Collins Easy Learning English Vocabulary

This extensive document is a vocabulary guide, likely part of a larger English learning series, evidenced by its title and copyright information from HarperCollins Publishers. It functions as a dictionary, providing definitions and pronunciations using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for a wide array of terms across various themed categories. These categories include aspects of travel (air, car, train, and boat), human characteristics (body parts, appearance, emotions), daily life (food, housing, personal routines, social events, clothing), commerce and industry, science and technology, gardening, education, money, music, and crime and justice. The text also offers examples of words in context and notes differences in American and British English vocabulary.

Comprehensive Travel and Transport Vocabulary Guide

The sources provide a comprehensive overview of vocabulary related to travel and transport, categorized into specific subject areas such as air travel, cars and road travel, boats, water and the coast, and trains.

Here’s a detailed discussion of travel and transport based on the provided information:

General Travel and Transport Concepts

• Journey and Trip: A journey refers to an occasion when you travel from one place to another. A trip is specifically a journey that you make to a particular place and back again.
• Traveller and Tourist: A traveller is defined as a person who is on a trip or someone who travels a lot. A tourist is a person who is visiting a place on holiday.
• Booking and Reservations: You can book a flight, train ticket, or a hotel room. To make a reservation means to arrange for a seat on a flight or a room in a hotel to be kept ready for you.
• Tickets and Fares: A ticket is a small piece of paper that shows you have paid for a flight, to travel on a train, or to see a film or play. An e-ticket is an electronic ticket stored on a computer rather than on paper. A fare is the money paid for a journey, whether by plane or train. For train travel, a return ticket is for a journey to a place and back again, while a single ticket is for a journey from one place to another but not back again. A season ticket offers a reduced price for multiple journeys, like weekly, monthly, or annual train or bus travel.
• Timetables: These are lists of times when planes or trains arrive and depart.

Types of Transport and Related Vocabulary

The sources break down transport into several key modes:

1. Air Travel

• Vehicles:
• Aeroplane (or airplane in American English) is a vehicle with wings and engines that can fly.
• Aircraft is a general term for a plane or helicopter.
• A jumbo jet is a large plane capable of carrying hundreds of passengers.
• A helicopter is an aircraft with long, fast-rotating blades on top.
• Locations & Infrastructure:
• An airport is a place where planes come and go, equipped with buildings and services for passengers.
• Arrivals is the section of an airport where passengers disembark.
• Departures is where passengers wait before boarding a plane.
• Baggage reclaim is the area to collect baggage after a flight.
• A gate is the exit point from an airport to board a plane.
• A runway is the long road a plane uses for take-off and landing.
• A terminal is a building where people begin or end a flight.
• A bureau de change is a place to exchange currency.
• An information desk is available for flight inquiries.
• People:
• An air-traffic controller organizes plane movements.
• A cabin crew consists of people who look after passengers on a plane.
• The captain is in charge of a plane.
• A flight attendant looks after passengers and serves food/drink.
• A passenger is someone travelling in a plane but not flying or working on it.
• A pilot controls the aircraft.
• Parts of a Plane:
• The cabin is where people sit.
• The hold is where goods or luggage are stored.
• A propeller is a part that turns fast to move the aircraft.
• A wing is one of the long flat parts supporting the plane in flight.
• Emergency exits are for quick evacuation in emergencies.
• Tray tables are small tables attached to the back of seats.
• Seat belts are fastened for safety.
• The aisle is the narrow passage between seats.
• Windows allow views from the plane.
• Travel Classes:
• First class offers the best and most expensive seats.
• Business class seats are cheaper than first class but more expensive than economy class.
• Economy class offers the cheapest seats.
• Actions:
• To board is to get into a plane.
• To check in means to confirm your arrival at an airport desk. You can also check in luggage.
• Take-off is the beginning of a flight when a plane leaves the ground. To take off is when an aircraft leaves the ground and starts to fly.
• Landing is the act of bringing a plane back down. To land is when a plane comes down to the ground.
• A connection is a plane that allows you to continue your journey by changing from one flight to another.
• To fly means to travel somewhere in an aircraft.
• To cancel a flight means it will not happen.
• To delay a flight means it’s later than expected.
• To hijack is to illegally take control of a plane.
• You can search someone’s luggage.
• Conditions:
• Jet lag is the tiredness felt after flying between different time zones.
• Airsick means feeling ill from plane movement.
• A direct flight goes from one place to another without stopping.
• Domestic flights are between airports in the same country.
• International flights are between airports in different countries.
• On time means not late or early.
• On board refers to being on an aircraft.
• Duty-free goods are sold at cheaper prices at airports or on planes because they are not taxed.
• “Nothing to declare” is the customs area you walk through if you don’t need to pay duty on goods.
• Luggage: Luggage (or baggage) refers to the bags you take when you travel. A suitcase is a case for carrying clothes. A luggage label attaches to bags in case they get lost. A trolley is used for moving heavy luggage at an airport.

2. Cars and Road Travel

• Vehicles:
• Car: A motor vehicle for about five people. Types include sports, racing, and police cars.
• Bus: A large motor vehicle carrying passengers, such as a school bus or a double-decker bus. A coach is a comfortable bus for long journeys.
• Lorry (or truck in American English) is a large vehicle for transporting goods.
• Motorbike or motorcycle is a two-wheeled vehicle with an engine.
• Van: A vehicle like a large car or small lorry for carrying things.
• Ambulance: For taking people to hospital.
• Fire engine (or fire truck in American English): Carries firemen and equipment.
• Caravan: A large vehicle pulled by a car, used for sleeping and eating on holiday.
• Trailer: A wheeled container pulled by a lorry or other vehicle.
• Parts of a Vehicle:
• Accelerator (or gas pedal in American English) makes the vehicle go faster.
• Brake makes the vehicle slow down or stop.
• Bonnet (or hood in American English) covers the engine.
• Boot (or trunk in American English) is the storage space at the back.
• Bumper is a heavy bar at the front and back for protection.
• Clutch: Part pressed before moving the gear stick.
• Dashboard: Front part of the car in front of the driver, with controls.
• Engine: Produces power to move the vehicle.
• Gear: Part of an engine changing power to movement.
• Gear stick (or gear shift in American English) is used to change gear.
• Handbrake: Manual brake for parking.
• Headlights: Large front lights.
• Horn: Makes a loud noise as a warning.
• Indicator (or turn signal in American English) flashes to show turns.
• Rear-view mirror and wing mirror (or side-view mirror in American English) help see behind/to the sides.
• Seat belt: Strap for safety.
• Speedometer: Shows driving speed.
• Tyre is the rubber around the wheels.
• Wheel: Round objects under a vehicle or the steering wheel.
• Windscreen (or windshield in American English) is the front glass window.
• Roads & Traffic:
• Road: A piece of hard ground for vehicles.
• Street: A road in a city or town.
• Lane: A part of a road marked by a line, or a narrow country road.
• Crossroads: Where two roads cross.
• Roundabout: A circle in the road where several roads meet.
• One-way street: Vehicles only go in one direction.
• Motorway (or freeway in American English) is a wide, fast road.
• Traffic: All vehicles moving on roads in an area.
• Traffic jam: A long line of vehicles that cannot move.
• Traffic lights: Red, yellow, and green lights to control movement.
• Road sign: Gives information to drivers.
• No entry: A sign indicating a road cannot be entered.
• Roadworks: Indicates road repairs.
• Parking:
• Car park (or parking lot in American English) is an area or building for parking.
• Parking space: A place to park a car.
• Parking meter: Machine for paying to park.
• A garage can be for keeping your car at home, a public parking building, or a place for car repairs.
• Actions:
• To accelerate is to go faster. To speed up.
• To brake is to slow down or stop. To slow down.
• To drive is to control a vehicle.
• To break down is when a vehicle stops working.
• To crash is when a vehicle hits something and is damaged.
• To give way (or yield in American English) means to let another vehicle go first.
• To hitch-hike is to ask for rides by the road.
• To overtake is to pass another vehicle going in the same direction.
• To park is to stop and leave a vehicle.
• To skid is to slide sideways.
• To speed is to drive faster than the limit.
• To steer is to control the direction.
• To stop is to not move anymore.
• To tow is to pull another vehicle.
• Other Terms:
• Driving licence (or driver’s license in American English) is a document allowing you to drive.
• Petrol (or gas in American English) is fuel. Petrol station is where you buy fuel.
• Unleaded petrol contains less lead and causes less environmental damage.
• Puncture (or flat in American English) is a small hole in a tyre.
• Registration number (or license plate in American English) is the official vehicle identifier.
• Pedestrian is someone walking. A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is where people cross. Also a zebra crossing.

3. Boats, Water, and the Coast

• Water Bodies:
• Ocean and sea are large areas of salt water.
• Lake: A large area of water with land around it.
• River: A long line of water flowing into the sea. A stream is a small narrow river. The mouth of a river is where it meets the sea.
• Pond: A small area of water.
• Coastal Features:
• Coast: Land next to the sea. Coastal areas are near the coast.
• Beach: An area of sand or stones next to water. A sandy beach is covered with sand.
• Bay: A part of the coast where the land curves inward.
• Cliff: A high area of land with a steep side next to the sea.
• Shore: The land along the edge of the sea or a lake.
• Bank: A raised area of ground along the edge of a river.
• Island: A piece of land surrounded by water.
• Harbour and port: Areas where boats can safely stay or arrive/leave. A port is larger than a harbour.
• Quay: A structure next to water where boats stop.
• Vehicles:
• Boat: A general term for a vehicle used to travel on water. Specific types include fishing boat, rowing boat, sailing boat, motor boat.
• Ship: A very large boat carrying people or goods.
• Canoe and kayak: Small, narrow boats moved by a paddle.
• Ferry: A boat that regularly takes people or things across water for a short distance.
• Jet ski: A small, motorcycle-like machine for water travel.
• Speedboat: A very fast boat with a powerful engine.
• Submarine: A ship that can travel below the sea surface.
• Yacht: A large boat with sails or a motor for racing or pleasure.
• People:
• Captain: In charge of a ship.
• Fisherman: Catches fish.
• Lifeguard: Works at a beach to help people in danger.
• Sailor: Works on a ship or sails a boat for pleasure.
• Swimmer: Someone who swims.
• Navy: People who fight for a country at sea.
• Activities & Conditions:
• Cruise: A holiday spent on a ship.
• Sailing: The activity or sport of sailing boats.
• Swimming: The activity of moving through water using arms and legs.
• Tide: The twice-daily change in sea level.
• Wave: Higher part of water surface caused by wind.
• Current: A steady flow of water.
• Voyage: A long trip on a boat.
• Horizon: The line between the sky and the sea.
• Actions:
• To board a boat is to get onto it.
• To dive is to jump into or go under water.
• To drown is to die under water from not being able to breathe.
• To float is to stay on the surface of a liquid.
• To launch a boat is to put it into water.
• To navigate is to find direction for travel.
• To row is to move a boat using oars.
• To sail is to move over water on a boat.
• To sink is to go below the water surface.
• To steer is to control a boat’s direction.
• To surf is to ride big waves on a special board.
• To swim is to move through water.
• Equipment:
• Anchor: Heavy object dropped to stop a boat moving.
• Lifebelt: A ring to hold onto to stay afloat.
• Lifeboat: Used for saving people at sea.
• Lighthouse: Tower with flashing lamp to warn ships.
• Oar: Long pole for rowing.
• Paddle: Short pole for a small boat.
• Pebble: Small, smooth stone.
• Sail: Cloth on a boat to catch wind.
• Seaweed: Plant growing in the sea.
• Shell: Hard part of a small sea creature.
• Surfboard: Board for surfing.
• Adjectives:
• Calm: Water not moving much.
• Rough: Water with many waves.
• Marine: Relating to or living in the sea.
• Seasick: Feeling ill on a boat.

4. Trains

• Train Types:
• Fast train: Travels very fast with few stops.
• Goods train (or freight train in American English): Carries goods, not people.
• Intercity train: Fast train for long distances between cities.
• Sleeper: A train with beds for overnight journeys.
• Slow train: Travels slowly with many stops.
• Steam engine: An engine using steam for power.
• Underground train (also the underground, the tube, or subway in American English): Railway system where electric trains travel below ground in tunnels.
• Locations & Infrastructure:
• Train station: Where trains stop for people to get on or off.
• Platform: Area in a station to wait for a train.
• Railway (or railroad in American English): Metal track for trains. A line is a route trains move along. A track refers to the metal lines themselves.
• Level crossing: Where a railway line crosses a road.
• Left-luggage locker/office: Places at a station to leave luggage.
• Lost property office: To look for lost items.
• Ticket office: Where tickets are bought.
• Waiting room: Where people can sit while they wait.
• Parts of a Train:
• Carriage: Sections of a train where people sit.
• Compartment: Separate spaces in a carriage, sometimes for luggage.
• Engine: The front part that pulls the train.
• Luggage rack: A shelf for luggage.
• Seat: For passengers to sit on.
• People:
• Conductor: Checks tickets on a train.
• Driver: Drives the train.
• Passenger: A person travelling in a train.
• Porter: Carries luggage in a station.
• Ticket collector: Collects tickets when passengers get off.
• Actions:
• To approach is for a train to move closer.
• To arrive is to come to a place.
• To depart is to leave.
• To book a train ticket.
• To cancel a train means it will not be travelling.
• To delay a train means it’s late.
• To miss your train is to arrive too late to board.
• Adjectives:
• Due: Expected to arrive at a particular time.
• First-class: Best and most expensive seats/carriages.
• High-speed: Travels very fast.
• Late: After the scheduled time.
• Non-smoking: Areas where smoking is not allowed.
• Overcrowded: With too many people.
• Smoking: Areas where smoking is allowed.

This structured overview of the sources highlights the key terms, locations, roles, and actions associated with various forms of travel and transport.

A Lexicon of Well-being: Health, Feelings, and Routines

Personal well-being, as described in the sources, encompasses various aspects of an individual’s physical health, emotional states and personal qualities, and daily routines. The Collins Easy Learning English Vocabulary book aims to broaden knowledge of English words in everyday situations, including these areas.

Health

Health refers to the condition of a person’s body. The sources identify a wide range of words associated with health, from common ailments to more serious conditions and medical care.

• Physical Conditions: This includes feelings of pain or discomfort such as an ache, bruise, earache, headache, sore throat, or stomach-ache. More significant conditions mentioned are chickenpox, cold, cough, diarrhoea, flu, heart attack, measles, and sunburn. Terms like illness, injury, wound, and cancer represent more severe health issues.
• Maintaining Health: People can be healthy and fit, or conversely, ill and injured. To address health concerns, individuals might take medicine or pills, or receive an injection. They may also undergo an operation or surgery. Common actions include resting to recover, losing or putting on weight for better health, or being on a diet.
• Medical Services: If someone is ill or injured, they might need to call an ambulance, visit a doctor or dentist at their respective surgeries or offices, or go to a hospital, specifically the A&E (Accident and Emergency) department for severe cases. Nurses and surgeons are other medical professionals mentioned.
• Health Status Descriptors: Adjectives such as bleeding, feverish, painful, sick, sore, sweaty, and tired describe various physical states. Idioms like “(as) right as rain”, “off-colour”, “on the mend”, and “under the weather” are also used to describe one’s health status.

Feelings and Personal Qualities

This section addresses the emotional aspect and inherent characteristics that define an individual’s well-being.

• Emotions (Nouns): Key emotions include anger, excitement, fear, guilt, happiness, pride, regret, relief, and surprise. One’s overall emotional state at a particular time is referred to as their mood.
• Personal Characteristics (Nouns): Concepts such as honesty, intelligence, kindness, and personality describe inherent traits. The term “quality” refers to a particular characteristic a person has.
• Emotional and Behavioral Descriptors (Adjectives): A wide range of adjectives describe feelings and personal qualities:
• Positive: ambitious, calm, cheerful, competent, confident, curious, enthusiastic, friendly, funny, glad, happy, helpful, honest, independent, loving, nice, optimistic, pleased, polite, proud, relaxed, relieved, satisfied, sensitive (in the sense of understanding others’ feelings), thoughtful, and well-behaved.
• Negative: angry, annoyed, anxious, ashamed, bored, depressed, dishonest, dissatisfied, embarrassed, envious, frightened, frustrated, furious, hurt, impatient, insecure, mean, miserable, naughty, nervous, pessimistic, rude, sad, scared, selfish, sensitive (in the sense of being easily offended), serious, shocked, shy, stupid, suspicious, thoughtless, uncomfortable, unhappy, upset, and worried.
• Verbs Related to Emotions/Behavior: People can become a particular way, behave in certain ways, calm down, enjoy themselves, feel emotions, grow to have a feeling, hurt someone’s feelings, suffer, or be upset.
• Idioms for Feelings: Expressions like “down in the dumps” (unhappy/depressed), “get on someone’s nerves” (annoy someone), “hit the roof” (suddenly become very angry), and “over the moon” (extremely happy) are also provided.

Routines

Routines relate to the daily activities and lifestyle choices that contribute to personal well-being.

• Daily Life Elements: This section covers chores, free time, habits, hobbies, housework, and an individual’s lifestyle. Terms like “day off”, “lie-in”, “lunch break”, “routine”, “rush hour”, and “time off” describe structured or leisure periods.
• Actions in Routines: Verbs associated with daily routines include commute (travel to work/school), shave, do the shopping, get dressed (put on clothes), get ready (prepare for something), get up (out of bed), go home, go to bed/sleep/work, have/take a bath or shower, have breakfast/dinner/lunch, pick someone up, set your alarm, sleep in, tidy up, and wake up.
• Timing of Activities: Adverbs like “at weekends”, “during the week”, “every day”, and “every week” specify when these routines occur.
• Routine-Related Idioms: The source also lists idioms such as “eat into your time”, “go out like a light” (fall asleep quickly), “juggle too many balls” (handle many tasks), “nine-to-five” (a typical workday), “out of routine”, “pull an all-nighter” (stay up all night studying/working), “pushed for time” (having little time), and “rushed off your feet” (very busy).

In summary, personal well-being, as inferred from the sources, encompasses the physical state of a person’s body (health), their emotional and character traits (feelings and personal qualities), and the structure and activities of their daily life (routines).

Business, Employment, and Finance Vocabulary

The sources provide a comprehensive vocabulary related to business, economy, employment, and money, drawing on content from the Collins Easy Learning English Vocabulary book. This book is designed to broaden knowledge of English words in key everyday situations, including these subject areas. Vocabulary within each topic is divided into nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, and idioms.

Business

The concept of business generally refers to work that is related to producing, buying, and selling things. It can also describe how many products a company is selling (e.g., “Business is good”) or an organization that produces and sells goods or provides a service (e.g., a “hairdressing business”).

• Key Roles and Management:
• A CEO (chief executive officer) is the person responsible for the management of the whole company.
• A chair is the person in charge of a company or an organization.
• A director is one of the people who control a company or an organization and meet regularly to make important decisions.
• An executive holds an important job at a company.
• Management refers to the control of a business or the people who control a business.
• A manager is someone who runs a business or part of a business.
• A supervisor is someone in charge of activities or people.
• Business Operations and Performance:
• Accounts are records of all the money that a business receives and spends.
• Advertising is the business of creating information to persuade people to buy a product.
• A boom signifies an increase in the number of things that people are buying.
• A brand is a product that has its own name and is made by a particular company.
• A budget is the amount of money available to spend.
• Competition involves companies trying to sell more products than each other.
• Costs are the money you must spend to run your business.
• A deal is an agreement or arrangement in business.
• Growth signifies an increase in profits or sales.
• Marketing is the business of deciding how to sell a product.
• Profit is the money gained when selling something for more than it cost to make.
• Promotion is an attempt to make a product successful or popular, especially through advertising.
• Publicity is information that attracts public attention to a person or product.
• Retail is the activity of selling goods directly to the public.
• Sales refer to the quantity of a product that is sold.
• Turnover is the value of goods or services sold by a company over a period.
• Key Business Verbs:
• To advertise is to tell people about a product or service.
• To break even means to make enough money to cover costs but not make a profit.
• To employ is to pay someone to work for a person or company.
• To expand means to become or make something bigger.
• To go out of business means a company stops trading due to insufficient money.
• To improve means to get better or make something get better.
• To invest is to put money into a business to try to make a profit.
• To launch a product is to start selling a new product to the public.
• To manage is to control a business.
• To market is to advertise and sell a product.
• To negotiate is to talk about a situation to reach an agreement.
• To owe is to have to pay money to someone.
• To sell is to let someone have something in return for money.
• To subcontract is to pay another company to do part of the work you were employed to do.
• To supply is to give someone an amount of something.
• Adjectives and Idioms:
• Bankrupt means not having enough money to pay debts.
• Commercial relates to the buying and selling of things.
• Medium-sized, small, and thriving describe the size and success of a firm.
• Online describes using the internet to sell goods.
• Private means not owned by the government.
• Profitable means making a profit.
• Senior indicates an important job in an organization.
• At the cutting edge means involved in the most exciting and new developments.
• Blue-sky thinking refers to new creative ideas.
• To think outside the box means to think in a new and creative way.

Industry

Industry broadly refers to the work of making things in factories or all the people and activities involved in making a particular product or providing a particular service.

• Types of Industry and Sectors:
• Examples include banking, catering, clothing, construction, engineering, film, fishing, forestry, hospitality, insurance, leisure, light, heavy, manufacturing, mining, oil drilling, and textile industries.
• The industrial sector is the part of a country’s economy that produces things from raw materials.
• The private sector is the part of the economy not controlled or owned by the government.
• The public sector is the part of the economy controlled or funded by the government.
• The service sector provides services needed by the public.
• Production and Trade:
• An assembly line is an arrangement of workers and machines where a product passes from one worker to another until finished.
• Mass production involves producing something in large quantities, usually with machinery.
• A product is something made or grown to sell.
• Production is the process of making or growing something in large amounts.
• Raw materials are substances that have not been processed.
• Trade is the activity of buying and selling goods.
• To export is to sell products to another country.
• To import is to buy goods from another country.
• Machinery refers to large pieces of electrical equipment that do a particular job.
• Transportation is the activity of taking goods or people somewhere in a vehicle.
• Associated Adjectives:
• Corporate relates to large companies.
• Domestic refers to something happening or existing within one country.
• Economic relates to the organization of money and industry.
• Financial relates to money.
• Foreign indicates something coming from a country that is not your own.
• Industrial relates to industry or describes a country/city where industry is very important.
• International involves different countries.
• Modern means new or relating to the present time.

Employment

Employment is defined as work that you are paid for. A job is the work someone does to earn money.

• Employment Terms and Conditions:
• Annual leave is paid time off from work.
• Benefits can refer to money given by the government to people who do not have a job.
• A bonus is an extra amount of money earned, often for hard work.
• A career is a job done for a long time, or the years spent working.
• Flexitime is a system allowing employees to vary start/finish times while working agreed hours.
• Income is the money a person earns or receives.
• Maternity leave and paternity leave are periods of time off for parents to have a baby.
• The minimum wage is the lowest legal wage an employer can pay.
• Overtime is extra time spent doing your job.
• Pay, salary, and wages all refer to money paid for work.
• A pension is money regularly received after retirement.
• A rise is an increase in earned money.
• Sick leave is time away from work due to illness or injury.
• The working week is the total time spent at work during the week.
• Job Seeking and Loss:
• An application form is a document for applying for a job.
• A CV (curriculum vitae) details education and work experience for job applications.
• An interview is a formal meeting to assess a candidate for a job.
• Recruitment is the process of selecting people to work for an organization.
• Redundancy is when a job is lost because it’s no longer necessary or affordable for the organization.
• Unemployment is a situation where people cannot work due to a lack of jobs.
• To apply for a job means to ask for one.
• To dismiss or fire someone is to tell them to leave their job.
• To give someone the sack is an informal way to say someone is fired.
• To resign is to tell your employer you are leaving a job.
• To retire is to leave your job due to age.
• Workplace Dynamics:
• A boss is the person in charge.
• A colleague or co-worker is a person someone works with.
• Discrimination is treating one person or group unfairly, e.g., by paying less.
• Equality is the fair treatment of all people in a group.
• Human resources is the department that finds, trains, and looks after staff.
• A strike is when workers refuse to work, often for more money.
• Training is the process of learning skills for a job.
• Adjectives and Idioms:
• Absent means not at work.
• Blue-collar workers do physical work in industry.
• Freelance means working alone for different companies.
• Full-time and part-time describe work duration.
• Permanent means employed for an unlimited time.
• Temporary means lasting for a certain period.
• Unemployed means able to work but without a job.
• White-collar workers work in offices rather than physical industry.
• “What do you do (for a living)?” is used to ask about someone’s job.
• A golden handshake is a large sum of money given to an employee upon leaving.
• To get a foot in the door means to manage to enter an organization you hope to succeed in.
• The rat race refers to a job or way of life where people compete aggressively for success.

Money and Finance (Personal and General)

This section covers the practical aspects of managing and dealing with money.

• Forms of Money and Banking:
• Cash refers to money in notes and coins.
• Currency is the money used in a particular country.
• A bank is a place where people can keep their money.
• A bank account is an arrangement with a bank to look after your money.
• An ATM (Automated Teller Machine) is a machine for getting money with a card.
• A cashier is a person who takes money in shops or banks.
• A current account (checking account in American English) is a bank account for instant withdrawals.
• A savings account gives interest on your money.
• A building society lends money for houses and provides savings accounts.
• Transactions and Costs:
• A bill is a document showing how much money must be paid.
• Change is the money received back after paying more than the cost.
• A charge is an amount of money paid for a service.
• A cheque is a printed paper for payment from a bank.
• A credit card allows buying goods now and paying later.
• A debit card can be used to pay for things directly from a bank account.
• Direct debit is an arrangement for a company to take money owed directly from a bank account.
• A deposit is a sum of money paid as part of a full price or put into a bank account.
• Expenses are money spent on things.
• Interest is extra money paid for borrowed money or received from certain bank accounts.
• A loan is money borrowed.
• A mortgage is a loan to buy a house.
• A payment is an amount of money paid or the act of paying.
• A PIN is a secret number for bank card use.
• Pocket money (allowance in American English) is a small amount of money parents give children.
• A price is the amount of money to pay for something.
• Rent is money paid to live in a property owned by someone else.
• Savings are money saved, especially in a bank.
• A share is one of the equal parts a company’s value is divided into, which people buy to own part of the company and its profit.
• A standing order is an instruction to a bank to pay a fixed amount regularly.
• A statement is a printed document showing bank account transactions.
• Tax is money paid to the government for public services.
• VAT (Value Added Tax) is a tax added to the price of goods or services.
• Verbs for Financial Actions:
• To borrow is to get money and agree to pay it back.
• To buy is to get something by paying money.
• To charge is to ask someone to pay money.
• To cost is to have a price.
• To donate is to give something to an organization.
• To inherit is to receive money or property from someone who has died.
• To lend is to give someone money that must be returned.
• To make money is to get money for doing something.
• To pay is to give money for goods, bills, or work.
• To save is to gradually collect money by spending less.
• To sign is to write your name on a document.
• To spend is to pay money for things wanted or needed.
• To withdraw is to take money out of a bank account.
• Financial Descriptors and Idioms:
• Cheap means costing little money.
• Expensive means costing a lot of money.
• Thrifty means careful with money.
• Valuable refers to items worth a lot of money.
• Poor describes having little money.
• Rich describes having a lot of money.
• To be rolling in it means to have a lot of money.
• To make ends meet means to have just enough money for living expenses.
• “Money doesn’t grow on trees” is an idiom indicating that money is not easily obtained.
• To save something for a rainy day means to save money for a time when it might be needed unexpectedly.
• To tighten your belt means to spend less money.
• To be in the red means to owe money.

In essence, the sources offer a comprehensive vocabulary base for discussing the multifaceted aspects of business, encompassing its operational, financial, and employment dimensions, as well as the broader concepts of economy and personal finance.

Art & Culture: A Vocabulary Guide

The sources provide information about “art and photography” and “culture” as part of their vocabulary guide.

Arts

The “art and photography” section defines art as pictures or objects created for people to look at, or the activity of creating such items. Key aspects and elements of art and photography include:

