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ENGLISH B1

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This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, nor electronically processed or distributed
in any format or by any means, whether electronic, mechanic, photocopied, recorded or otherwise,
without the prior written consent of the Copyright holders.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2015, on the first edition, by
Ideaspropias Editorial.
ISBN: 978-84-9839-552-5

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Legal Deposit: VG 727-2015

Authors: Mara Elena Centoira Lpez, Luca Fernndez Rodrguez and Noem Rodrguez Otero
Format: 21 x 29.7 cm
Pages: 314
Printed in Spain-Impreso en Espaa
Ideaspropias Editorial has incorporated quotes and references from disclosed works into the
development of this training material and has complied with all requirements established under the
Intellectual Property Law. We apologise in advance for any possible errors or omissions and will
include additions or corrections in future editions and reprints.

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Table of contents
1.

2.

Lexical and semantic contents___________________

1.1. Introduction
______________________________
1.2. Vocabulary
_______________________________
1.2.1. Enlargement of vocabulary and
frequently used expressions_________
1.2.2. Common vocabulary and expressions
in colloquial English________________
1.2.3. Frequent stereotypical comparisons__
1.2.4. Lexicalized noun phrases and linking
words and phrases__________________
1.2.5. Common verb collocations__________
1.2.6. Common phrasal verbs______________
1.2.7. Frequent expressions and common
sayings____________________________
1.3. Morphology and word formation___________
1.3.1. English derivational morphology_____
1.3.2. Compounding______________________
1.3.3. Compound adjectives_______________
1.3.4. Nominalization of phrasal verbs______
1.3.5. Nominalization_____________________
1.3.6. Acronyms and abbreviations
frequently used_____________________
1.4. Meaning__________________________________
1.4.1. Synonyms and terms of similar
meaning___________________________
1.4.2. Common hyperonyms
and hyponyms______________________
1.4.3. Common antonyms_________________
1.4.4. Polysemy and double meaning
of frequent words___________________
1.4.5. BrE and AmE, lexical differences_____
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________
Grammatical contents__________________________
2.1. Introduction
______________________________
2.2. Sentences
________________________________
2.2.1. Simple sentence: main sentence
types______________________________
2.2.2. Sentence order: position of the
negative particle. Agreement.
Ellipses____________________________
2.2.3. Short questions and answers. Tags____
2.2.4. Impersonal sentences_______________
2.2.5. Adverbial subordination: consecutive.
The comparative forms______________
2.2.6. Coordination_______________________
2.2.7. Nominal subordinate clauses________
2.2.8. Adverbial subordinate clauses_______
2.2.9. Conditional sentences______________
2.2.10. Relative clauses____________________
2.3. Nouns
___________________________________
2.4. Adjectives
________________________________
2.5. Determiners
______________________________
2.5.1. Indefinite determiners______________
2.5.2. Difference between all and every
in time expressions_________________
2.5.3. Determinate article_________________
2.5.4. Demonstrative, possessive, indefinite,
numerals, interrogative and
exclamative determiners____________
2.5.5. Other determiners__________________
2.6. Pronouns
_________________________________

006
008
008

2.7. Verbs____________________________________
2.7.1. Different ways to express present____
2.7.2. How to express the past_____________
2.7.3. Past perfect simple_________________
2.7.4. Modal verbs_______________________
2.7.5. Present perfect continuous and past
perfect continuous in reported speech
to replace present perfect continuous__
2.7.6. How to express the future____________
2.7.7. Future simple continuous. How to
express the future with certain verbs__
2.7.8. Conditional________________________
2.7.9. Subjunctive were in conditional
sentences__________________________
2.7.10. Be not supposed to to express
prohibition. Had better to warn
or convince________________________
2.7.11. Reported speech___________________
2.7.12. Passive voice_______________________
2.7.13. Use of the infinitive after adjectives
and other verbs____________________
2.7.14. Use of the gerund___________________
2.7.15. Verbs followed by infinitive or gerund
with a change in meaning___________
2.7.16. Other modal verbs__________________
2.7.17. Use of the modals combined with
perfect infinitive. Causative verbs.
Present participle and past participle__
2.8. Adverbs_________________________________
2.8.1. Adverbs and adverbial phrases______
2.8.2. Comparison of adverbs. Irregular
comparison________________________
2.8.3. Likely/Unlikely to express
probability_________________________
2.8.4. Adverbs of manner, place, time.
Position____________________________
2.8.5. Interrogative and relative adverbs____
2.8.6. Where plus some, any, no
and every________________________
2.8.7. Adverbs used to express agreement
and coincidence in short sentences___
2.8.8. Grammar intensifiers_______________
2.8.9. Adverbs of degree or grading
adverbs___________________________
2.9. Linking words or phrases__________________
2.9.1. Conjunctions_______________________
2.9.2. Prepositions________________________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

008
029
031
032
033
036
038
039
039
040
041
042
042
043
045
045
049
049
051
051
053
054
056
058
060
060
060
062
063
065
065
066
067
068
070
071
072
076
080
081

099
099
100
101
101
101
102
106
108
108
109
109
109
111
111
112
113
113
115
116
117
118
119
121
122
130
137
138
140

3.

Orthographical contents________________________
3.1. Introduction______________________________
3.2. Use of capital letters_______________________
3.3. Importance of spelling____________________
3.3.1. Doubling final consonants___________
3.3.2. Final -e and final -y plus suffixes__
3.4. Punctuation______________________________
3.5. Auxiliary punctuation marks_______________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

4.

Phonetic and phonological contents_____________ 166

4.1. Introduction______________________________ 168
4.2. Consonant and vocalic phonemes__________ 168

083
083
085
087
088

094
095
096
097
098

142
144
144
150
151
152
154
158
161
162
164

4.3. Particular processes of the English

language pronunciation___________________
4.3.1. Pronunciation of plurals, Saxon
genitive and present simple third
person singular_____________________
4.3.2. Pronunciation of past and past
participle of regular verbs___________
4.3.3. Consonant clusters_________________
4.3.4. Final letter -r_____________________
4.3.5. Schwa in unstressed syllables, articles,
pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions,
auxiliaries and modal verbs__________
4.4. Silent letters______________________________
4.5. Stress____________________________________
4.6. Intonation________________________________
4.7. Rhythm__________________________________
4.8. Phonemes and letters correspondence______
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

171
171
171
172
172
172
174
175
180
181
182
187
188
190

5.

