stay alive, safe, or successful in difficult conditions

Example 1: Animals develop survival strategies to avoid predators.

Example 2: The course teaches practical survival strategies for the mountains.

Pattern / Usage: plural noun collocation

Spanish: estrategias de supervivencia

target

Meaning: a goal you aim to achieve, or something you aim at

Example 1: We set a sales target for the quarter.

Example 2: The advertisement targets young professionals.

Pattern / Usage: noun/verb; target + audience / target of + amount

Spanish: objetivo; blanco

territory

Meaning: an area of land controlled or used by a person, group, country, or animal

Example 1: The animals defend their territory.

Example 2: The company is expanding into new territory.

Pattern / Usage: noun; territory of + group

Spanish: