Destination B2: Grammar and Vocabulary - Complete Study Guide

Overview and Course Structure

• Target Audience and Level: Designed for students preparing for B2 (Vantage) level examinations on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework scale, including Cambridge FCE.

• Book Design and Components:

  • Contains 28 alternating grammar and vocabulary units.

  • Fourteen two-page review sections following every two units.

  • Two four-page progress tests positioned after Unit 14 and Unit 28.

  • Reference Section includes: key irregular verbs list, unit-by-unit glossary with definitions and examples, phrasal verbs database, phrases and collocations database, word patterns database, word formation database, and a US English vs UK English vocabulary and spelling guide.

Unit 1: Present Time

• Present Simple:

  • Forms:

  • Statement: $I/you/we/they\text{ travel}$, $He/she/it\text{ travels}$

  • Negative: $I/you/we/they\text{ don't travel}$, $He/she/it\text{ doesn't travel}$

  • Question: $Do\text{ }I/you/we/they\text{ travel}?$, $Does\text{ }he/she/it\text{ travel}?$

  • Uses:

  • Current habits: Toby walks to work.

  • Frequency of events: Angela doesn't visit us very often.

  • Permanent situations: Carlo works in a travel agent's.

  • States: Do you have an up-to-date passport?

  • General truths and facts: Poland is in the European Union.

  • Emphatic Present Simple: Uses $do/does$ in affirmative statements for emphasis (e.g., Actually, I do like going by bus for short distances; It does stop right outside the factory).

• Present Continuous:

  • Forms:

  • Statement: $I\text{ am driving}$, $You/we/they\text{ are driving}$, $He/she/it\text{ is driving}$

  • Negative: $I'm\text{ not driving}$, $You/we/they\text{ aren't driving}$ ($You're/we're/they're\text{ not driving}$), $He/she/it\text{ isn't driving}$ ($He's/she's/it's\text{ not driving}$

  • Question: $Am\text{ }I\text{ driving}?$, $Are\text{ }you/we/they\text{ driving}?$, $Is\text{ }he/she/it\text{ driving}?$

  • Uses:

  • Actions happening right now: Mike is driving to work at the moment.

  • Temporary series of actions: Taxi drivers aren't stopping at the train station because of the roadworks.

  • Temporary situations: Are they staying in a hotel near the Olympic stadium?

  • Changing and developing situations: Holidays abroad are becoming increasingly popular.

  • Annoying habits (typically paired with always): Dad is always cleaning the car when I want to use it!

• Present Perfect Simple:

  • Forms: $have/has + \text{past participle}$

  • Statement: $I/you/we/they\text{ have flown}$, $He/she/it\text{ has flown}$

  • Negative: $I/you/we/they\text{ haven't flown}$, $He/she/it\text{ hasn't flown}$

  • Question: $Have\text{ }I/you/we/they\text{ flown}?$, $Has\text{ }he/she/it\text{ flown}?$

  • Uses:

  • Situations and states starting in the past and remaining true: She's had her motorbike for over six years.

  • Series of actions continuing up to now: We've travelled by taxi, bus, plane and train — all in the last twenty-four hours!

  • Completed actions at an unspecified past time: Have you ever flown in a helicopter?

  • Completed actions where the present result is the focus: I've booked the coach tickets.

  • Special Construction: Phrases such as It's the first/second/etc. time… are followed by the Present Perfect Simple (e.g., It's the second time I've been on a plane).

• US vs UK Differences (Present Perfect Simple):

  • American English speakers frequently use the Past Simple where British English uses the Present Perfect Simple.

  • US: We already saw the Sphinx.

  • UK: We've already seen the Sphinx.

  • American English uses gotten as the past participle of get (except when get means have or possess). British English strictly uses got.

  • US: We've already gotten Dan a new backpack for his summer vacation.

  • UK: We've already got Dan a new rucksack for his summer holiday.