Sociolinguistic and sociocultural contents________

5.1. Introduction______________________________
5.2. Daily life_________________________________
5.3. Leisure activities__________________________
5.4. Human and social relationships_____________
5.5. Living and working conditions_____________
5.6. Values, beliefs and attitudes________________
5.7. Body language___________________________
5.8. Social conventions________________________
5.9. Basic geography__________________________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

192
194
194
199
202
205
207
209
209
211
215
216
218

6.

Functional contents____________________________
6.1. Introduction______________________________
6.2. Assertive speech acts_____________________
6.3. Commissive speech acts___________________
6.4. Directive speech acts______________________
6.5. Factual and supportive speech acts_________
6.6. Expressive speech acts____________________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

220
222
222
232
240
243
248
251
252
254

7.

Text coherence________________________________
7.1. Introduction______________________________
7.2. Type and text format______________________
7.3. Varieties of language______________________
7.4. Register__________________________________
7.5. Theme. Approach and content______________
7.6. Time-space context_______________________
7.7. Text typology_____________________________
7.7.1. Written texts_______________________
7.7.2. Oral texts__________________________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

256
258
258
259
261
261
262
264
264
274
283
284
286

8.

Text cohesion_________________________________
8.1. Introduction______________________________
8.2. Speech opening__________________________
8.3. Body of speech___________________________
8.4. Speech closing___________________________
8.5. Speech maintenance______________________

288
290
290
292
298
298

8.6. Intonation as pragmatic resource___________

8.7. Punctuation as a cohesive device___________
SUMMARY____________________________________
CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED_____________
ANSWER KEY_________________________________

302
303
305
306
308

1.

Lexical and
semantic contents

Contents
1. Lexical and semantic contents
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Vocabulary
1.3. Morphology and word formation
1.4. Meaning

Aims
-

To learn vocabulary and linguistic expressions related to common

situations in everyday life.

To recognize and identify word formation methods.

To distinguish the most common affixes: prefixes and suffixes.

To identify words through their sematic relationship: synonymy, antonymy,

hyponymy, and polysemy.

Forethought
The learning of a vocabulary lesson includes three main aspects: semantic
knowledge, phonetic and orthographic knowledge and grammatical knowledge.
These three components (meaning, form and use respectively) are not
independent but closely related to one another so that a student learning a
second language can assimilate and understand the new words.

English B1

1.1. Introduction
Communicating in English implies knowing a wide range of vocabulary which
should be increasing as the student evolves in the ongoing process of learning
this language. This teaching unit is aimed at meeting this objective.
Firstly, the student will study new vocabulary related to different areas in everyday
life, as well as common expressions in English. Besides, this teaching unit
provides the keys to understand stereotypical comparisons very frequently used
in English and to assimilate the features of some complex verbs.
Secondly, it provides explanations about the main methods of word formation,
especially of nouns and adjectives, as well as the most common cases of
nominalization, acronyms and abbreviations.
Finally, this teaching unit also analyses the semantic phenomena which affect
English language: synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, and polysemy. For closure,
it also includes some lexical differences between BrE (British English) and AmE
(American English).

1.2. Vocabulary
The speakers and the writers need to develop a strong vocabulary to express
easier their ideas. In case of writing it is also especially important to avoid
repetition. Even if they are speaking or writing in their own native language, it is
necessary to use clear and precise vocabulary, but when the language used is a
second one difficulty increases to a large extent.
Sokolik distinguishes between active and passive vocabulary. The speakers or
writers active vocabulary is what they use in speaking or writing, whereas passive
one is what is understood while listening or reading. The key to strength ones
vocabulary is to turn passive into active words. It is a long process: probably it never
ends. In the following sections, different ways to improve vocabulary will be shown.

1.2.1. Enlargement of vocabulary

and frequently used expressions

Important
We will henceforth use the abbreviations
BrE and AmE when talking about
British English and American English
respectively.

008

Now we are going to enlarge our vocabulary by learning new words from common
contexts of our everyday life.
To begin with, we are going to learn new terms related to external and internal
organs and parts of the human body. Knowing these words is useful, for example,
when somebody needs to talk about a disease and its symptoms at a doctors
office or at the hospital.

Lexical and semantic contents

There are many common expressions including different members or parts of the
human body, for instance when people talk about an injured or a broken arm or a
swollen leg, or when somebody says that the blood runs through the arteries and
veins of the whole body. Unlike in Spanish leg is used for both humans and
animals in English.
To have one arm in a sling is normal when someone has broken a bone in this part of
the body.
The football player has got a broken arm so it will take him several months to be totally
healed.
I was hospitalized with a broken arm to be operated.
The racehorse seems to have a swollen leg.
After surgery I had my arm in a sling for fifteen days.

Human respiratory system is centred on a set of two lungs, the right and the left
lung. We also have two kidneys, but only one liver. Lung cancer and pneumonia
are severe lung diseases.
We talk about diseases when an internal organ of the body is ill, for instance a
kidney disease or a liver disease. If someone has an accident, he/she can suffer
damage in several parts of his/her body. People can also suffer of kidney failure (in
this case removing a kidney may be necessary) or fatty liver. We should control our
heart rate, that is, our hearts rhythm, when playing sports. Tobacco and alcohol
increase the risk for a heart attack. Due to severe heart disease, the specialist can
conclude that an open-heart surgery is the only solution. Moderate daily exercise
is good for our health because, inter alia, it reduces the risk for stroke, also called
ictus or cerebral infarct.

Did you know?

When people feel in danger in extreme
situations they shout for help at the top
of his lungs.

