Unit 1

Vocabulary:
 Hassle: problem “I was able to return the merchandise without any hassle”.
 To hassle someone: to bother someone (típics venedors que vénen a casa a vendre).
 Hustle and bustle: a place where there’s a lot of people “The market is a hustle and
bustle of colourful activity”.
 To have a change of heart: to have a change of opinion.
 Out of the blue: something unexpected.
 Fall into place: something that produce the situation you want.
 To go downhill: something that gradually becomes worse.
 To be on the cards: something that is likely to happen.
 The rest is history: something that you are sure that people know what happened
next.
 To flee: to scape “Millions of people have had to flee their homes because of the
war”.
 Tit for tat: if you do X I will do Y.
 Bounty hunter: cazador de recompensas.
 Knitted fabric: teixit de punt.
 Crocheting: patchwork.
 Busking: singing in the street for money.
 On and off: procés en el qual hi ha hagut pauses “on and off have been learning
English since I was in the school”.
 Embrace: abraçar, acceptar, adopter “many companies embrace new technologies”.
 Deplete: esgotar, reduïr “the firm has depleted its financial resources”.
 Fruitful: beneficial / sthg very productive or that gives a lot of results.
 Priceless: something very expensive.
 Countless: something that happens a lot of times.
 Squatters: okupes.
 Framework: marc, context “the new financial framework should bolster European..”
 Upturn: something that has been improved, repunt, creixement, recoperació.
 Outfall: desembocadura “the river’s outfall…”.
 Outbreak: brot / començament/ spread of a disease “an outbreak of a contagious
disease”.
 Windfall: beneficis imprevistos / someone wins a lot of money suddenly.
 Windbreak: cortavientos. A piece of clothe that protects from the wind.
 Windproof: resistant al vent.
 Rainfall: precipitació (pluja).
 Creditworthy: ser solvent econòmicament.
 Downfall: caiguda / decadència /when someone in a position of power losses that
power.
 Downturn: crisi /desacceleració / recessió / something decreases.
 To convey: transmetre quelcom verbalment.

Phrasal Verbs:
 Pay someone off: to suborn someone.
 Track someone/something down: to find someone or something.
 Jump at: to accept an opportunity.
 Cut back on: reduce significantly.
 Take on: to hire someone.
 Break up: to separate into smaller pieces / to come to an end / to end a relationship
 Get in with: to become friendly with somebody, especially in order to gain an
advantage.
 Turn up: to appear / to find by chance / to arrive.
 Help out: to help somebody, especially in a difficult situation.
 Catch up with: to finally start to cause problems to somebody after they have
managed to avoid this for some time / if the police or authorities catch up with
somebody, they find and punish them after some time.
 Cheer up: to become more cheerful.
 Hand around: to offer or pass something, especially food or drinks, to all people in
a group.
 Make off with: to scape with something, especially something stolen.
 Get down: to make someone feel sad or lose hope.
 Come up against: to have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant.
 Get over with: same as get overto do something or allow something to happen,
because you want it to be finished or you want to start something else “we decided
to get the holidays over before we started decorating the house”.
 Come up: if a problem comes up, it happens and needs to be dealt with immediately.
 Get in: to deliver or send something to a person or place.
 Get around: if news gets around, a lot of people hear it.
 Make up for: to provide something good, so that something bad seems less
important.
 Get across: to make people understand something.
 Carry out: to do a particular piece of work, research…
 Get off: to leave the place where you work at the end of the day.
 Come off: to achieve a particular result in an activity, especially a competition or
fight.
Grammar:
» Present perfect simple:
o When talking about events or situations that started in the past and are still
true “Amelia has lived in the same house all her life”.
o When thinking about the present effects of something that happened in the
past “I’ve lost my purse, so I need some money for the bus”.
o When talking about a recent event or situation “Jack has just phoned to wish
you good luck”.
o When referring to something that will happen at some time in the future “As
soon as I have settled in, come and stay”.
» Present perfect continuous:
o To stress the period of time involved “I’ve been sitting at this computer all
day”.
o To refer to a situation that continues “membership numbers at this club have
been falling year by year”.
o To focus on the present effects of a recent event “you can tell it’s been
raining – the seats are still damp”.
o To refer to something that has recently stopped “have you been crying?”.
» Past perfect simple: to refer to an event which took place before something else “I
had just stepped into the bath when the phone rang”.
» Past perfect continuous: to stress the continuity of an event at an earlier point in
time “their cat had been missing for over a week when a neighbour spotted it in the
local park”.
» Future perfect simple: to refer to events which have not yet happened but will
definitely do so at a given time in the future “by the end of September, I will have
started that course in London”.
» Future perfect continuous: to indicate duration at a specified time in the future
“come next Saturday, we’ll have been going out together for a whole year”.
» Other modal verbs: to express regret about the past, should or ought to is combined
with a perfect tense form “we should never have bought Alex that drum kit”.

Word formation:
» Generally, the suffix -al is added to a noun, as in environmental.
» The suffixes -able and -ive frequently combine with verbs to form adjectives, as in
favourable and supportive.
» The suffix -ous combines with nouns, as in courageous.
» Other common adjectival suffixes added to nouns are -ful and -less, as in meaningful
and harmless.

 Adventure: adventurous.  Identify: identifiable.

 Alternate: alternative.  Mass: massive.
 Disaster: disastrous.
 Dispose: disposable.
 Exhaust: exhaustive.
 Experiment: experimental.
 Flaw: flawless.
 Hope: hopeful.
 Notice: noticeable.
 Philosophy: philosophical.
 Predict: predictable.
 Speech: speechless.
 Understand: understandable.
 Unit 2

Vocabulary:
 To rough it: to live without comforts.
 Shoestring budget: low budget.
 Liable: responsable “the company is liable for its products” / subjecte “workers are
liable to pay taxes”.
 Staple: standard / regular.
 Embody: personificar / encarnar / ser exemple de / incorporar quelcom a algo.
 Pore: poro / poroso.
 Oblivious: olvidado.
 Pane: panel de vidre (el típic de les finestres).
 Flawless: impecable / perfecte.
 Peril: perill / risc.
 Touts: oferir / pregonar / revendre / gent que ven coses il·legalment.
 Unguarded: desprevingut.
 Judicious: juiciós / sensat /well thought out.
 Sack: to be fired.
 Elbow: colze.
 Unpalatable: mal gust.
 Tasteful: amb gust.
 Mane: la crin del cavall.
 Neighed: soroll que fa el cavall.
 Isle: small island.
 Plaice: llenguado.
 Aisle: passadís que hi ha entre cadires o bancs, com a l’església.
 Widespread: everywhere / generalitzat.
 To dumb down: to make something stupid.

Collocations with traveller:

 Frequent traveller: viatger frequent.
 Independent traveller: viatger independent.
 Seasoned traveller: viatger experimentat.
 Intrepid traveller: viatger intrèpid.
 Weary traveller: viatger cansat.
 Discerning traveller: viatger exigent.
 An armchair traveller: viatger de sofa (típics que miren revistes de viatges des del
sofa).
 Inveterate traveller: viatger empedernit.
 Unwary traveller: viatger desprevingut.
Grammar. Aspects of the future:
» Will + infinitive:
o To predict what is going to happen based on past experience or opinion “you
must go to India, you’ll enjoy it”.
o In formal contexts, for arrangements which have been made in some detail
“the tour will begin at 9.30”.
o For decisions which are made on the spur of the moment “I think I’ll go to
Paris next weekend”.
» Going to + infinitive:
o To predict something that you have evidence for “look at those clouds, I’m
sure it’s going to rain”.
o To express intentions or decisions “I’m going to see the MoMA when I get to
New York”.
» Shall + infinitive:
o To talk about the future instead of will with I and we, although it’s used less
nowadays than previously “I shall travel first class next time I go abroad”.
o For offers “Shall I carry your bags?”.
» Present continuous:
o To talk about activities or events which have already been arranged or are
definite. The future continuous can also be used in this context. It is a little
more formal “I’m travelling on the Orient Express to Venice” / “I’ll be
travelling on the Orient Express to Venice”.
o To avoid going to + go we can use the present continuous form of go instead
“he’s going climbing in the Alps next summer”.
o For surprising or unexpected events “Paula is taking her mother on her
honeymoon”.
» Present simple:
o To talk about future events such as a timetable or programme “the train for
Burnley leaves at 5.00 sharp every Friday evening”.
o In temporal clauses after a time conjunction “when you arrive in Beijing, go
directly to the hotel and I’ll meet you in the lobby”.
» Future continuous:
o To talk about something that is going on at a particular time or over a
particular period in the future “the ship will be travelling at 20 knots as it
cruises in the Caribbean”.
o For something that has been arranged previously “Luisa will be visiting us
again in the fall”.
o When you want to appear very polite “will you be needing anything to drink,
Sir?”.
» Be + infinitive: for official notices, newspaper reports, formal instructions and to
give orders “passengers are to leave by the rear door of the aircraft”.
» Future perfect: to say when something will be completed by “I hope they will have
finished the building work on the hotel before we go on holiday”.
» Future perfect continuous: to emphasise how long something has been going on for
by a particular point in the future “the airline will have been carrying passengers for
fifty years at the end of March”.
» Expressions:
o To be bound to + infinitive: only in affirmative sentences. To express
probability in the future.
o To be certain to + infinitive: only in affirmative sentences. To express
probability in the future.
o To be likely/unlikely + infinitive: to express probability in the future.
o To be about to + infinitive: very near future. More informal use, everyday
situations and spoken English.
o To be on the brink of + noun: very near future. More formal use, usually in
written English.
o To be on the point/verge of + gerund/noun: very near future. More formal
use, usually in written English.

