Comprehensive Unit-by-Unit Vocabulary and Grammar Notes
Unit 2: Travel and Transport
The topic vocabulary for travel and transport includes several distinctions between similar concepts. A voyage is a long journey, often by sea or in space, whereas a journey refers to the act of traveling from one place to another, typically in a vehicle. A trip involves traveling to a place and returning, often for a short duration. Travel is the general activity of moving from place to place. An excursion is a short journey taken for pleasure. Other contrasts include view vs sight, world vs earth, area vs territory, and season vs period. Transport costs are described as a fare for public transport, a ticket for entry or travel, or a fee for a service. Further distinctions are made between miss and lose, take and bring, book and keep, arrive and reach, and live and stay. Geographical terms include border, edge, and line, as well as length and distance. Leadership in travel is categorized as guide or lead, while origins are described as native or home.
Phrasal verbs associated with travel include: catch up with (reaching the same level), check in (registering at a hotel or airport), check out (leaving a hotel or investigating), drop off (letting someone exit a vehicle or falling asleep), get back (returning), go away (going on holiday), keep up with (staying at the same level), make for (going in a specific direction), pick up (giving someone a lift), pull in (stopping by the roadside), run over (hitting with a car), see off (observing someone leave), set out/off (starting a journey), take off (leaving the ground), and turn round (reversing direction).
Common phrases and collocations for this unit involve accidents (having or being involved in one), advance (in advance or advancing towards), ahead (going straight or being ahead), direction (change of direction or in a specific direction), head (off the top of your head or heading towards), holiday (being on or taking a holiday), left (turning left or on the left-hand side), route (planning or taking a route), sights (seeing the sights), sightseeing (going sightseeing), speed (at high speed or speed limit), tour (taking a tour), trip (business or school trip), and way (finding your way or on the way).
Word patterns include being afraid of or afraid to do, appearing to be, arranging things with someone, and arriving in or at a place. Other patterns involve continuing with a task, differing from others, dreaming about or of something, inviting someone, being keen on something, living in a place or living for something, regretting an action, thinking of something, and writing down information. Word formation includes modifications like rearrange (from arrange), arrival (from arrive), breadth (from broad), and cultural (from culture).
Unit 4: Hobbies, Sport and Games
Topic vocabulary contrasts location types: a pitch for football/rugby, a track for racing, a court for tennis/basketball, a course for golf, a ring for boxing, and a rink for skating. Results are described by winning, beating, or scoring. Participants and observers are categorized as spectators, viewers, umpires, referees, competitors, and opponents. Game endings involve a final, finale, end, or ending. Equipment includes bats, sticks, rods, and rackets. Status of players is amateur or professional. Other contrasts include sport and athletics, interval and half time, and draw or equal.
Phrasal verbs for hobbies and sports include: bring forward (moving an event earlier), carry on (continuing), get round to (starting after planning), get up to (doing something undesirable), go in for (entering a competition), go off (losing interest), join in (participating), knock out (defeating and removing), look out (being careful), pull out (stopping involvement), put off (delaying), put up with (tolerating), take to (starting a habit), and take up (starting a hobby or filling space/time).
Phrases and collocations include doing your best, having a chance of doing something, having a go, height (being afraid of heights), being mad about something, taking pleasure in something, being popular with a group, siding with someone, having a talent for something, and being on time. Words also form around turn, such as taking turns or it being your turn. Word patterns include competing against or for, concentrating on, finding things difficult, being fond of, being free from, and being interested in or involved in something.
Word formations include: allowance (from allow), association (from associate), competitive (from compete), enjoyment (from enjoy), equipment (from equip), misfortune (from fortune), interesting (from interest), knowledge (from know), maintenance (from maintain), medalist (from medal), opposition (from oppose), and practical (from practice).