He suffered from kidney failure so his right kidney was removed by surgery.
Fatty liver can degenerate into cirrhosis.
The accident has caused him serious brain damage.

The main vocabulary words related to the parts of the eye are: eyelash, eyebrow,
pupil, iris, upper and lower eyelid. When you make up you usually apply one coat
of mascara on the lashes from the root to add volume. The coloured area of the
eye is called the iris. To check vision the eye specialist (oculist) prescribes eye
drops that make the patients pupil dilate. If you feel like something is in your eye it
009

English B1

can be a symptom of scratched cornea. Cataracts and macular degeneration are

common eye diseases associated with old age. When you are tired and sleepy
you use to have droopy eyelids.
There are more than six hundred muscles in the human body and the tongue
is considered the strongest of all. In addition, the Achilles tendon is the thickest
muscle in the human body. The foot is the part of the body where there are more
bones, 26 in all. Furthermore, the foots bones are the smallest of the whole body.
You should also know the parts of the hand.

Common expressions and meanings including parts of the body are the following.
Expression

Meaning

To be a pain in the neck

It refers to somebody whom the speaker cannot put up with

Give me five/High five

It refers to a gesture in which two people slap the palms of their hands (over their
heads) to seal a deal o to celebrate something

Hand over fist

It means to do something quickly and continuously

My minds eye

It refers to the speakers visual memory or imagination

Keep your hands clean/Keep your nose clean

It is an advice given to someone warning to stay out of any problem

Out of sight, out of mind

It conveys the idea of forgetting something or someone you are no longer seeing

Play by ear

It is said when someone plays a musical instrument in an autodidactic way.

Sometimes this expression is also used when someone handles of manages a
situation without any previous training or experience

To put ones back up

It is said when someone is very angry. This expression comes from the movement
casts do when they feel in danger or get angry

Take the bit between your teeth

It is said to someone when we want that person takes a situation under control

Thumbs up

It is a sign of acceptance

Turn a blind eye

It is used when someone refuses to see or know something that everybody knows
is true

Some of the professionals working in hospitals are nurses, assistant nurses,

doctors, general practitioners and medical specialists.

Vocabulary
A nursemaid is a person in charge of
looking after babies or small children
in their own houses. This person can
be affectionately called nanny. He or
she is contracted on a long term basis.
However, a babysitter is the term used to
refer to a person occasionally contracted
to take care of the children.

A nurse is a professional who helps a doctor to take care of sick or injured people.
Nurse can also be a verb meaning to care for sick or injured people. An assistant
nurse is a professional who provides basic care for patients.
A nursery is a kind of school for babies or little children where they are cared
while their parents are at work. In addition, nursery sometimes refers to places
where little plants are cultivated or where fish larvae are bred.
A midwife is a person trained to assist women when they have their babies, who
must not be confused with the figure of a matron who is a person in charge of the
nurses in a hospital, also called senior nursing officer.
A doctor is a professional trained in medical science. Dr is the abbreviation. A
doctor who performs medical operations is called a surgeon.

010

Lexical and semantic contents

At a hospital, there are GPs (General Practitioners) and medical specialists. A GP

takes care of sick or injured people at an early stage. When a patient requires
attention to a specific organ of the body, that person is attended by medical
specialists. There are many medical specialties; the more common are detailed in
the chart below.
Specialty

Medical specialist

Anaesthesiology

Anaesthetist

Cardiology

Cardiologist

Dermatology

Dermatologist

Gastroenterology

Stomatologist

Gynaecology

Gynaecologist

Internal medicine

Internist

Neurology

Neurologist

Obstetrics

Obstetrician

Orthopaedics

Orthopaedic specialist

Paediatrics

Paediatrician

Psychiatry

Psychiatrist

Traumatology

Traumatologist

Urology

Urologist

Did you know?

The title of Doctor can be also applied
to a person who has got the highest
university degree, for instance Doctor
of Pharmacy or Doctor of Philosophy.

The following are common expressions used in medical contexts.

To perform an operation.
To treat or cure an illness or a disease.
To write or give a prescription.
To feel sick or ill.
To take blood pressure.
To take a temperature (if fever is suspected).
To give an injection.
To give a diagnosis.
Vaccination campaigns.
Vaccination card.
Organ donation.
To donate an organ.
Bone marrow donor.

Sometimes the doctors require the patients to do some special tests or diagnosis
testing such as a scan, an X-ray photograph, a blood test, a sonogram, a biopsy
or a MR (Magnetic Resonance). After diagnosis, the patients have to follow the
treatment plan sometimes consisting on surgical interventions or on taking some
drugs (medicines).
To have painkillers.
To have injections.
To have keyhole surgery (for instance, on a knee).
To have vascular surgery.
To remove an organ.
To receive a heart transplant.
To remove a tumour.
To fix a torn tendon.
011

English B1

To describe people or to say what people look like we need to know some words,
particularly adjectives. The physical description of a person must include the
characteristics of his/her eyes and hair, for example.
Short, long, medium length and shoulder length are adjectives used to
describe the length of the hair.
He has got short hair.
She has got long hair.
She has got shoulder length hair.

Straight, curly and wavy are adjectives used to describe the shape of
the hair.
He has got straight hair.
She has got wavy hair.

Check it out!
When you want describe a person, you
must know different verbs: to be, to have
and to wear. In the next web page you can
read how to use them: bit.ly/1G94xoo.

She has got curly hair.

Blond, brown, black, white, grey and red are used to describe the
hair colour. You can also say brunette to refer to a woman with brown hair; in the
same way blonde refers to a woman with fair or blond hair. Finally a redhead
is a red haired person.
He has got blond hair.
She has got brown hair.
They have got red hair.
My grandma has got white hair and my granddad has got grey hair.
My brother is dating stunning brunette.
Do you know that blonde? She is a beauty.

