Vocabulary to speak about family and friends
- A lifelong friend – A friend that you have had for most of your life
- A relationship of trust – a connection with another in which you have faith and confidence
- Arrange a dinner date – Plan to share an evening meal
- A shoulder to cry on – Someone to sympathize with you
- Close knit family – A close family with common interests
- Dear to my heart – Someone that I care about
- Distant cousins – People who share a common ancestor but are not closely related
- Extend the hand of friendship – Reach out to someone in a friendly manner
- Extended family – Uncles, aunts and cousins form part of the extended family
- Face to face – In person
- Get to know one another – Learning different aspects of each other
- Get together – Meet up
- Immediate family – Spouse, parents, children, grandparents
- Long lost friend – A friend that you have lost contact with
- Long-term relationships – A committed relationship between partners
- Nurture our friendships – Looking after our relationships with friends
- Professional relationships – The relationships that we have in the workplace
- Relationship problems – Difficulties with people with whom we interact regularly
- Share a common background – The share a similar heritage or culture
- Share the same ideas – To have similar opinions and views
- Stand the test of time – To last a long time
- Struck up a friendship – To make friends
- To enjoy someone’s company – To enjoy spending time with someone
- To have a good working relationship – To work together well
- To have a lot in common – To have shared interests
- To hit it off – To like each other straight away
- To keep in touch with – To keep in contact
- To lose touch with – To lose contact
Food vocabulary
- A balanced diet – A diet of mostly healthy food that has the right amount of nutrients
- A bottle of bubbly – Sparkling wine
- A decadent chocolate pudding – Luxurious or self-indulgent chocolate pudding
- A doggy bag – The leftovers of a meal in a restaurant taken home
- A scrumptious meal – A delicious meal
- A slap up meal – an expensive or very indulgent ‘treat’ meal
- A sweet tooth – An enjoyment of sweet food
- An English breakfast – A large cooked breakfast that includes egg and bacon
- Calm the hunger pangs – To reduce the discomfort caused by hunger
- Candle lit dinner – A romantic dinner by candlelight
- Covered in a rich sauce – Covered in a creamy gravy
- Cut down on – To reduce consumption
- Daily consumption – The amount that you eat everyday
- Dying of hunger – Very hungry
- Exotic meals – Meals that originate in other countries
- Fine dining – Food catering to expensive tastes in a formal setting
- Food preparation – Preparing food
- Food production – Producing food
- Fussy eater – Someone dislikes many foods
- Home cooked meals – Meals cooked at home
- Homemade food – Food made at home
- Junk food – Food with little nutritional value
- Leafy vegetables – Vegetables such as spinach and cabbage
- Mouth-watering meals – Delicious meals
- Nutritious food – Food with many nutrients
- Quick snack – a small meal that’s easy to eat ‘on the go’.
- Packed with vitamins – Full of vitamins
- Piping hot cup of coffee – Very hot coffee
- Pub lunch – Lunch served in a bar
- Rabbit food – Salad vegetables
- Ready meals – Heat and eat meals
- Refined carbohydrates – Foods such as white rice, white bread
- Savouring the food – Enjoying the food
- Scrumptious meal – An exceptionally tasty meal
- Seasonal fruits – Fruits that grow in season
- Starving hungry – Extremely hungry
- Wining and dining – Entertainment that includes good food
IELTS vocabulary about travel
- Affordable destinations – Places within a reasonable price range
- Affordable travel – Travel which is within your price range
- Around the world – In all corners of the globe
- Arts and culture – The art, music and other cultural aspects of an area
- Craft markets – Stalls where goods made by the local people are sold
- Do as the locals do – Enjoy the activities as the local people do
- Efficient public transport – A functioning transport system intended for the use of residents and visitors
- Exotic destinations – Unusual or strange holiday destinations
- Get around – Get from place to place
- Guided tours – Walking, hiking or driving visits led by a guide who knows the area
- Holiday brochures – Pamphlets advertising holiday destinations
- Holiday destination – Place to which you leave on holiday
- Long haul flights – Long distance flights