Prepositional phrases:
 In conjunction with: together with.
 In vain: without success.
 In the region of: about.
 To some extent: partly.
 With the exception of: not including something or someone.
 On behalf of: instead of (always used with people and in very formal context).
 On the verge of: something is about to happen.
 On the brink of: something is about to happen (common tu use it when it’s going to
happen a disaster).
 Because: on the grounds
o Of + gerund / noun Not simply substitutes “because”.
o That + subject + verb tense [that clause] It’s used in very specific ocasions.

 At odds with: to be in disagreement with someone/something.

 By no means: not at all.
 On its own merits: based only on a person’s or thing’s qualities and not on what
other people say about that person or thing.
 Over the top: something done to an exaggerated degree and with too much effort.
 Beyond all expectation: when something happens over the expectations we have.
 In all honesty: used to state a fact or an opinion which, though true, may seem
disappointing.
 Out of my control: something that people are not able to limit it or make it do what
they want it to do.
 Within reason: within the limits of what is acceptable and possible.

Have no…:
 Have no objection to + gerund / noun.
 Have no interest in + gerund / noun.
 Have no hesitation in + gerund / noun.
 Have no regrets (always plural) about + gerund / noun.
 Have no memory (always singular) / recollection of + gerund / noun.
 Have no option / choice / alternative but + infinitive.
 Have no intention (“+ever” to create more emphasis when negative) of + gerund /
noun.
 Have the / every (to create emphasis when affirmative) intention of + gerund / noun.
 Have no time + infinitive.
 Have no time for + gerund / noun “I have no time for this” / “I have no time for
silliness”.
 Have no doubt that + …..
 Have no problem in + gerund / noun.
 Have no desire + infinitive.
 Have no qualms about + gerund / noun.
 Have no chance of + gerund / noun.
 Have no appeal ……

Phrase spot Idioms:

 Elbow people aside: to physically push someone away.
 Face the idea: to confront an idea.
 Foot the bill: one person pays the bill for everybody, usually not because they want
it.
 Shoulder the burden: to take the pressure of something / to accept.
 Stomach the idea: always negative or question used verb can’t/couldn’t. To find
something unpalatable.
 Toe the line: to follow orders.
 Unit 3

Vocabulary:
 Rage: fúria / rabia.
 Bliss: felicitate / goig “spending time by the beach is pure bliss”.
 Dejection: desànim / abatiment.
 Sorrow: dolor / pesar / pena “I left my country with deep sorrow”.
 Revulsion: repugnància / fàstic
 Loathing: odi / aversió
 Dread: por / terror / paüra