Unit 6: Science and Technology
Vocabulary in scientific contexts contrasts artificial and false, natural and physical, and aim, cause, and reason. Measurement involves estimation and calculation. Tools and methodology are divided into electric vs electronic, invent vs discover, research vs experiment, and method vs way. Systems are described through engines, machines, and motors. Progress is contrasted with development, and modern with new. Industrial settings distinguish between industry and factory, while rewards are seen as awards or re-complishments. Events take place or occur.
Phrasal verbs include: break down (machine failure), carry out (performing an experiment), come off (succeeding), come on (developing), come up with (thinking of an idea), cut off (stopping supply), find out (discovering information), give off (producing heat/smell), narrow down (reducing possibilities), plug in (connecting to electricity), put through (connecting by phone), turn into (changing), turn off (stopping a machine), and work out (solving a problem).
Phrases and collocations involve making an attempt, being on average, the beginning of something, at the bottom of a container, finding the cause of a situation, reaching a conclusion, performing experiments, facing facts, introducing something, making phone calls, taking photos, and carrying out research. Word patterns involve causing something to do, considering whether something is strange, discussing topics, explaining things to someone, intending to do, looking forward to, managing to do, and finding things possible or impossible.
Word formations include: appearance (from appear), discovery (from discover), explanation (from explain), importance (from important), introduction (from introduce), invention (from invent), observation (from observe), psychologist (from psychology), revolutionary (from revolution), and scientific (from science).
Unit 8: The Media
Topic vocabulary includes denying vs refusing, agreeing vs accepting, and headline vs heading. Reporting formats include features vs articles, and show types such as talk shows, quiz shows, or game shows. Media professionals are announcers, commentators, journalists, or columnists. Publications are divided into tabloids and broadsheets. Information delivery includes the press, media, programs, channels, broadcasts, bulletins, and newsflashes.
Phrasal verbs in the media: bring up (starting a discussion), come on (starting a broadcast), come out (publication), fill in (adding information), flick through (quick reading), go into (detail), hand out (distribution), look up (finding information), make out (pretending or seeing with difficulty), make up (inventing), put forward (suggesting), see through (recognizing untruth), stand out (being distinct), and turn over (flipping a page).
Phrases and collocations include being in control, giving a description, making a difference, taking things for granted, having an influence on someone, surfing the Internet, hearing the news, events taking place, asking questions, and holding a view of a situation. Word patterns focus on according to, announcing that, believing in something, commenting on, confusing things, corresponding with someone, describing someone as, and hearing about events. Word formations include: announcement (from announce), communication (from communicate), journalism (from journal), and ridiculousness (from ridicule).
Unit 10: People and Society
Vocabulary contrasts include relationship vs connection, blame vs fault, old vs ancient, and crowd vs audience. Emotional states include enjoy vs please, kind vs polite, sympathetic vs likeable, and nervous vs bad-tempered. Human attributes include sensitive vs sensible. Social organization is seen as company vs group, and visibility is rated as popular vs famous or unknown vs infamous. Relationships are typical or usual and close or near.
Phrasal verbs: ask after (news about someone), bring up (raising a child), fall for (falling in love or believing a trick), fall out with (arguing), get on (having a good relationship), grow up (aging), look down on (thinking you are better), look up to (admiring), make up (becoming friends again), pass away (dying), pick on (treating badly), put down (criticizing), settle down (becoming calm/marrying), stand up for (supporting), and take aback (surprising).
Phrases and collocations center on showing approval, having an argument, taking care of someone, having the courage to do something, wearing a disguise, having dreams, starting a family, doing a favor, making friends, and being in love. Moods can be good or bad, and people may take pity on others or make promises. Word patterns include agreeing with someone, allowing someone to do something, approving of an action, asking someone for something, attacking someone for an action, banning someone from a place, and convincing someone of a fact.
Word formations include: achievement (from achieve), argumentative (from argue), friendship (from friend), happiness (from happy), jealousy (from jealous), marriage (from marry), nervous (from nerve), and personal (from person).