- Lush rainforests – Luxuriant equatorial forests
- Magnificent landscapes – Impressive scenery
- Make advance reservations – Booking ahead of time
- Memorable experiences – Activities that you will remember for years
- Off the beaten track – A place that is not on the main thoroughfare
- Out of season – Outside the most popular holiday period
- Packaged deals – Travel deals that are put together by an agency and sold as a package
- Quaint villages – Old fashioned or charming small towns
- Scenic views – Lovely scenes
- Self-catering accommodation – A Place to stay where you see to your own food
- Spectacular beaches – Impressive sandy shorelines
- Stunning architecture – Magnificent buildings
- Swarming with tourists – Full of holidaymakers
- Time on their hands – Available time to do as you choose
- To get away from it all – To get away from everyday routines
- To go sightseeing – Take a trip around an area to see what it has to offer
- Travel abroad – Travel to overseas destinations
- Travelling light – Travelling with little luggage
- Value for money – A good return on investment 3
- Visa regulations – Laws that relate to entry into a country
- Wildlife safari – A guided tour through a game park
Technology vocabulary
- Access to the Internet – Able to connect to the Internet
- Advances in technology – Progressive forward movement in technology
- Back up your files – To save your data to another device
- Become rapidly obsolete – Quickly become out of date
- Computer literate – Adequate knowledge of a computer
- Control remotely – To control technology from a distance
- Downloading from the Internet – Take data off one computer to another via the Internet
- Electronic Funds Transfer – EFT Payment via the Internet
- Emerging technology – Brand new machines and software
- Glued to the screen – Unable or unwilling to leave the digital device
- Hacking into the network – To gain illegal access to the computer
- Internet access – The ability to enter the Internet
- Internet of Things – A network connecting machines in a location so that they can be remotely controlled
- Internet-enabled – Machines or appliances that have Internet access
- Keep a hard copy – Keep a paper copy
- Labour saving device – An appliance that saves work
- Not rocket science – It is not very difficult
- Online piracy – The downloading of licenced media without payment
- Re-install the programs – To put computer programs back onto the computer
- Shop online – Shop via the Internet
- Shut down – Turn the computer off
- Social media networks – Online platforms for communication between people and organisations
- State of the art technology – The best technology available
- Surfing the web – To move from one site to another on the Internet
- To click on an icon – To use the mouse to click on the pictures to get into programs
- To crash – To stop working suddenly
- To Log in – To sign onto the computer
- To upgrade your computer system – To get a larger, quicker or more modern computer
- Wireless hotspots – A location where the Internet is available
Vocabulary about Environment and Pollution
• outskirts of large towns: areas outside the city centre, suburbs or industrial district
• factory emissions: smoke and pollution from factories
• toxic fumes: smoke which is poisonous
• traffic jams: large queues of cars not moving
• pollutants in foods: dangerous chemicals
• pesticides: chemicals to keep bugs and animals away from plants
• chemical fertilizers: chemicals added to make soil stronger
• commute to work: drive or travel to work every day
• Mantra: frequently repeated statement
• reuse and recycle: use products again or find another purpose for them
• industrial waste is incinerated: waste which is burnt
• facilities for recycling: places where you can dispose of plastic / cardboard
• education programme: teaching and learning in school or elsewhere
• consequences: the outcomes
• interspersed with (birds): mingled with, mixed with
• campaign: high profile policy for the public
• scientists predict: ideas for the future
• disintegrate: break down into small particles
• microplastics: very tiny pieces
• single-use applications: use once then throw out
• own- brand products: unique to the shop or supermarket
• policy should be rolled out: implemented all over the country
• documentaries: factual TV programmes
Vocabulary about People, personalities and character
• confident: in control
• awkward: uncomfortable
• underneath the surface, I am paddling like a swan: looking calm but not feeling it.