Phrase spot:
 (Through) Thick and thin: if you support or stay with someone through thick and
thin, you always support or stay with them, even if there are problems or difficulties
“she has stuck with me through thick and thin”.
 Fame and fortune: to be widely known or recognized, renown “When Joe was 18 he
left home to find fame and fortune”.
 Touch and go: if a situation is touch and go, it is uncertain “the doctor says that it’s
touch and go whether Mary will be okay”.
 First and foremost: more than anything else “In spite of being elected to office, she
remains first and foremost a writer”.
 Time and again: repeatedly, on multiple occasions “time and again they have
violated the rules, yet you have taken no action against them”.
 Give and take: willingness to accept suggestions from another person and give up
some of your own “in every friendship there has to be some give and take”.
 Life and soul: a person regarded as the main source of merriment and liveliness “he
is the life and soul of the party”.
 Flesh and blood: someone from your family “my aunt treats her relatives really
badly, considering they are her own flesh and blood”.
 (Leave) High and dry: if you say that you were left high and dry, you are emphasizing
that you were left in a difficult situation and were unable to do anything about it
“when the company closed down, I was left high and dry without a job”.
 Black and white: without colour “This movie is black and white”.

Modifiers:
» Gradable adjectives: are adjectives that show something can have different degrees
(cold, hot, frightened…). A gradable adjective can be combined with an adverb to
quantify that adjective.
» Ungradable adjectives: are adjectives that don’t have different degrees (wooden,
married…). An ungradable adjective is an adjective that cannot be combined with an
 adverb to quantify it because the adjective itself already holds some notion of
quantity or degree. These adjectives can be combined with totally or absolutely to
add emphasis.
» Some adjectives can be both gradable and ungradable, and this is often
accompanied by a change in meaning from literal to more figurative use “Jake has
been blind since an accident in childhood / Our consumer society is fairly blind to the
issue of poverty”.
o Fairly: means moderately. Similar to quite.
o Rather: can be used before negative adjectives to mean moderately; it can
also be used before positive adjectives to mean more than expected. It can
be used with gradable and ungradable adjectives, though with ungradable
adjectives the use can only be informal.
o Quite: has a variety of meanings, ranging from moderately to totally,
depending on the tone of voice that is used. It can be combined with gradable
and ungradable adjectives, but there’s a change of meaning
 Fairly: “I’m quite busy at work at the moment, but I’ve known it much
worse”.
 Completely: “You’re quite impossible at times – sweet wrappers go in
the bin not on the floor”.
o Pretty: can be combined with both gradable and ungradable adjectives in
informal English “It’s pretty amazing that someone who was at death’s…”.

Conditional clauses:
» Zero conditional: to express real situations “If I eat too much in the evening, I can’t
sleep at night”.
o If/When + present tense | present tense
» First conditional: to express real situations “If you don’t apologise, you’ll regret it”.
o If + present tense | future tense will
» Second conditional: to express unreal situations “If I were you, I would go now”.
o If + past tense | would/could/might
» Third conditional: to express unreal situations “If she hadn’t had the chocolate ice
cream, she would have been in a worse mood”.
o If + past perfect | would/could/might + have + past participle
» Mixed conditionals:
o For situations in the present which affect the past “If I weren’t so untidy, I
wouldn’t have lost your keys”.
 If + past tense | might/could/should/would
o For situations in the past which affect the present “If I had moved to
California, I would be much richer today”.
 If + past perfect | would/might/could + infinitive
Inversion and conditionals:
Sentences with inversion are more formal than those with “if”.
» First conditional: this often expresses a tentative idea/request/offer, etc.
o Normal: If you should require more assistance, please telephone.
o Inversion: Should you require more assistance, please telephone.
» Second conditional:
o Normal: If you went out in this weather, you’d be thoroughly soaked.
o Inversion: Were you to go out in this weather, you’d be thoroughly soaked.
» Third conditional:
o Normal: If I had known there was going to be a storm, I would have stayed
indoors.
o Inversion: Had I known there was going to be a storm, I would have stayed
indoors.