When you combine several adjectives you must follow the standard rule which
dictates the correct order of adjectives in a phrase: general description + size +
shape + colour.
She has got a beautiful long straight black hair.
Her hair is beautiful, long, straight and black.
He has got short curly blond hair.
His hair is short, curly and blond.
He has got small blue eyes.
His eyes are small and blue.
She has got big blue eyes.
Her eyes are big and blue.

012

Lexical and semantic contents

Other common expressions follow the structure adjective + -haired/-eyed. You

can use these expressions with or without the hyphen: short-haired or short haired.
Long-haired hippies.
Short-haired dogs.
There are many red-haired people in Ireland.
People belonging to the Indian race use to be black-haired and black-eyed.
Jane: What do you look like?
Lucy: Im medium height. My eyes are blue and my hair is red. Im tall
and I look really trendy. Ive got a piercing in my nose.
Jane: What colour is your hair?
Lucy: Ive got long, black hair.
Jane: What clothes do you like to wear?
Lucy: I like wearing tops with hoods and denim clothes.

The structure to have + object + past participle implies that another person does
a service for us. Note the difference between the following sentences.
I fixed my computer (I did it by myself).
I had my computer fixed (Another person did it for me).

To get can be used instead of to have.

She got her computer repaired.

Some common sentences using this structure are: to have my hair cut, to have my
car washed, to have my watch fixed or to have my car repaired.
Robert:
Marc:
Robert:
Marc:

Where did you have your hair cut?

Ive gone to my life-long hairdresser.
Great! You really look cool!
Thanks!

Sometimes this kind of structure is used for bad things.

I had my wallet stolen yesterday.
Peter had his arm broken in a car crash.

You should learn some vocabulary words about common services. A cobblers is
a place where you can have your shoes fixed. A hairdressers is a place where you
can have your hair cut. An opticians is a place where you can have you eyes
checked. A garage is a place where you can have your car repaired. A dentists is
a place where you can have your teeth checked. A clock and watch shop is a
place where you can have your watch repaired. A dry cleaners is a place where
you can have your suit cleaned.
Note that laundry and dry-cleaning services are generally offered by a kind of
establishment called laundry and dry-cleaning. They usually offer full delivery
service at your doorstep but if you prefer you can schedule your customized pickups.
Mend, repair and fix are very common verbs in daily conversations. The
use of these three verbs is quite confusing in English since their meaning are
similar. To mend is used with things which are broken or damaged and it is
mainly used when talking about clothes or human relationships.
I went to the dressmakers to have my dress mended.
My parents are visiting a marriage consultant to try to mend their relationship.

But mend is more used in the United Kingdom than in the USA (United States
of America) where they prefer the word fix.

013

English B1

Fix and repair mean essentially the same thing, we can say that fix is less
formal than repair.
My father fixed the washing machine; he had to change a broken pulley inside the engine.
We got our roof repaired because it leaked when it rained a lot.
My father is taking his car for being repaired because it is not working properly.

There are many different places in town where we can go to: churches,
cathedrals, banks, dance clubs, pubs, cafeterias or cafs, monuments, exhibition
centres, libraries, primary schools, high schools, colleges, book shops, clothes
shops, butchers shops, bakers shops, fish shops, etc.

Street

Avenue

Square

Fountain

Bridge

Places in town
Place

Meaning

Cinema

A theatre where films are shown for public

Department store

A large shop stocking many varieties of goods in different departments

Grocery

A shop where a person sells food and small household goods

Hospital

An institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for
sick or injured people

Hotel

An establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for

travellers and tourist

Hypermarket

A very large self-service store with a wide range of goods and a large car
park, typically situated outside a town

Inn

A pub, typically one in the country, in some cases providing accommodation

Ironmongers shop (BrE)/Hardware store

A shop selling hardware such as tools and household implements

Market

A regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions,

livestock and other commodities
An open space or covered building where vendors convene to sell their goods

Museum

A building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest

are stored and exhibited

Pharmacy, chemists shop (BrE)/

Drugstore (AmE)

A shop where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold, and in which toiletries
and other medical goods can be purchased

Restaurant

A place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are cooked and served on
the premises

Shopping centre

An area or complex of shops

Supermarket

A large self-service shop selling foods and household goods

Theatre

A building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances

are given

Town hall

A building used for the administration of local government

Source: Oxford Dictionaries (oxforddictionaries.com)

In the street we can find: traffic lights, traffic signs, zebra crossings, telephone
booths, vending machines, pavements, kiosks, paper bins, billboards, post boxes,
bus stops, bus shelters, benches and other pieces of urban furniture.

Billboard
014

Post box

Bus shelter

Benches

Lexical and semantic contents

We can use a large list of adjectives to describe places.

Adjectives to describe places

Adjective

Meaning

Awesome

Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring awe

Awful

Very bad or unpleasant

Chic

Elegantly and stylishly fashionable

Colossal

Extremely large or great

Colourful

Having much or varied colour; bright

Full of interest; lively and exciting

Crowded

(Of a space) full of people, leaving little or no room for movement; packed

Elegant

Graceful and stylish in appearance or manner

Enormous

Very large in size, quantity, or extent

Exuberant

Full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness

Characterized by a vigorously imaginative artistic style

Gigantic

Of very great size or extent; huge or enormous

Huge

Extremely large; enormous

Luxurious

Extremely comfortable or elegant, especially when involving great expense

Marvellous

Causing great wonder; extraordinary

Extremely good or pleasing; splendid

Old-fashioned

In or according to styles or types no longer current; not modern

Picturesque

(Of a place or building) visually attractive, especially in a quaint or charming way

Posh

Elegant or stylishly luxurious

Typical of or belonging to the upper class (BrE)

Quiet

(Of a place, period of time, or situation) without much activity, disturbance, or excitement

Shabby

In poor condition through long use or lack of care

Stunning

Extremely impressive or attractive

Tiny

Very small

Vast

Of very great extent or quantity; immense

Source: Oxford Dictionaries (oxforddictionaries.com)

The following sentences include some of the above mentioned adjectives to

describe different places such as cities or monuments.
The pharmacy was so crowded that I had to stand in a long queue for more than half an
hour before being attended.
The facade of the cathedral was flanked by three gigantic columns.