• Present Perfect Continuous:

  • Forms: $have/has + \text{been} + \text{-ing form}$

  • Statement: $I/you/we/they\text{ have been travelling}$, $He/she/it\text{ has been travelling}$

  • Negative: $I/you/we/they\text{ haven't been travelling}$, $He/she/it\text{ hasn't been travelling}$

  • Question: $Have\text{ }I/you/we/they\text{ been travelling}?$, $Has\text{ }he/she/it\text{ been travelling}?$

  • Uses:

  • Actions continuing up to the present moment: We have been driving for hours. Can't we have a break soon?

  • Actions stopping immediately before the present moment: I'm out of breath because I've been running to get here in time.

  • Usage Notes:

  • Often used with time expressions such as all day/week/year, for, since, just.

  • Not normally used with ever or never (Use: Have you ever flown in a helicopter before?; Avoid: Have you ever been flying in a helicopter before?).

  • Comparison of completion status: I have read that book about cruise ships (completed/finished) vs. I have been reading that book about cruise ships (unfinished).

• Stative Verbs:

  • Stative verbs refer to states rather than actions and are not normally used in continuous tenses (e.g., I see what you mean, NOT I am seeing what you mean).

  • Categories of Stative Verbs:

  • Thinking: $believe, imagine, know, mean, think, understand$

  • Existence: $be, exist$

  • Emotions: $hate, like, love, need, prefer, satisfy, want$

  • Human senses: $hear, see, smell, sound, taste$

  • Appearance: $appear, look, resemble, seem$

  • Possession and relationships: $belong\text{ }to, consist\text{ }of, have, include, involve, own$

  • Dual-Meaning Verbs: Some verbs function as stative with one meaning and non-stative (action) with another.

  • Do you have your plane ticket with you? (State: possession)

  • Are you having lunch at the moment? (Action: eating)

Unit 2: Travel and Transport

• Topic Vocabulary in Contrast:

  • voyage / journey / trip / travel / excursion:

  • voyage: A long journey, especially by sea.

  • journey: An occasion when you travel from one place to another, especially over a long distance.

  • trip: An occasion when you go somewhere and come back again.

  • travel: The general activity of travelling.

  • excursion: A short journey made for pleasure.

  • view / sight:

  • view: The things visible from a particular place.

  • sight: A person or thing that you see that has a particular feature.

  • world / earth:

  • world: The planet we live on.

  • earth: The land/soil on which we live.

  • area / territory:

  • area: A part of a place or building.

  • territory: An area of land controlled by a country, leader, or army.

  • season / period:

  • season: One of the four weather-based divisions of the year.

  • period: An amount of time.

  • fare / ticket / fee:

  • fare: Money paid for a journey.

  • ticket: Paper showing payment to travel or enter an event.

  • fee: Money paid to be allowed to do something or join an organization.

  • miss / lose:

  • miss: To be too late for something.

  • lose: To no longer have something.

  • take / bring / go:

  • take: Move/carry someone or something from one place to another.

  • bring: Take someone or something with you from one place to another.

  • go: Move or travel to a place away from where you are.

  • book / keep:

  • book: Arrange to have or use something in the future.

  • keep: Continue to have or own something.

  • arrive / reach:

  • arrive: Reach a destination.

  • reach: Arrive somewhere.

  • live / stay:

  • live: Have your home in a specific place.

  • stay: Live or remain in a place temporarily as a guest/visitor.

  • border / edge / line:

  • border: The official line separating two countries or regions.

  • edge: The part furthest from the centre of something.

  • line: A long, thin mark on a surface.

  • length / distance:

  • length: Measurement of how long something is.

  • distance: The amount of space between two points.

  • guide / lead:

  • guide: Show someone where to go by accompanying them.

  • lead: Take someone to a place by going in front of them.

  • native / home:

  • native: Living in a particular country/area since birth.

  • home (town): The city or town where you lived as a child.