• put up a façade: to pretend to be something you are not
• a control freak: to want to do things yourself
• an eye for detail: making sure everything is perfect
• reliable and dependable: be trusted not to let someone down
• punctuality: being on time
• disrespectful: impolite
• a negative trait: bad characteristic
• parental way: behave like a mother or final
• interpersonal skills: be good at talking to others
• empathetic: understanding others emotions
• generous listener: take time to hear what others are saying
• to emulate: to be like
• considerate: kind and thoughtful
• insecure: shy and not confident
• moody: sometimes happy and sometimes sad/ cross
vocabulary about fitness and health
• balanced diet: eating a sensible mix of different foods
• conscientious about my health: watching and caring about your heath
• flavoursome and appealing: good to eat and looking attractive
• convenient take away: food which you can eat at home
• healthier eating habits: eating less sugar or salt
• productive at work: achieving more, better results
• processed meat: meat in which there are additives or chemicals
• function successfully: to work, perform in a great way
• tempted by diets: interested in other ways of eating
• adopted a vegan diet: a vegan does not eat meat, or dairy foods
• broad minded: open to other ideas
• Sceptical: not believing something
• over production of meat: factories or agricultural methods which are focused on this
• Public service education message: advice from the government
• Positive reinforcement: rewarding people for doing the right thing
vocabulary about school and education
• authentic: real, true
• old-school strict: traditional learning with punishments and controlling teachers
• teacher centred: where the teacher is leading the class
• encourage collaboration: learning together through discussions
• pressure to meet deadlines: having to finish work by a certain time / date
• assignments: homework or essays
• sail through them: not to have to work hard and to find things easy
• learning expectations: what the teacher expects from their student
• role plays: acting out a situation to simulate or practice it
• dictation: writing down what the teacher says, accurately and fast.
• breakthrough: a new development
• inspiring: something which makes you want to do better
• intonation: the ‘singing’ sound of speech
• paid off: was worth the effort
• outdated: old fashioned
• league tables: tables which rank the position of schools according to academic success
• alumni: students who used to go to a certain school or college
• boarding school: where students live at school during the term time
• extra- curricular activities: anything NOT academic, eg sport, drama
• peer group: students of your own age, in your class
• remote: not being physically there / learning via computer
Vocabulary about work and career
• A field (of work): an area or type of career
• Motivated about: wanting to do well in
• Internship: working for a short time, sometimes unpaid
• Apprenticeship: hands on, or practical work to learn a job
• Hands on: getting involved and doing everything to help
• Innovative small companies: with new, creative ideas
• Cutting edge: the best new technology
• Diagnose: to find out what is wrong
• Pediatrics: specialist child medicine (also spelled paediatrics)
• Routine check ups: a regular (not urgent) visit to the doctors
• Huge appreciation: gratefulness and gratitude
• Follow up care: an appointment after an operation or illness
• Lucrative: money making or profitable
• Highly merited: well deserved
• Career ladder: moving up through promotions to the top of the company
• Pension scheme: money for retirement
• Job security: knowing you can keep your job / job safety
• Start up community: new small businesses sometimes internet based
Vocabulary about University and student life
• Challenging: academically difficult
• Day in, day out: full time with out a break
• Wide ranging: covering a large spectrum / area of different knowledge
• Undergraduate: studying for a degree but having not yet achieved it.
• Postgraduate: having achieved a degree and now studying for a higher qualification, possibly a professions qualification
• STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
• Further education: studies after leaving school
• Technical colleges: places which do not demand such high entrance qualifications as university
• Vocational studies: focus on learning or mastering a skill
• Hands on training: practical work/ learning
• To apply for a course: the process of registering for a university
• To get an (un)conditional offer: an offer which does not depend on previous exam results
• Halls of residence / student accommodation: a particular place to live for students
• Student union: an organisation for students / sometimes a physical place
• A fresher / an undergraduate / a graduate: a new student, someone studying for a Bachelors degree, a student who has finished their Degree
• A graduation ceremony: a formal occasion when Degrees are given out
• To take a gap year: a year between study and university
• To drop out of university: to leave before the course is finished
• Out of my depth: finding work / study too hard
• Seminar: smaller class of students with a Professor leading the discussion
• Lecture theatre: large building for a talk / lecture
• Extensive research: in depth work done in a particular academic field
Vocabulary about books, film, and art
• Challenging: academically difficult
• Day in, day out: full time with out a break
• Wide ranging: covering a large spectrum / area of different knowledge
• Undergraduate: studying for a degree but having not yet achieved it.