Vocabulary
A facade (or faade), following Oxford
Dictionaries, is the principal front of a
building, that faces on to a street or open
space.

Park Gell in Barcelona is a vast and colourful public park located in Barcelona and is one
of the most famous works of Antonio Gaudi. It is really a picturesque landscape.
I could enjoy a stunning view of the bay from the hotel window.
For me Saint Peters Square in the Vatican City is one of the most awesome squares in
the world.
I was born in a tiny but elegant village called Chipping Campden.
During my stay in Clovelly I was accommodated in a shabby but quiet hotel called The
Queens House.
The sight of the city from the top of this building is marvellous.
There are many colossal monuments and statues around the world but I want to point out
three of them: The Great Buddha of Thailand, the Statue of Liberty in New York and Christ
the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This is a huge shopping centre where we can offer all you need.
015

English B1

Ibiza is one of the most chosen places to live by rich people perhaps because it is an
exuberant place where you can live happily and securely.
Kensington is considered one of the most posh and expensive areas in London.
My uncle John runs a small chic bistro in the centre of the village.
We stopped on the way for breakfast in an awful and old-fashioned cafeteria and had a
coffee and a croissant.

Now we are going to learn some vocabulary words used when asking and giving
directions. If you get lost in the middle of a city that you do not know you can ask
someone in the street: How can I get to the nearest taxi rank? Where is the train
station? or My hotel is The Queens House; do you know where it is?
There are different ways to give directions in English. The person whom you have
asked the last question (My hotel is The Queens House; do you know where it
is?) can answer, for example, giving the following instructions:
Your hotel is on Channel Street, between the chemists and the town hall. Go ahead until
the next turning on the left. Turn left and go straight on until the next crossroads. Go right
and go ahead until you find the hotel on your right.

Common expressions
to give directions
Go left
Turn left
Take the second (turning) on the left
Take a left
Its on the left
Go right
Turn right
Take the second (turning) on the right
Take a right
Its on the right
Go ahead
Go straight ahead
Go straight on

Check it out!
You can practice vocabulary and do
activities about asking and giving
directions in the following links:
bit.ly/1GG5Qwe and bit.ly/1DS50KI.

Sometimes people talk about free time activities. Practicing sports is a common
topic. Depending on the sport we are referring to, we use a different verb: do, go
or play.

016

Lexical and semantic contents

Do is used with martial arts: do tae kwon do, do yoga, do kung fu, do karate,
do sumo, do judo, do tai chi or do ju-jitsu. Do is also used with some sports
performed in groups: do athletics, do aerobics or do gymnastics.
Id like to do tae kwon do or kung fu.
I do athletics twice a week in a sports centre near my house.
My mother used to do gymnastics when she was a child.
My best friend and I do aerobics on Saturdays.

Play is used in general for most of competitive sports, that is, sports when
you play to win: play football, play basketball, play tennis, play table tennis, play
badminton, play volleyball, play beach volleyball, play handball, play ice hockey,
play golf, play rugby, play cricket and play paddle tennis.
Peter plays table tennis in the local team.
We are going to play cricket on Sunday.
Pau Gasol plays basketball.
When I was a child, I used to play football with my friends.

Go is often used with sports ending in -ing. Normally you can practice these
sports alone: go swimming, go diving, go sailing, go skiing, go ice-skating, go
kayaking, go surfing, go windsurfing, go cycling or go hunting.
My father likes to go sport fishing.
I go fencing in a famous fencing school in London.
We go hiking in our free time.

Ride is used with activities consisting on getting on top of something: to ride

on horse (to go on horseback), to ride a bike or a bicycle (to go over a bike or a
bicycle), to ride a motorbike (to go over a motorbike) or to ride on boat. Besides,
ride can also be a noun meaning fairground attraction.
Mary likes riding.
The rollercoaster is my favourite ride in the amusement park..

Reading is a typical activity in our free time. In the front cover of the book we can
find the title and the name of the author. Some people buy books if their illustrations
are attractive. Sometimes the back cover of books includes a resume of the
argument or some information about the author. When you put your books on
shelves, you can also read the title and the writers name in their spine.

Important
To take someone for a ride means to
take someone on a leisure tour: Come
on, get into the car and Ill take you for
a ride.

017

English B1

There are many adjectives used to describe a book: action-packed (full of events),
adventurous (telling risky actions), biographical (about somebodys life), boring
(unexciting), captivating (fascinating), brilliant (extremely smart), emotional,
exciting, futuristic (related to science fiction), hilarious (very funny), informative,
mysterious, realistic (like real life), romantic (telling a romance), scary (frightening),
simple or terrifying.
People usually practice sports or do another activities like reading or watching
TV in their free time. People enjoy their free time mainly on holiday periods,
on public holidays or on marked festivities. We are going to learn the most
important festivities in some English speaking countries. You can see them in the
following chart.
Month

Festivity

January

New Years Day

February

Saint Valentines Day

March

Saint Patricks Day

July

Independences Day (USA)

October

Halloween

November

Thanksgiving Day (USA)

December

Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Years Eve

New Years Day is the first day of the year in the Western calendar, also called the
Christian calendar, which is the most internationally used civil calendar all over
the world. So, New Years Day is for sure the most celebrated public holiday.
Saint Valentines Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on 14th
February. Its also called the lovers day.
Saint Patricks Day commemorates the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of
Ireland, on 17th March. This day is the national Irish holiday but it is also widely
celebrated all over the world with religious events like religious processions as
well as with pagan celebrations like Saint Patricks Day parade in Dublin, London
or New York. During Saint Patricks celebrations people wear green clothes or
accessories being the shamrock (a three-leaved plant that stands for the Holy
Trinity) the most commonly used.
Easter, also called Pasch, is a religious festivity. The week before Easter is called
the Holy Week which represents the last week of Jesus Christs life. Easter
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Easter holidays are moveable feasts, that is,
they are not fixed days in the Christian or Western calendar. In many countries,
like in Britain, Easter eggs or Easter rabbits are typical during these days.
Independence Day is celebrated in the USA. It commemorates the Declaration of
Independence on 4th July, 1776.