• Phrasal Verbs:

  • catch up with: Reach the same point/level as.

  • check in: Register at a hotel or airport.

  • check out: Leave a hotel; investigate.

  • drop off: Let someone get out of a vehicle; fall asleep.

  • get back: Return from a place.

  • go away: Go on holiday.

  • keep up with: Stay at the same point/level as.

  • make for: Go in the direction of.

  • pick up: Stop in a vehicle to give someone a lift.

  • pull in: Stop by the side of the road in a car.

  • run over: Hit with a car.

  • see off: Go to a train station, etc., to see someone leave.

  • set out/off: Start a journey.

  • take off: Leave the ground.

  • turn round: Go back in the opposite direction.

• Phrases and Collocations:

  • accident: have an accident; be (involved) in an accident; do sth by accident.

  • advance: in advance; advance to/towards a place.

  • ahead: go straight ahead; go ahead; be ahead of sth/sb.

  • direction: a change of direction; in the direction of sth; in this/that direction.

  • head: off the top of your head; head for/towards a place; head over heels (in love).

  • holiday: go/be on holiday; have/take a holiday; bank holiday.

  • left: go/turn/etc. left; on the left; on the left-hand side; in the left-hand corner; left-handed.

  • route: plan your/a route; take a route.

  • sights: see the sights.

  • sightseeing: go sightseeing.

  • speed: at (high/full/etc.) speed; a burst of speed; speed limit.

  • tour: go on/take a tour of/(a)round somewhere; tour a place; tour guide.

  • trip: business trip; school trip; go on a trip; take a trip (to a place).

  • way: lose/make/find your way; in a way; on the way; go all the way (to sth/swh).

• Word Patterns:

  • $afraid\text{ }of\text{ }sth/sb/doing$; $afraid\text{ }to\text{ }do$

  • $appear\text{ }to\text{ }be$

  • $arrange\text{ }sth\text{ }(with\text{ }sb)$; $arrange\text{ }for\text{ }sb\text{ }to\text{ }do$

  • $arrive\text{ }in/at\text{ }a\text{ }place$; $arrive\text{ }here/there$

  • $continue\text{ }sth/doing$; $continue\text{ }to\text{ }do$; $continue\text{ }with\text{ }sth$

  • $differ\text{ }from\text{ }sth/sb$

  • $dream\text{ }about/of\text{ }sth/sb/doing$

  • $invite\text{ }sb\text{ }to\text{ }do$

  • $keen\text{ }to\text{ }do$; $keen\text{ }on\text{ }sth/sb/doing$

  • $live\text{ }in/at\text{ }a\text{ }place$; $live\text{ }on/for\text{ }sth$; $live\text{ }here/there$

  • $regret\text{ }(not)\text{ }doing$; $regret\text{ }sth$; $regret\text{ }to\text{ }tell/inform\text{ }you$

  • $think\text{ }of/about\text{ }sth/sb/doing$

  • $write\text{ }about\text{ }sth/sb/doing$; $write\text{ }(sth)\text{ }(to\text{ }sb)$; $write\text{ }sb\text{ }sth$; $write\text{ }sth\text{ }down$

• Word Formation:

  • $arrange \rightarrow rearrange, arrangement$

  • $arrive \rightarrow arrival$

  • $broad \rightarrow breadth, broaden$

  • $culture \rightarrow cultural(ly), (un)cultured$

  • $differ \rightarrow different(ly), difference$

  • $direct \rightarrow indirect, direction, director, (in)directly$

  • $distant \rightarrow distantly, distance$

  • $enter \rightarrow entrance$

  • $inhabit \rightarrow inhabitant$

  • $photograph \rightarrow photography, photographer, photographic$

  • $recognise \rightarrow (un)recognisable, recognition$

  • $time \rightarrow timetable$

  • $tour \rightarrow tourism, tourist$

  • $world \rightarrow worldwide$