Language and Vocabulary Preparation

A comprehensive set of English vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and idiomatic expressions covering workplace, health, travel, and social contexts.

24-hour culture

A lifestyle or place where services and activities are available throughout both day and night.

Aiming for

A phrase used to describe what an individual or group is trying to achieve.

Beyond repair

Describes something that is in such poor condition that it is impossible to fix.

Burn out

To become extremely tired or ill as a result of working too hard over a period of time.

Call in

To phone one's place of work to report an inability to attend due to illness.

Certainly not

An emphatic phrase used to mean 'definitely not'.

Contradict

To state the opposite of what someone else has said, or for facts to be so different that one must be wrong.

Dizzy

A sensation of being unable to maintain balance, typically due to feeling unwell.

Drowsy

A state of feeling sleepy or tired, often associated with illness or medication.

Endeavour

To make a serious and determined effort to try very hard to achieve something.

Get over something

To recover or feel better after an illness or a difficult personal experience.

Pale

Having skin that is whiter than usual, often as a result of illness, shock, or exhaustion.

Passed out

To have lost consciousness or become unconscious.

Symptoms

Physical or mental features which are regarded as indicating a condition of disease.

GP (General Practitioner)

A doctor who provides general medical treatment to people in a specific local area; a family doctor.

Under the weather

An idiomatic expression meaning to feel slightly ill or indisposed.

Catch up with

A phrasal verb meaning to reach the same point, level, or standard as someone else.

Check in

The process of registering upon arrival at a hotel or an airport.

Make for

To move or travel in the direction of a specific place.

Pull in

To move a vehicle to the side of the road and stop.

See off

To go to a place such as an airport or station to say goodbye to someone who is leaving.

Take off

The event of an aircraft or bird leaving the ground and beginning to fly.

Turn round

To go back or move in the opposite direction from which one came.

Fare

The price of a ticket for travel on public transportation (bus, train, plane, etc.).

Piste (Track)

A prepared path or circuit for racing, such as for running or cycling.

Pitch

A marked out area of ground on which a sport is played, specifically used for football.

Umpire

An official who watches a game (like tennis or cricket) closely to enforce the rules and settle disputes.

Bring forward

To reschedule an event to an earlier date or time than originally planned.

Put off

To delay or postpone an event or task until a later date.

Carry on

To continue doing something or to resume an activity.

Take up

To start a new hobby, sport, or activity; also refers to filling an amount of space or time.

Break down

The failure of a machine, vehicle, or piece of equipment to function correctly.

Carry out

To perform or complete a task, such as an experiment or piece of research.

Come up with

To suggest or think of an idea, a plan, or an answer.

Give off

To produce and emit something such as heat, a smell, or a gas.

Plug in

To connect an electrical appliance to the main electricity supply.

Flick through

To look at the pages of a book, magazine, or document very quickly.

Stand out

To be very noticeable because of being different from the things or people around.

Take for granted

To fail to properly appreciate something because it is so familiar; to assume something is true without evidence.

Look down on

To think that you are better than or superior to someone else.

Look up to

To admire and respect someone as a role model.

Settle down

To become calm after being upset, or to establish a stable, quiet life by staying in one place.