Other conditional clauses:

» If + would | will: “If you would take a seat, the doctor will see you shortly”.
» If + will | will: “I will clean the house, if you will mow the lawn”.
» Other words and phrases can be used to introduce conditional clauses:
o Given that: is used when some fact is already known.
 Given that lightning tends to strike the nearest high point, you would
do well not to stand under a tall tree during a thunderstorm.
o Unless: can be replaced by if…not or providing…not but sometimes works
better with except when.
 Unless you learn to drive better, I won’t be getting in your car again.
o On condition that: ¿¿??
 On condition that you use a sun screen, you shouldn’t get burnt.
o But for and without: are often used with third conditional sentences.
 But for the support of my boss, I wouldn’t have been promoted.
o Even if: introduces an extreme condition.
 Even if you do say you love me, I’m not marrying you.
o As/so long as, providing, provided that: are similar to IF. They are all
emphatic forms emphasising a condition.
 I’ll give you a lift to school as long as you wash the car for me at the
weekend.
o Supposing: should be used at the beginning of the sentence and is often not
used as a linking word, but rather in the sentence setting up the condition.
 Supposing there was an air traffic controllers’ strike, what would you
do?
 Unit 4

Vocabulary:
 Nonchalant: acting unconcerned “He acted so nonchaland”.
 Bulge out: to pop out / protuberància / inflor
 Coiled: enrollado / arranged in a series of circles, one above or inside the other
 Haze: to not to see something clearly / boira
 Chunks: troços
 Semolina: sèmola.
 Smudge: difuminar/ emborronar
 Dimple: hoyuelo
 Unstinting: generós, inesgotable.
 Bless: bendició
 Morass: pantà /ciénaga / laberint
 Croak: graznar “many frogs croak”
 Veer: canviar de direcció / girar bruscament
 Wobble: tremolor / tambaleig
 Rim: llanta / bora / orilla
 Patties: hamburgueses
 Seam: soldadura / costura
 Mutton: xai
 Glow: brillantor / resplendor
 Coriander: cilantro
 Slip: rebut / comprovant / relliscament
 Fatten: engreixar
 Wilderness: desert / naturalesa / jungla
 Wander: deambular
 Aimlessly: sense rumb
 Shellfish: marisc
 Fork-wielding: agafant una forquilla
 Strove: make an effort
 Peas: cigrons
 Broad: ampli / general
 Prongs: pals de la forquilla
 Bore: to carry
 Carve: tallar / esculpir
 Bare: naked / without something / essencial
 Barefoot: descalç
 Wiping: to slide something over the surface of something else, in order to remove
dirt, food or liquid
 Napkins: tovalló
 Seek: to try or attempt
 Manoeuvre: a movement or set of movements needing skill and care / maniobrar
 Customary: habitual / consuetudinary / tradicional /
 Effeminacy: femininlike / feminity in male
 Scooping: moving up /moving with a spoon
 Inventory: list of things you have /catalogue
 Fastidious: fussy / exigent
 Proliferate: becoming generally used or done
 In Vogue: fashionable / estar de moda
 Fleshy: carnós
 Sensuous: sensual
 Chewy: xiclós
 Tender: tendre
 Watery: aquós
 Luscious: deliciós
 Fibrous: fibrós
 Sharp: fort /agut
 Appetising: apetitós
 Sugary: dolç / ensucrat
 Juicy: sucós
 Bitter: amarg
 Pulpy: polpós / carnós
 Overripe: pocha / algo que ja està massa madur i s’ha fet malbé
 Sour: agre / àcid
 Heavenly: celestial
 Stacked up: arranged in piles
 Wilt: marcir / marchitarse / of a plant to become weak and begin to bend towards
the ground / of a person to become weaker, tired or less confident
 Blockbuster: very popular movie
 Portrayed by: interpretat per “Jack was portrayed by Leaonardo Di Caprio”
 Stars: protagonitzat per. “Leonardo Di Caprio starred the movie Titanic”
 Bolt: eating very fast
 Munch: eating making a lot of noise
 Polish off: eat and leave the plate clean
 Dine: to have a meal
 Savoury: salat (galeta salada)
 Crumbs: migas
 To quench your thirst: assedegar la sed
 Pavlov’s dogs: quelcom que et produeix saliva / babejar
Compound adjectives:
 A thirst-quenching drink: beguda que et fa passar la sed
 A mouth-watering smell: Olor que fa la boca aigua
 A fast-food outlet: lloc de menjar rapid ambulant
 Free-range eggs: ous de gallines en llibertat
 Low-fat yoghurt: iogurt baix en greixos
 Fresh-baked bread: pa recent hornejat
 Stir-fry vegetables: fregir troços petits de verdures/carn…
 Wafer-thin slices: llesques extremadament fines
 Sun-dried tomatoes: assecats al sol
 Soft-centred chocolates: tendre per dins
 Full-bodied wine: full-bodied wine has a strong, satisfying quality and tase
 Home-made food: menjar fet a casa