Did you know?

Britain can refer both to the United
Kingdom, which is a sovereign state, and
to Great Britain, which is an island.

018

Halloween is a pagan festivity, also called All Saints Eve. It is celebrated in many
countries on 31st October. It has a Celtic origin and is widely known as the deaths
festivity. Typical activities on Halloween are trick or treating or attending Halloween
parties where peoples dress as zombies or walking dead; and typical decorations
are carving pumpkins with jack-o-lanterns which represent the souls of the dead.
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the USA on the 4th Sunday
of November. It traditionally commemorated the harvest day, the day on which
family gathered to give thanks for the harvest season. This holiday continues still
today. Turkey is the typical meal for lunch or dinner. Black Friday is the Friday
following Thanksgiving Day and it is considered the beginning of the Christmas
shopping period. On Black Friday most of the retail stores offer promotional sales.

Lexical and semantic contents

Christmas Day is celebrated in most of the countries all over the world, especially
in Western Christianity. It is a religious holiday which commemorates the birth of
Jesus Christ on 25th December. Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day,
on 24th December. During these days families gather for lunch and dinner, sing
Christmas carols and they decorate houses and cities with Christmas lights, trees
and other typical Christmas decorations. At Christmas time some gift-bearing
figures like Santa Claus, Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas bring presents to all
the members of the family, but especially to children.
New Years Eve is the last day of the year in the Western calendar, that is, the
31th December. It is also called Saint Sylvesters Day or Old Years Day. This day
people usually attend parties to celebrate the transition to the New Year. On 1st
January they celebrate New Years Day.
When people are planning their vacation, they use to worry about the weather. To
ask about the weather people usually make the following question: Whats the
weather like?
The following sentences are examples of common weather expressions.
Its sunny (when the sun is shining and the sky is blue).
Its windy (when the wind is blowing).
Its raining (raindrops falling).
Its snowing (snowflakes falling).
Its hailing (hailstones falling).
Its sleeting (sleet not as solid as hailstones or snowflakes but not as liquid as water).
Its cloudy (when the sky is spotted with clouds it is partly cloudy but when the sky is full
of clouds, that is, an overcast sky, it is very cloudy).
Its foggy (when a layer of dense fog or mist reduces the visibility).
Its freezing (it is as cold that a layer of frost is created on the ground).
Its stormy (highly unstable weather, with heavy showers, thunder and lightning).
Its hot (the temperature is very high).
Its warm (the temperature is nice and pleasant).
Its cooling down (the temperature is dropping).
Its cold (the temperature is very low).

We can distinguish various kinds of rain in English. To drizzle or mizzle are used
when it falls light or misty rain, whereas, when there is heavy rain we can say that
its raining torrentially or raining cats and dogs. In this case the rain is called a
downpour. Light rainfall is generally called sprinkling in AmE and shower in
BrE. A rainstorm occurs when suddenly it rains heavily, sometimes causing flash
floods in the low areas or rivers overflowing which can carry away everything in its
path. In addition, the shortage of rain causes drought. In addition, a thunderstorm
is a lightning storm.
The snowmelt is also called slush. When the snowmelt or the water from the
rain freezes it produces frost and ice.

Did you know?

The area in the world where tornados
are more frequent is located in the USA.
This area, colloquially known as Tornado
Alley comprises northern Texas,
Oklahoma and Kansas. In a year more
than one thousand tornados are
reported in this area.

When it rains raindrops fall down and when it snows snowflakes fall instead. After
a heavy snow children usually enjoy making a snowperson. The melting of the
snow that covers the mountains can produce avalanches.
The dew is produced by the condensation of the humidity or the moisture in the
atmosphere.
The rainbow appears in the sky when it rains and the sun shines at the same time.

019

English B1

A tornado occurs when a column of rotating air descends from a thunderstorm to

the ground. A tornado can destroy large buildings or trees and can hurl vehicles
some kilometres away.
Depending on the weather, people wear different clothes. Sweater, jumper
and pullover are words with similar meanings (synonyms) but their uses are
sometimes different depending on the area and the variety of English spoken there.

In the United Kingdom the three words refer to garment knitted in wool or cotton,
with no buttons, that is, it is not opened at the front. It is pulled over the head.
People wear it to keep themselves warm.
In the USA jumper is a kind of girls dress without sleeves which it is usually
dressed over a blouse, called pinafore in BrE. For American, sweater is
the equivalent of sweater, jumper and pullover in the United Kingdom.
Besides, in the USA a buttoned cardigan can also be called sweater. Finally,
pullover is rarely used by Americans.
Jersey is an item similar to the one described above, that is, an unbuttoned
item made of wool or cotton with long leaves which people pull over their head to
keep them warm. But a jersey can also be a shirt used in some team sports which
includes the teams and the players name as well as the logos of the team and the
sponsors. This item is one of the pieces of the teams uniform.

Did you know?

Note that the structure short-legged is
used for animals: short-legged dogs.

You can buy a shirt in a clothes shop where you can find the standard sizes. In this
case you have to find the size which perfectly fits you by trying on different sizes.
But, the best option, without a doubt, is to go to a tailor shop where the tailor (a
man) or the dressmaker (a woman) will take your measures to make a handicraft
and made to measure shirt. Furthermore, you have the added advantage of
choosing the fabric and colour you like best.
Formal mens wear consists of a shirt with tie under a suit. The suit is made up of
a jacket combined with formal trousers. Men use these clothes in formal and
business situations. In informal contexts and other situations men use to wear a
casual shirt with no tie combined with casual trousers or shorts. Shorts are
short leg trousers specially used in summer.
Many people consider pants and trousers as synonyms but it is not entirely
true. Americans refer to underwear as shorts. For them a pair of pants is the
piece of clothing to cover shorts in public. However, pants in the United Kingdom

020

Lexical and semantic contents

refer to underwear while trousers refer to the public wear which covers the
pants. For them pants are for men what panties are for women while shorts
are short trousers especially used in summer.