• Postgraduate: having achieved a degree and now studying for a higher qualification, possibly a professions qualification
• STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
• Further education: studies after leaving school
• Technical colleges: places which do not demand such high entrance qualifications as university
• Vocational studies: focus on learning or mastering a skill
• Hands on training: practical work/ learning
• To apply for a course: the process of registering for a university
• To get an (un)conditional offer: an offer which does not depend on previous exam results
• Halls of residence / student accommodation: a particular place to live for students
• Student union: an organisation for students / sometimes a physical place
• A fresher / an undergraduate / a graduate: a new student, someone studying for a Bachelors degree, a student who has finished their Degree
• A graduation ceremony: a formal occasion when Degrees are given out
• To take a gap year: a year between study and university
• To drop out of university: to leave before the course is finished
• Out of my depth: finding work / study too hard
• Seminar: smaller class of students with a Professor leading the discussion
• Lecture theatre: large building for a talk / lecture
• Extensive research: in depth work done in a particular academic field
vocabulary about climate change
• The ravages of something: destruction of something
• Hybrid car: a car that uses both petrol and electricity
• Carbon footprint: how much carbon dioxide is released as a result of one’s activities
• Recycle: breaking down products to create new products from the materials
• Growing season: the time of the year when plants grow
• Yields: amount of a crop produced
• Crops: a plant grown in large amounts
• Eco-conscious: describes someone who shows concern for the environment
• Natural fertilizer: fertilizers that come from animal waste, animal matter or plant matter
• Chemical fertilizer: fertilizers that are made from synthetic materials
• Contaminate: to make something impure, poisonous or polluted
• Groundwater: water that is below the earth’s surface
• Vegetable scraps: bits of vegetables that are discarded
• Non-chemical compost: decaying matter such as food, leaves or manure used to fertilize soil
• Organic: describes something that does not use chemical fertilizers
• Commute: travel to and from work
• Solar panels: panels that collect rays from the sun to be used as energy for electricity or heating
• Household cleaning products: products that are used to clean one’s home
• Time-consuming: describes something that takes a lot of time
• Environmentally conscious: when a person or business is aware of their effect on the environment and attempts to minimize this affect
• Green lifestyle: a way of living that attempts to reduce usage of water & power, waste and toxic substances
• Sustainable: describes something that causes minimal damage to the environment
• Emulate: to copy someone’s behavior out of respect
• Conventional products: products that have been in use for a long time
• Energy saving: describe products designed to reduce use of electricity or other form of energy
• Fuel emissions: gases that lead to air pollution through the burning of fuel
• Electric cars: vehicles that run on electricity
• Food miles: the distance food travels from the time it is produced until it reaches its end customer
• Local food: food that is produced a short distance from where it is consumed
• Fossil fuels: coal, gas or oil that is used in industry, homes and vehicles
• Carbon monoxide: a dangerous gas produced from the partial burning of fuels
• Dispose: throw away
• Waterways: lakes, rivers, oceans and canals
• Ecosystem: the geographic area where animals, plants and other organisms interact
• Natural habitat: the area where a plant or animal normally lives
• Tackle: to try to deal with a problem
• Collective effort: when a group of people try to do something
• Forge: to create something strong or successful
vocabulary: talking about working from home
• Flexibility: being able to change or be changed depending on circumstances
• Work-life balance: the time spent at your job in comparison to the time spent on your personal life
• Distraction: something that takes away your attention from something else
• Burnout: fatigue or tiredness from being overworked
• Sense of community: when members of a group have a feeling of belonging and that they matter to one another
• Colleagues: people you work with
• Camaraderie: the feeling of friendship and trust that people who work together or spend time together share
• Teamwork: when people work together to accomplish a goal
• Isolation: the feeling or state of being separated from others
• Productivity: how much you work you produce in relation to how much time you spend
• Workplace: any location where a person performs a job
• Work remotely or remote work: when an employee works from home rather than an office and uses the phone and/or computer to communication
• Telecommute: same as “remote work”
• Chained to a desk: when someone feels forced or obligated to work exclusively from their desk
• 9 to 5: the typical hours of work in many countries. Also can mean normal sometimes boring or mundane jobs.
• Carbon footprint: how much carbon dioxide someone/ somethings actions create
• Sustainability benefits: the results of protecting the environment through less waste and less pollution
• Environmentally friendly: describes things or activities that do not harm the environment
• Financially viable: describes something that allows companies to generate income, fulfill responsibilities and continue to grow
• Supervision: when someone manages a person or department to make sure rules are followed and work is done correctly
• Lockdown: when people are not allowed to leave an area as a security measure
• Hybrid work: work from both home and office
• Autonomy: when you make decisions for yourself without the control of others
vocabulary: social media
• Viral: if a post/ video is viral or “has gone viral,” that means it is spreading very rapidly across the internet,
• Troll: used as a verb and a noun. A troll is a person who purposely creates offensive or provocative posts or comments to arouse anger in other social media users.