Past tenses:
» Talking about the past:
o Past Simple: to talk about completed actions “Djokovic won his first Grand
Slam singles title in 2008”.
o Past Continuous: to talk about something which continued to happen before
and after a given event “While Kevin was away visiting friends in Italy, his flat
was burgled”.
o Past Continuous: to talk about a temporary situation in the past “the two
families were eating a meal together for the first time”.
o Would and used to: to talk about events which occurred regularly or
habitually in the past
 Used to: –For habits, routines and situations.
–Used in questions, negatives and affirmatives.
–Tends to be more factual.
“I used to go swimming four or five times a week”.
 Would: –For habits and routines. Only for actions. Can’t use with
state verbs (verbs of the senses, verbs of possession, verbs of
cognition, verbs of desire).
–Used in affirmatives only.
–Tends to be more nostalgic.
“It was our little ritual. I would nod, she would smile, and he would
look longingly”
» Speculating about the past:
o Must with have: to express certainty or near-certainty about something in
the past, the modal verb must is used with have and past participle. “Those
early settlers must have had access to fresh water”.
 o Could, may, might with have: to express uncertainty about something in the
past, the modal verbs could, may, might are used with have and a past
participle. “I suppose it could have been my mistake, though I labelled
everything clearly”.
o Can’t, couldn’t with have: to express impossibility about something in the
past, the modal verbs can’t or couldn’t are used with have and a past
participle. “James couldn’t have played cricket last week as he was away”.
» Using the passive in the past:
o The passive is formed with the verb be and a past participle. “The telephone
was invented by Alexander Graham Bell”.
o There are only two passive infinitives that are commonly used in English, the
present and the perfect forms. “Radical cuts to the budget seem to have been
made by the Managing Director” // “This yoghurt needs to be eaten before
the 25th”.
 Passive infinitives are often used after the verbs appear, prove and
seem.

Idiom spot:
 The icing on the cake: something that makes a good situation even better.
o I was just content to see my daughter in such a stable relationship but a
grandchild, that really was the icing on the cake.
 Have a lot on your plate: to have a large number of problems to deal with or a large
amount of work to do.
o I’m sorry, I just have too much on my plate right now as I’m studying for
an MBA and running a big department.
 Put all your eggs in one basket: to depend for your success on a single person or
plan of action.
o I’m applying for several jobs because I don’t really want to put all my eggs
in one basket.
 Have bigger fish to fry: to have something more important to do.
o I can’t spend a lot of time on this problem. I have bigger fish to fry.
 Sweeten the pill: to make something bad, unpleasant or dissatisfactory easier to
cope with, endure, or accept.
o He tried to sweeten the pill by telling her she would only be in hospital a
few days.
 Take something with a pinch of salt: to not completely believe something that you
are told, because you think it is unlikely to be true.
o You have to take everything she says with a pinch of salt, because she
tends to exaggerate.
 Spill the beans: to tell people secret information that it is not supposed to be shared
with anyone.
 o So, who spilled the beans about her affair with David?
 Sell like hot cakes: to be bought quickly and in large numbers.
o The new game is apparently selling like hot cakes.
 Get egg on your face: to look stupid because of something that you have done.
o This latest scandal has left the government with egg on its face.
 Eat humble pie: to admit that you were wrong.
o After boasting that his company could outperform the industry’s best, he
has been forced to eat humble pie.
 Unit 5