• People:An artist is someone who draws, paints, or creates works of art.
• A designer is a person whose job is to design things, such as a fashion designer.
• A painter is an artist who paints pictures.
• A photographer is someone who takes photographs.
• A sculptor is an artist who makes works of art from materials like stone, metal, or wood.
• Forms and Objects:Art galleries are places where people go to look at art.
• Paintings can be pictures someone has painted or the activity of painting pictures. This includes oil paintings made with oil paint and watercolours mixed with water.
• Photography is the skill or process of producing photographs, often taken with a camera or digital camera.
• Sculpture refers to a piece of art shaped from materials like stone or wood, or the art of creating such pieces. A statue is a large model of a person or animal made of stone or metal.
• Drawings include a sketch, which is a quick drawing without much detail, and a collage, a picture made by sticking pieces of paper or cloth on a surface.
• Other terms include graphics (drawings, pictures, or symbols, especially computer-produced) and an illustration (a picture, design, or diagram in a book).
• A logo is a special design an organization puts on its products.
• Techniques and Components:Design is the process of planning and drawing things, or a drawing that shows how something should be built or made.
• Artists use a brush for painting and a canvas (strong, heavy material) to paint on.
• Clay is a type of earth used for making things like pots. Pottery is the activity of making objects from clay.
• A pattern is an arrangement of lines or shapes forming a design.
• Primary colours are red, yellow, and blue, which can be mixed to produce other colours.
• The background is the part of a picture behind the main subjects, while the foreground appears nearest to you.
• An easel supports a picture while an artist works on it.
• Photographs or pictures can be put in a frame.
• Actions (Verbs):To design means to make a detailed plan or drawing.
• To draw is to use a pencil or pen to make a picture.
• To paint is to produce a picture using paint or cover a wall/object with paint.
• To sketch is to make a quick drawing.
• To frame is to put a picture or photograph in a frame.

Culture

The concept of culture is defined within the “society and politics” section as the way of life, the traditions and beliefs of a particular group of people. This section broadly covers societal structures, political systems, and various groups of people.

Related cultural and societal terms include:

• Community: A group of people similar in some way or with similar interests, such as the Muslim community.
• Nationality: The state of being a legal citizen of a particular country, or a group of people with the same race, culture, or language. The sources provide a table illustrating how nouns for places transform into adjectives and person-nouns (e.g., China -> Chinese, a Chinese). For example, someone from Peru is a Peruvian, and they are Peruvian.
• Social classes: These include caste (in Hindu society), class (people with the same economic and social position), the middle class (well-educated people with professional jobs), the upper class (people with the highest social position), and the working class (less educated people with less money).
• Human rights are the rights all people in a society should have.
• Festivities are events organized to celebrate something.
• Celebrations and Ceremonies are a distinct subject area. These include:
• Birthdays, Christmas, and Easter.
• Various religious ceremonies such as baptism, christening, Bar Mitzvah, Hanukkah, Lent, Passover, and Ramadan.
• Marriage-related events like engagement, wedding, and honeymoon.
• Death-related ceremonies such as a funeral and a wake.
• Academic ceremonies like graduation.
• National celebrations such as New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day, some of which are public holidays.

In summary, the sources provide detailed vocabulary for both artistic expression and the broader concept of culture, encompassing traditions, beliefs, and social structures within a society.

Science and Nature: A Comprehensive Overview

The sources provide a comprehensive overview of both Science and Nature, defining key terms, activities, and elements within these domains.

Science

Science is broadly defined as the study of natural things. The sources indicate that “science” is one of the 50 subject areas included in the vocabulary guide to expand one’s knowledge of English words in everyday situations. It is also taught as a subject in schools and universities, with a dedicated “Faculty of Science”.

Key areas of scientific study mentioned include:

• Astronomy: The scientific study of stars, planets, and other natural objects in space.
• Botany: The scientific study of plants.
• Chemistry: The science concerned with the structure of gases, liquids, and solids, and how they change. A chemist is a scientist who studies chemistry.
• Physics: The scientific study of things such as heat, light, and sound.
• These subjects are grouped under natural sciences.

Important scientific concepts and objects include:

• Atoms and molecules: The smallest parts of a substance or chemical substance, respectively.
• Chemicals: Substances made by changing or combining other substances.
• Electricity: Energy used for heat, light, and powering machines. Related terms are charge (electrical force), circuit (path for electricity), current (steady flow of energy), fuse (wire to stop overcurrent), and units like volt and watt.
• Elements and compounds: Basic chemical substances like gold, oxygen, or carbon, and substances made from two or more elements, such as carbon dioxide.
• Energy: The power that enables machines to work or provides heat, encompassing various forms such as hydro-electric power, nuclear power, solar power, and wind power.
• Evolution: A process by which animals or plants gradually develop and change over many years. This is linked to genetics, the study of how qualities are passed from parents to children, via genes.
• Force: The pulling or pushing effect one thing has on another, such as gravity, which makes things fall to the ground.
• Theories: Ideas or sets of ideas that attempt to explain phenomena, exemplified by the “Theory of Relativity”.

Scientific activities and tools involve:

• Experiment: A scientific test conducted to discover outcomes.
• Laboratory: A dedicated building or room for scientific work.
• Microscope: An instrument that makes very small objects appear larger.
• Test tube: A small glass container used in laboratories.
• Radar: A method for detecting object positions using radio signals.
• Spacecraft for traveling in space, used by an astronaut.
• Verbs associated with scientific work include diluting, dissecting, dissolving, evaporating, evolving, measuring, and testing. All these activities are described as scientific.