You need shoe polish and a shoe brush to clean your shoes. When you need
to repair your shoes, you have a cobbler fix them. Some shoes have shoelaces
like trainers.

Expression

Meaning

Someone is as tough as old boots

A person who is a very strong

I wouldnt like to be in your shoes

The speaker knows that the other person

is in a particularly difficult situation

A place is as comfortable as
an old shoes

It means that that place is very comfortable

and familiar

To fill someones shoes

It means to replace another person

and to do his or her job as well as he or she

The following are some verbs and phrasal verbs used in this context of clothing.
To wear means to have clothing on. It is an irregular verb (wear, wore, worn). To
clothe means to dress, that is, to put clothes on, but it is more used in conversation.
To get dressed and to get undressed means to put clothes on and take them
off respectively.

Check it out!
For more information about shoes:
history, design and style you can visit
Bata Shoe Museum webpage:
www.batashoemuseum.ca.

Did you know?

Cowboys wear spurs on their boots to
control their horses and to signal
commands to them. American cowboys
began to use them when they saw them
being used by the Spanish conquerors
that arrived in Mexico in the 16th century.

Im wearing some jeans and a white t-shirt.

She is dressing in her dressing room.
Get dressed as soon as possible, please. Its getting late and its time to leave.
The doctor ordered the patient to get undressed for a check-up.

To buckle and to unbuckle mean to fasten and unfasten a piece of clothing

or some shoes using a buckle. To button and to unbutton mean to fasten or
unfasten a piece of clothing or some shoes using buttons. To zip up and to zip
down mean to fasten or unfasten a piece of clothing or some shoes using a zip.
My mother buckled my shoes when I was a child.
Button up your raincoat before going outside.
Its really hot; Im going to zip my jacket down.

021

English B1

People live in communities and relate to one another. There are different kinds
of relationships: family relationships, friendly relationships, love relationships or
employment relationships.
Your workmates or colleagues are those people you work with. Sometimes they
even turn into close friends.
Your best friend is a person to whom you feel a strong affection, that is, you may
love that person as if he or she were your sibling. In any case, whoever has a
friend has a treasure.
Sometimes, most of the times when you are not expecting it, you meet a charming
and interesting person and you fall in love with that person. It may be love at first
sight or the result of a previous friendly relationship. When two persons are in love
they begin a love affair, dating and going out together.
After a while they may be finally engaged. In this case they use to fix a wedding
date. The fianc usually gives a commitment ring to his fiance to seal their
commitment. The marriage may be civil or religious. In the former case the wedding
is celebrated at courts before a judge or at the town hall before the mayor. In
the latter case the wedding is conducted at church before a priest. During the
wedding ceremony the bride and the groom give a wedding ring to each other as
a sign of loyalty and fidelity. After the wedding feast the newlyweds use to go on a
honeymoon before starting a new life together.

Did you know?

We talk about a platonic love when two
people have an affectionate relationship
but they never begin a love relationship
or a love affair. A platonic love involves
one person who loves another, but the
second one usually doesnt feel the same
as the first one.

Well-matched married couples can even celebrate their silver wedding after being
married for 25 years or their golden wedding after being married for 50 years.
Sometimes, people suffer marital breakdowns. In that case they decide to separate
or divorce. Many married couples get on each other and love and live together
until parted by death. The saddest moments in the story of a long happy marriage
are when the husband or the wife becomes a widower or a widow respectively.
Nowadays there are several family models. Homosexual marriage or same-sex
marriage has been legalized in many countries. In some of these countries the
adoption of children by same-sex couples is even allowed so that they can create
their own family. There are also single-parent families, that is, when a single man
or woman decides to raise his or her children alone, in this case they are also
called lone parents. Furthermore, one can often find couples who have decided
not to have any children.
Brian:
Edward:
Brian:
Edward:
Brian:
Edward:

022

Are you single or married?

Im divorced.
When did you get married?
I married my ex-wife when we were at university.
Are you in a relationship now?
Yes, Im living a beautiful love story.

Lexical and semantic contents

To conclude you should study new vocabulary about household items.

When someone set the table or lay the table he or she puts the glasses, cups,
plates, and cutlery on the kitchen table or the dining table. Tableware includes all
the articles used to set the table: the cutlery, the glassware and the crockery.
After having breakfast, lunch or dinner, we have to clear the table and do the
dishes. We can use a dishwasher or wash the dishes in the sink.

Vocabulary
Following Oxford Dictionaries, silverware
includes dishes, containers, or cutlery
made of or coated with silver, or made of
a material resembling silver.

We have our personal hygiene products in the bathroom: soaps, toothbrushes,

toothpaste, cosmetics, creams, combs, sponges, etc. In the bathroom have a bath
or a shower; in AmE people say take a bath or take a shower. It is important
that our daily shower be a pleasure moment. We use soap or shower gel for
cleaning our body and shampoo for our hair.
After having a bath or a shower we dry our wet skin with a towel. Some people
prefer a bathrobe and the majority of people use slippers as footwear.

023

English B1

It seems clear that disjointed single-word lists memorization is not a good method.
It is recommended to avoid it. So, in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
to recall new words they should have been studied as being part of a semantic field,
for example, the semantic field of the body or personal hygiene items.

Did you know?

Using mnemonics or memory aids
is also a good and effective method
of memorization. There are some
websites that suggest this technique.
You can find some examples of this
method in Mnemonic Dictionary
(mnemonicdictionary.com/)

Students should use the new words immediately, writing or speaking. Once a
new word has been used twenty times at least, a person will be able to recall it in
the future.
The students have also to take into account that tone, diction or the election of
certain words and expressions in different situations may affect their meaning.
These words or expressions can be formal, informal, or even colloquial or slang.
Therefore, apart from learning the meaning of the words it is necessary to know
how to use them in the right and appropriate contexts.