Vocabulary:
 Consumer slot: fgh
 Squeak: crit / chillido
 Loaf (loaves in plural): llesca de pa
 Maelstrom: turbulent or violent situation
 Midst: in the middle of something
 In awe of: to be amazed by something or somebody
 Peer group: group of people that have similar ages, background, interests…
 To nag: fastidiar / queixar-se / ser molest / persistent (negativament)
 Scope: àmbit / abast (d’un tema) /extent
 Embedded: integrat / incorporate
 To embed: integrar /incrustar
 Barrage: al·luvió / bombardeig / bombardment
 Pester: donar la llauna a algú
 Whim: impuls / a sudden desire
 Assess: desire
 Quarrel: argue
 Sheer: complete
 To teem: rain very heavily
 Proprietorship: someone that owns a business
 Unearth: desenterrar / to discover something that has been buried in the ground
 Unwrap: desembolicar un regal
 Produce: stuff that you grow, like vegetables

Phrasal verbs:
 Set out: to intend / to start an activity with a particular aim
 Take on: to agree to do
 Check out: to investigate / verificar
 Look into: to investigate
 Follow up: to make inquiries
 Stand out: to be highlighted
 Find out: to discover
 Try out: to test
 Bring up: to mention
 Put up with: to tolerate
 Give in: to concede
 Rise in: fghj
 Shell out: to spend money in something that is more expensive than needed or
expected (always used to talk about money in a negative way).
 Dawn on: to come to a realization
 Weight up: to balance / to evaluate or consider something
 Take on: develop
 Set on: to have made a decision and not change it

Phrase Spot:
 The right way around: posició correcta. “Turn it the other way, you can’t read it if it
isn’t the right way around”.
 To serve someone right: if you say that something bad serves someone right, you
mean that that person deserves it. “It will serve Michelle right if no one ever speaks
to her again”.
 To be right under your nose: to be in a place that you can clearly see. “The police
never found the murder weapon, even though it was right under their noses”.
 To make all the right noises: to say the things you are expected to say, sometimes
when you do not mean them. “Dave makes all the right noises so I expect he will be
promoted ahead of me”.
 To be within your rights: to have the moral or legal authority to do something. “You
would be well within your rights to take that dress back to the shop -it’s torn at the
collar”.
 By rights: if the situation was fair. “By rights you should be in bed at 9.00 pm”.
 In the right: to be morally or legally correct in what you do or believe. “I refused to
apologise because I knew I was in the right”.
 As right as rain: to feel healthy or well again. “I’ve had a cold, but I’ll be as right as
rain when I’ve had a holiday”.
 Right on time: at the correct time, no later than the specified time. “Helena turned
up to the meeting right on time for a change”.
 The film rights: the exclusive right to make a film based on a particular book or other
work. “His book has been very successful, and it looks like he’s all set to sell the film
rights too”.

Showing possession:
 The apostrophe:
o Used with people, e.g. customers’ rights (the customer’s rights refers to one
customer; the customers’ rights refers to more than one) / wife’s boss (el jefe
de la dona), boss’s wife (la dona del jefe).
o Used with time and distance, e.g. a day’s pay.
 Using ‘of’:
o Usually used with objects, e.g. the price of petrol.
o Used to talk about position, e.g. the back of the room.
 Using a noun as an adjective:
o E.g. table leg (table describes the type of leg), a travel agency (travel
describes the type of agency).

Abstract nouns:
Word Abstract noun
Bored Boredom
Obsolete Obsolescence
Aware Awareness
Proud Pride
Confident Confidence
Austere Austerity
Generous Generosity
Independent Independence
Inefficient Inefficiency
Insecure Insecurity/ies
Mean Meanness
Individual Individualism
Responsible Responsibility
Aspire Aspirations
Sceptical Scepticism

Countable and uncountable nouns

» Countable: Use a, an, many, the*, some*, few, a lot of* (for quantity)
» Uncountable: Use little, much, the*, some*, a lot of* (for quantity).
Common uncountable nouns usually refer to substance/material or
abstract nouns.
» Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable with a similar meaning. “He
has a lot of hair” (uncountable) / “There are a few hairs in my soup” (countable).
» Some can be both but with a difference in meaning:
o Work: profession (uncountable) / art, literature (countable)
o Iron: metal (uncountable) / machine (countable)
o Disorder: untidiness (uncountable) / illness (countable)
o Speech: sound made by people to talk (uncount) / do a presentation (count)
o Room: synonym of space (uncountable) / many rooms of the house (count)
o Language: language you speak (uncoun) /methods of communication (count)
o Comfort: way someone shows sympathy (uncountable) / home comforts or
things that make you feel comfortable (countable)
o Experience: knowledge you have learned (uncountable) / things happened
to you in your live (countable)
o Capital: enough money (uncountable) / cities (countable)
 o Coffee: always uncountable. It’s becoming accepted to say “I’ve got two
coffees” in informal speech.
 The grain of the coffee (uncountable)
 Many coffees (countable)