Nature

Nature is defined as all the animals and plants in the world, as well as the land and the sea. The sources cover various aspects of nature through different subject areas:

• The Animal World: This category extensively lists a wide array of animals, including mammals (e.g., bats, bears, elephants, lions, monkeys, mice, pandas, seals, whales, wolves, zebras), birds (e.g., ducks, eagles, geese, hens, ostriches, owls, parrots, seagulls, swans, turkeys), fish (e.g., eels, salmon, sharks), insects (e.g., ants, bees, butterflies, flies, grasshoppers, ladybirds, mosquitoes, moths, wasps), and other creatures like crocodiles, lizards, lobsters, octopuses, oysters, shellfish, snails, snakes, spiders, squid, tadpoles, and worms.
• Animal parts are described, such as antennae, antlers, beaks, claws, coats, feathers, fur, hair, hooves, horns, manes, paws, shells, snouts, tails, trunks, and wings.
• Animal actions are detailed, including noises like baaing, barking, buzzing, growling, hissing, miaowing, mooing, neighing, purring, quacking, roaring, and snorting. Movements include crawling, flying, galloping, hopping, roaming, slithering, swimming, trotting, and wagging. Animals can also bite, feed, graze, hibernate, hunt, and sting.
• Places where animals are found include aquariums, cages, fields, kennels, nests, webs, and zoos.
• Animals can be described as stray, tame, or wild.
• Plants, Trees, and Gardens: This section focuses on the botanical world.
• Plants and Flowers: Various plants and flowers are listed, such as buttercups, daffodils, daisies, dandelions, ferns, forget-me-nots, hollies, ivies, jasmines, lilies, orchids, poppies, primroses, roses, sunflowers, tulips, and violets.
• Trees: Different types of trees mentioned are ash, bark, beech, birch, elm, fir trees, oak, palm trees, pine, weeping willows, and yews. Trees can be deciduous (losing leaves in autumn) or evergreen (keeping leaves all year).
• Parts of plants and trees include bark, blossoms, branches, buds, leaves, petals, roots, seeds, stalks, stems, and thorns.
• Gardens: These are areas near a house for growing plants and vegetables. Related terms include borders, flower beds, grounds, hedges, lawns, orchards, paths, patios, sheds, sprinklers, and window boxes.
• Gardening activities and tools: Verbs like blossoming, cultivating, flowering, growing, mowing, picking, planting, pruning, tending, watering, and weeding are used. Tools mentioned include hoes, hoses, lawnmowers, rakes, watering cans, and wheelbarrows.
• An idiom related to gardening is “to have green fingers” (or “green thumb” in American English), meaning to be good at making plants grow.
• Countryside and Geographical Features: This covers the natural landscape away from urban areas.
• It includes features like barns, caves, cliffs, ditches, estates, farms, fields, forests, gates, hills, lakes, marshes, meadows, moors, mountains, mud, ponds, rivers, rocks, ruins, scarecrows, soil, springs, stables, sticks, stones, streams, tracks, valleys, villages, waterfalls, wells, and windmills.
• Terms related to farming activities are agriculture, crops, and harvest. Farmers use tools like bulldozers, combine harvesters, and ploughs.
• The countryside can be described as peaceful and rural. Activities include climbing, camping, hiking, hunting, and ploughing.
• Environment and Conservation: This section highlights how nature is affected by human activities and efforts to protect it.
• Environmental problems: Key issues include pollution (of water, air, land), climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect, damage and destruction of habitats and rainforests. The concept of endangered species that may disappear from the world is also highlighted.
• Pollutants: Specific harmful substances mentioned are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, diesel, exhaust fumes, industrial waste, and nuclear waste. Sewage is also listed as waste material.
• Conservation efforts: Conservation is the act of caring for the environment. Actions to address environmental concerns include banning harmful chemicals, preserving and protecting wildlife, and recycling materials like paper and glass.
• Sustainable practices: The sources discuss renewable energy sources like wind, water, and sunlight, and the use of solar panels. Environmentally friendly products are described as biodegradable, eco-friendly, or organic, and the importance of sustainable farming and development is noted.
• Weather: This describes the atmospheric conditions and phenomena that are an integral part of nature.
• Elements of weather: Air, atmosphere, clouds, darkness, fog, frost, hail, heat, mist, rain, rainbows, snow, sun, and wind.
• Weather events: Droughts, floods, gales, monsoons, storms (including thunder, thunderstorms, tornadoes), and tsunamis.
• Measurements: Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
• Descriptive adjectives: Weather can be cloudy, cold, cool, dry, freezing, hot, humid, mild, rainy, stormy, sunny, tropical, or windy.
• Weather-related actions: The wind blows, water can freeze or melt, and it can rain or snow. Ice and snow can also thaw.

In essence, the sources provide a vocabulary-rich discussion on both the foundational elements of science and the multifaceted aspects of the natural world, including living organisms, landscapes, environmental concerns, and climatic conditions.

By Amjad Izhar
Contact: amjad.izhar@gmail.com
https://amjadizhar.blog

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