Unit 12: The Law and Crime
Topic vocabulary involves proof vs evidence, suspect vs arrest vs charge, and suspect vs accused. Legal outcomes include a decision or a verdict. Actions are categorized as committing or breaking a rule, law, or justice. Personnel include judges, juries, lawyers, and solicitors. Punishments include capital and corporal punishment, or the acts of sentencing and imprisoning. Crime types include robber, burglar, thief, vandal, and hooligan. States of being include innocent vs guilty, and observers are witnesses or bystanders.
Phrasal verbs: back down (stopping a demand), break out (escaping prison), bring in (new laws), chase after (following to catch), come forward (offering help), get away with (escaping punishment), go off (exploding), hold up (armed robbery), let off (granting light punishment), look into (investigating), make off (escaping), take down (writing notes), and take in (tricking someone).
Phrases and collocations include taking into account, taking advantage of, being to blame, causing damage, finding fault, having intentions, making mistakes, following orders, getting permission, and doing something on purpose. Reasoning involves finding a solution to a problem. Word patterns include accusing someone of a crime, arresting someone for an action, claiming to be, denying a deed, doubting something, forgiving someone, catching a glimpse, and threatening someone with an action.
Word formations include: accusation (from accuse), addiction (from addict), criminal (from crime), forgery (from forge), investigation (from investigate), imprisonment (from prison), robbery (from rob), and insecurity (from secure).
Unit 14: Health and Fitness
Vocabulary in medical contexts contrasts prescription vs recipe, operation vs surgery, and thin vs slim. Methods of relief include remedy, cure, and therapy. Health outcomes include effect vs result, and healthy vs fit. Medical checks are described as examine vs investigate. Conditions include infection vs pollution, plaster vs bandage, and ward vs clinic. Symptoms include fever vs rash and sore vs hurt vs pain. States include illness vs disease and injured vs damaged. Medications involve doses vs fixes.
Phrasal verbs: break out (sudden start), bring on (causing illness), come down with (minor illness), come round/to (becoming conscious), cut down (reducing), feel up to (well enough to act), get over (recovering), give up (stopping a habit), look after (caring), pass out (unconsciousness), pull through (surviving), put down (killing a sick animal), put on (gaining weight), and wear off (stopping effectiveness).
Phrases and collocations include alternative medicine, making appointments, running a bath, being in danger, doing exercise, keeping fit, being in good health, getting an injection, and staying in shape. Word patterns include being addicted to something, complaining about a condition, coping with a situation, injecting substances, and being worth doing. Word formations include: awareness (from aware), beneficial (from benefit), discomfort (from comfort), fitness (from fit), poisonous (from poison), recovery (from recover), and strength (from strong).
Unit 16: Food and Drink
Topic vocabulary for food preparation includes chop, slice, grate, bake, grill, fry, roast, boil, mix, stir, and whisk. Professional roles are cook, chef, or cooker (the appliance). Kitchen areas include the oven, grill, hob, fridge, and freezer. Meal types are lunch, dinner, fast food, and takeaway. Equipment includes plate, bowl, saucer, dish, kettle, and teapot. Dietary choices include vegetable, vegetarian, and vegan. Drink types are soft drinks or fizzy drinks.
Phrasal verbs: drop in (visiting unexpectedly), get on for (approaching a time/age), go off (food rotting), go on (continuing), go/come round (visiting a home), keep on (continuing), leave out (not including), put off (making someone dislike), run into (meeting by chance), run out of (using up), take to (beginning to like), try out (experimenting), turn out (resulting), and turn up (appearing).
Phrases and collocations include being a good cook, making a drink, feeding an animal, filling something up, preparing health food, going out for a meal, taking a note of something, and following a recipe. Table-related actions include laying or clearing the table. Word patterns focus on associating food with a place, choosing between options, complimenting someone on a dish, and suggesting what to eat. Word formations include: anxiety (from anxious), appreciation (from appreciate), container (from contain), disgusting (from disgust), growing (from grow), original (from origin), and preparation (from prepare).