Special words to make uncountable nouns singular or plural:

 A burst of applause: esclat d’aplaudiments
 A loaf of bread: llesca de pa
 A pane of glass: panel de vidre
 A stroke of luck: un cop de sort
 A grain of sand: un granet de sorra
 A gust of wind: una ràfega de vent
 A speck of dust: un gra de pols
 A stream of abuse: fluxe/corrent d’abusos/explotacions
 A ray of sunshine: raig de sol
 A source of amusement: una font de diversió/entreteniment
 An item of clothing/news: un article periodístic / una peça de roba
 A rumble of thunder: sò de tro
 A puff of smoke: una ràfega/alenada (bocanada) de fum
 A state of emergency: estat d’emergència
 Unit 6

Vocabulary:
 Bid: to offer to pay money for something
 Bow: inclinar-se / reverència / inclinar-se a favor d’algú
 Gang: banda de gangsters
 Ribs: costelles

Phrases with take:

 Take exception to something: to become angry or upset
 Take (no) notice of: to (not) pay attention [normally used in negative]
 Take part in: to participate
 Take the view that: to have the opinion
 Take account of something: to put everything together and sum it all [always used
with numbers]
 Take issue with: criticise and argue against
 Take second place / take a back seat: to become less important
 Take (someone/something) for granted: donar per suposat / no valorar /
subestimar / take advantage from someone or something [always used in negative
way]
 Take a stand: to become strict, hard and not be forgiving (no ser permissiu)
 Take place: tenir lloc (en referència a on es realitzarà alguna activitat)
 Take advantage of: treure profit
 Take someone by surprice: per sorpresa / sorprendre
 Take into account/consideration: tenir en compte

Adverb-participle and adverb-adjective collocations:

 Seriously ill: greument malalt
 Strongly worded: contundent escrit
 Singularly successful: particularment satisfactori
 Keenly priced: preu popular / baix / econòmic
 Widely believed: àmpliament cregut
 Carefully chosen: delicadament escollit
 Staggeringly expensive: exageradament car
 Finely grained: de gra fi
 Incredibly strong: increiblement fort

Idiom spot:
 Someone of note: someone or something that is important
 To be in tune with: to be in agreement with someone
 To be going for a song: cheap
 Have a second string to someone bow: have another skill or ability
 To settle the score: to get a revenge
 To strike the (right) chord: tocar la fibra

Modals degrees of likelihood:

» Can: used to express possibility without reference to past, present or future “He can
sound off-key at times when he sings”.
» Could, may, might: express present possibility with reference to the future, present
or past “It may/might/could be a good concert / have been a good concert”.
» May not, might not: express possibility negatively “He may/might not have bought
the album you wanted”.
» Must be/must have been, will be/will have been, should be/should have been: to
express deduction “You must be tired after your performance” / “That will be my
guitar teacher” / “She should have been able to sing at the concert”.
» Cannot, can’t, could not: used to express impossibility “It can’t be a flute”.
» Could, might: can be used to imply criticism or irritation. Intonation is very important
in carrying meaning with these modals “You might have told me you’d be coming
late”.
» Various expressions can be used to express likelihood:
o In all likelihood (+ noun): amb tota probabilitat “In all likelihood Theresa May
won’t be Prime Minister next year”.
o The chances are: it is likely “Chances are they will be late anyway”.
o It’s a foregone conclusion: so obvious you can see the conclusion happening
before it happens “the result of the election seems to be a foregone
conclusion”.
o There’s every likelihood (= in all likelihood): more or less certain to happen
“There’s every likelihood that the appointment will go through”.
o Be bound to: be sure of something “She’s bound to fail”.
o There’s a slim/faint chance: improbable “There was a slim chance of
becoming a reality”.
o It’s doubtful: improbable “It’s doubtful they will find someone”.