Topic: Education
Vocabulary
Example/Meaning
Note
resit
He didn.t get a good grade the first time he did his IELTS exam, so decided
to resit it.
We can also use the word
retake.
mature student
People who attend university later in life are often called mature
students.
further
education
Although she had left school and was working, she went to evening
classes at the local College of Further Education.
higher
education
After he left school, he decided to go on to higher education and applied
for a place at Edinburgh University.
grant
He received a local government grant to help him pay for his course.
skills
Education helps us to acquire knowledge and learn new skills.
opportunity
We should make the best of every opportunity to learn.
continuous
Because so many students find exams stressful, some colleges offer a
system of continuous assessment instead.
acquired
He has read a lot of books and acquired a lot of knowledge.
kindergarten
When Michael was three, he started going to a kindergarten.
We also use the words nursery
or playschool.
primary
At the age of live, he entered primary education.
literacy /
numeracy
He learned basic skills such as literacy and numeracy.
secondary
After he turned eleven he began to attend secondary school.
discipline
Although he was lazy and lacked sufficient discipline, he was able to pass
his exams.
This can also be a verb.
pass
Although he was lazy and lacked sufficient discipline, he was able to pass
his exams.
The opposite of pass is fail.
course
When he was eighteen he found a college which offered a course in Art
and Design.
We can also use the word
programme.
enrol
He was able to enrol for the course a few days before his nineteenth
birthday.
graduate
He worked hard and three years later was able to graduate with a degree
in Art and Design.
This can also be a noun - a
graduate.
correspondence
After that he followed a correspondence course in photography from a
college in the USA using the internet.
We can also use the
expression distance learning.
qualifications
The qualifications he gained impressed an advertising company he
wanted to work for.
Evening class /
day release
Although he is now working, he was decided to attend an evening class
after work, although he was disappointed that his boss didn.t offer him
day release.
Topic: The Media
Vocabulary
Meaning
current affairs
the political situation as it is now
reporters
journalists who write reports of events for a newspaper, periodical or television programme
Journalists
people who write for newspapers or periodicals
tabloids
small format newspapers
broadsheets
large format newspapers
coverage
the amount of space or time given to an event in newspapers or on television
information
overload
a modern expression referring to the inability of a human to process everything he or she hears and sees
broadcasts
radio or television programmes
web
the millions of pages and sites which display text and images within the Internet
website
a collection of related pages on the World Wide Web created by a company, organisation or individual
download
to transfer pages from a web site onto our own computer
The internet
the international network linking millions of computers
Log on
to enter a password and start to access a computer system
Other words you may find useful include:
Types of TV programme:
documentary / soap opera / quiz show / sitcom / drama / weather forecast / game show / variety show / commercial /
chatshow
Parts of a newspaper:
headline / editorial / advertisement / what.s on / entertainment / colour supplement / fashion / business / financial / sport /
horoscope / state-controlled / journal / slander / tune in / read between the lines / downmarket / upmarket / upbeat
Topic: Money and Finance
Vocabulary
Meaning
Note
make a profit &
make a loss
Profit is money you gain from selling something, which is more than the money
you paid for it. Loss is money you have spent and not got back.
a current
account & a
deposit account
A current account is a bank account from which you can take money at any time.
A deposit account is a bank account which pays you interest if you leave money
in it for some time.
We can also use the
expression savings
account or notice
account.
a loan & a
mortgage
A loan is money which you borrow to buy something. A mortgage is a special
kind of loan used to buy a house over a period of time.
to deposit money
& to withdraw
money
To deposit money to put money into a bank account. To withdraw money is to
take money out of a bank account.
Deposit can be a noun
or a verb. The noun
from of withdraw is
withdrawal.
a wage & a
salary
A wage and a salary are money you receive for doing a job, but a wage is usually
paid daily or weekly and a salary is usually paid monthly.
broke &
bankrupt
If you are broke, you have no money. It is an informal expression. If you are
bankrupt, you are not able to pay back money you have borrowed. It is a very
serious financial situation for somebody to be in.
shares, stocks,
and dividends
In the UK, shares are one of the many equal parts into which a company.s capital
is divided. People who buy them are called shareholders. Stocks are shares which
are issued by the government. Dividends are parts of a company.s profits shared
out among the shareholders.
income tax &
Income tax is a tax on money earned as wages or salary. Excise duty is a tax on
excise duty
certain goods produced in a country, such as cigarettes or alcohol.
to credit & to
debit
To credit somebody.s bank account is to put money into the account. To debit
somebody.s bank account is to take money out. In the UK, many people pay for
bills etc. Using a system called direct debit, where moneys is taken directly from
their account by the company providing the goods or service.
a bank and a
building society
Traditionally a bank is a business organization which keeps money for customers
and pays it out on demand or lends them money, and a building society is more
usually associated which saving money or lending people money to buy houses.
a discount & a
refund
A discount is the percentage by which a full price is reduced to a buyer by the
seller. A refund is money paid back when, for example, returning something to a
shop.
It can also be a verb:
to refund.
Bargain
/overpriced
/exorbitant
A bargain is something bought more cheaply than usual. Something which is
overpriced is too expensive. Something which is exorbitant costs much more
than its true value.