Unit 18: Education and Learning
Topic vocabulary contrasts taking an exam with passing it, and reading with studying. Academic levels are primary, secondary, and high. Peers are classmates or colleagues. Status roles include prefect, pupil, and student. Measurements of success include qualifications vs qualities and degree vs certificate vs results. Learning processes include achieving or reaching a goal, tasks or efforts, and teaching vs learning.
Phrasal verbs: catch on (understanding), come round to (being persuaded), cross out (removing writing), dawn on (realizing), deal with (coping), drop out (leaving early), get at (expressing), get on with (continuing), give in (stopping effort), keep up with (staying at level), sail through (succeeding easily), set out (explaining clearly), and think over (considering).
Phrases and collocations include paying attention, taking a break, having discussions, failing exams, and having no idea. Mental processes involve making up your mind or changing your mind. Points of view are expressed as opinions. Logical consistency is described as making sense. Word patterns include being able to do, congratulating someone on achievement, failing to do, and being suitable for a role. Word formations include: academic (from academy), behavior (from behave), educational (from educate), improvement (from improve), literature (from literate), revision (from revise), and scholarship (from scholar).
Unit 20: Weather and the Environment
Vocabulary contrasts include residential areas: urban, suburban, and rural. Atmospheric conditions involve smog, fog, smoke, and mist. Scientific outlooks include weather vs climate and forecast vs prediction. Waste management distinguishes between waste, litter, and rubbish. Water bodies are categorized as reservoirs, lakes, puddles, or ponds. Environmental status includes extinct or endangered species. Actions include recycling or reusing materials. Other contrasts include thunder and lightning, and global vs worldwide.
Phrasal verbs: call for (requiring), call off (canceling), clear up (weather brightening), cut off (disconnecting), die down (becoming less powerful), do up (repairing), face up to (accepting difficulty), get someone down (making sad), put down to (suggesting a cause), put out (extinguishing), set in (starting and continuing), stand for (representing/tolerating), tear down (destroying building), and throw away (discarding).
Phrases and collocations include losing control, having an effect on the environment, reaching the end, being on the ground floor, making a fuss, taking a long time, looking like something, and being in a mess. Responsibility for the world and checking the weather forecast are key concepts. Word patterns include being aware of surroundings, being covered in snow, being disappointed by results, and warning someone against danger. Word formations include: accuracy (from accurate), dangerous (from danger), environmentalist (from environment), globally (from globe), and pollution (from pollute).
Questions & Discussion
In the segment "Modern Science," the speaker notes that while the scientific method is now or hundred years old, the ancient Greeks believed they could determine the cause of natural events through reasoning alone. It is also mentioned that events such as the First World War or the Industrial Revolution were not named as such until they were well under way or completed. For the future, historians might refer to our era as the Computer Age or Information Age. There is even discussion that human skin could serve as an electronic circuit board.
In the "Crimestoppers" narrative, the show appeals for witnesses regarding an incident in Cambridge where Mrs Pat Williams had her handbag snatched. The incident happened quickly after she picked her baby up out of a pram because it was crying. The police emphasize that no detail is too small to be useful.
In "The European Diet," it is noted that before Columbus discovered America in , many modern staples were unknown in Europe. Ingredients imported from the New World include potatoes, tomatoes, maize, and chocolate. Initially, the potato was considered poisonous. To make it popular, Marie Antoinette wore potato flowers, and Parmentier planted them in royal gardens, leading peasants to eventually steal and plant them as well.
A student recounted an experience of breaking an arm during a PE pyramid exercise. Despite the injury, there was no initial pain, only numbness, which was attributed to shock. The plaster cast was expected to stay on for weeks depending on whether the break healed properly. The student noted having to count blessings despite missing out on basketball and swimming.
The document also reviews grammar nuances in Unit , highlighting common errors such as saying "should not you?" instead of "shouldn't you?" and the redundant use of "it" in "I wonder it if you know."