• Hater: a person who posts negative or critical comments about others
• Vlogger: a person who regularly creates short videos to be posted online
• Meme: a humorous image or text that is easily sent to others over the internet
• Anonymity: The state of being anonymous, of people not knowing your identity
• DM: direct message
• Emoji: a small digital image used in social media/ emails/ text to display an emotion, object or idea
• Badger: to bother someone repeatedly
• Derogatory: offensive, hurtful, disrespectful
• Censor: to keep certain images. Texts, etc from being displayed or published because it is offensive or immoral
• Follow: to subscribe to the page of a person or business on social media
• Harass: to create a hostile situation through written or verbal communication
• Catfishing: the act of creating a false internet profile in order to deceive or scam someone
• Grooming: preparing someone (often a minor) over the internet in order to eventually commit a sexual offense
• Influencer: a person who promotes a product online to his/her followers so that they may purchase it
• Photoshop: software that allows users to digitally alter their images
• Filters: preset photo enhancements that users can select to apply to their images or videos
• Block: stopping or banning someone from interacting with you on social media or viewing your posts/ profile
• Scam: a dishonest attempt to trick or cheat you
vocabulary about advertising
• Commercials: an advert on tv or radio
• Imagery: visual images
• Tantalizing: something that creates desire and excitement
• Live up to its hype: when something is as good as you expected it to be
• Product placement: a practice in movies or tv shows when a product or its brand name appear on screen visibly in order to gain exposure
• Celebrity endorsement: when a famous person advertises a product by saying he or she uses it
• Grating: describes sounds that are annoying
• Inclined to purchase: likely to buy
• Potential customers: people who might possibly buy your product
• Turn someone off: to make someone uninterested in something
• Pop-ups: advertisements that suddenly appear on a computer or device screen.
• Subconscious: the part of the brain that sees, hears or remembers things that you do not actively remember
• Subliminal: describes something that can influence the subconscious mind without the conscious mind realizing it
• Billboards: a large outdoor board, usually alongside large roads, used to display an ad
• Flyer: a small paper advertising a product, business or event
• Website traffic: the internet users who visit a website
• Brand awareness: when customers recognize or remember a brand and its qualities
• Jingle: music that accompanies commercials
• Telemarketing: the marketing of good or services over the phone
• Bombard: attack continuously
• Buying power: the money someone has to buy things
• Free-for-all: a situation with no rules, limits or restrictions
• Impressionable: describes a person who is easily influenced
vocabulary for fashion and shopping
• Clothes horse: someone who really likes to buy nice clothes
• Well put together: describes someone who looks good and who has made effort to do so
• Pick up: buy
• Bargain price: a discounted price
• Be up on the latest trends: to be informed of what is fashionable
• Social media feed: the updated list of new content available on various social media platforms
• In fashion: fashionable
• Replicate: to copy
• Looks: appearance
• Lower priced: inexpensive, cheap
• A fraction of the cost: a small part of the total cost
• A (great) eye for something: able to notice or make correct judgments about something
• Clothes rack: rail where clothes are hung for display
• Shoe display: place where shoes are shown
• Level of attention: the amount of attention someone pays to something
• Luxury goods: things that are very expensive to buy but are not considered necessities
• High-end designers: people who design products sold at very high prices
• Out of my price range: describes something that is too expensive for someone to buy
• Incomparable: cannot be compared because it is so good
• Over the top: extreme, excessive, exaggerated
• Avant garde: describes music, art, etc, that are unconventional or experimental
• Ambience: the atmosphere of a location
• Unparalleled: exceptional; in a category of its own because of its excellence
• Customer service: the assistance given to customers of a product or service
• Top-notch: high quality
• Blow money on something: spend large amounts of money
• “it” item: something very fashionable
• Place pressure on: to try to influence or persuade
• Stay current: to be up to date
• Spoiled for choice: to have a lot of options available to you
• High street: the main street where shops, banks and businesses are located.
• Unfathomable: unimaginable
• e-shops: stores that do business online
• click of a button: on a computer or device, something that requires very little effort
• at your doorstep: at your home or near where you live
• superimposed: when something is placed over something else so that the image of both items is clear
• frame: the size and shape of someone's body
• digital imagery: the collection of pixels on a screen that create an image
• brick and mortar stores: a physical shop as opposed to an online shop
• counterparts: someone who does the same job as someone else somewhere else