Check it out!

The election of the style depends on the following three factors: the context and
the circumstances, the purpose of the message and the receptor of the message
(known, unknown, status, age, etc.).

You can visit these websites in order to

learn and practice new vocabulary:
bit.ly/1FWhAcs and nyti.ms/1EoK538.

Once these factors have been analysed, the most appropriate style will be chosen:
- Formal or solemn style the receptor uses to be unknown or there is certain
distance from the speaker to the receptor, and the purpose of the message
usually implies a serious issue.
- Informal style it is used in friendly contexts where the receptors are wellknown persons and the messages to be transmitted use to be casual topics.
Even dealing with serious topics the proximity with the receptor allows to use
an informal style.
- Slang or colloquial expressions are commonly expressed in informal
communications, both in speech and writing. Speakers use this kind of
expressions when they are especially relaxed and not self-conscious.
Formal

Informal

Slang

To be angry

To be mad

To be pissed off (slightly vulgar)

To be happy

To be over the moon

To be thrilled to bits

To feel down

To feel down in the dumps

To be sad-assed

To be beside oneself with anger

To go ballistic/nuclear

To go bananas

To be really tired

To be pooped

To be knackered

To be silly

To be a bit slow on the uptake

To have shit for brains

To be mean

To be tight-fisted

To be a stingy

To leave/To go away

To get moving/To get going/To

beat it/To take off (AmE)

To shove off/To piss off

My father

My dad

My old man

Well keep in touch

See you later

Later, dude

Thats all right

Cool!

No worries!

May I help you?

Can I help you?

Need a hand?

I havent seen you for a long time

Long time no see

Stay/Remain

Stick around/Hang around

Informal language generally uses:

- Short common vocabulary: like, big, things, stuff, a lot, etc.
- Phrasal verbs: turn up, turn down, turn on, turn off, etc.
- Contractions: dont, cant, wont, isnt, arent, etc.
- Abbreviated words: photo, TV, etc.
024

Lexical and semantic contents

- Relaxed grammar, with shortenings and omissions: Ye gotta eat instead of

You have to eat, Do you wanna eat? instead of Do you want to eat? or
I gonna eat instead of I am going to eat.

Did you know?

Shortenings and omissions are common
in songs, like this one by Franz
Ferdinand: bit.ly/15GpObp.

- Colloquial and slang word and phrases.

In professional or academic writing, for example, colloquial expressions and clichs must be avoided.
Some examples are: Its raining cats and dogs, used to refer that it is raining
heavily; Bite your tongue is used to ask someone not to speak about something;
Eye for an eye, it conveys the idea of revenge; Tongue-in-cheek, which means
that something is said jokingly; or The third time is the charm, this expression is
used when someone expects the success of something after two failed attempts.
Similarly, slang words never should be used in academic and professional contexts
since this kind of words is not considered Standard English.
As a general rule, the stile used in writing is more formal than in speaking, but
within written texts there are solemn text and less formal ones. For instance, the
style used when writing a letter to a friend is less formal than the style used in a
written legal document.
In speaking the style also varies depending on the speaker, the interlocutors and
the circumstances surrounding them. Obviously when someone talks to a friend
the style used if less formal than when that person addresses to a teacher at
school or to a judge in a trial.

Vocabulary
Clichs are words and expressions which
have been overused so that they have
lost their initial alleged strength.

In very formal contexts, less formal and colloquial expressions should be

substituted by the formal words or phrases.
Formal

Less formal

Acceptable

All right

Apologize/Apologise

Say sorry

As soon as possible

ASAP

Authorize/Authorise

Give the go ahead

Call

Ring up

Children

Kids

Commence

Start

Contact

Get in touch with

Decrease

Go down

Definitely

Really

Discover

Find out

However

But

In conclusion

To sum up

Increase

Go up

Indicate

Point out

Inexpensive

Cheap

Much/Many

Lot of/A lot of

Nevertheless/Notwithstanding

Anyway

Obtain

Get

Oppose

Go against

Postpone

Put off

Release

Free

Tolerate

Put up with

025

English B1

On a general basis, contractions and phrasal verbs are most commonly used in
written informal and colloquial texts, when the style imitates a normal conversation,
but they are not used in more formal writings. For instance, a professional who
contacts a distribution company should begin his/her e-mail by writing: I am
writing to inform you instead of Im writing.
Legal or technical documents are particularly written in a very formal style.
The contract will start in November.
Attached herein is a copy of the aforementioned document
I should be very obliged if

The distinction between formal and informal style is especially clear when writing
letters or e-mails. When someone writes a letter or an e-mail to a friend or to a
person with whom he or she has a close relationship, the style used is less formal.
Therefore, the initial greeting and the closure are different from the formulae used
in formal letters.

Informal letter

Formal letter

Initial greeting

Initial greeting

Dear Tom
Hello

Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Adams (with known receptors)

Dear Sir/Madam (with unknown receptors)

Closure
Kind regards
Lots of love
Much love
Regards
With best wishes
With kindest regards
With love from

Closure

Yours faithfully (with unknown receptors)

Yours sincerely (with known receptors)

In conversations there are also different styles depending on the context. The
following table shows some formal and informal expressions in different situations:

026

Lexical and semantic contents

Formal

Less formal

Greetings

Hello!
Good morning/afternoon/evening!
How are you?

Hi!
Hows a thing?
How are things going?

Answer to greetings

Very well, thank you, and you?

Fine, thanks
Great!
So, so

Check understanding

Have I made that clear?

Have you figure it out?

Got it?
Are you with me?
Are you following?

Show understanding

I see/understand
Thats clear

I get it

Show you dont understand

What do you mean?

I cant follow you
Im not sure I get what you mean
Let me check if I heard you correctly

I dont get you

Im not following you
What was that?

Introduce good news

We regret to
Im sorry but
Im afraid it wont
Unfortunately

I hate to tell you

I feel sorry but

Express condolence

I was very sorry to hear

Id like to express my bereavement
Our condolence over

I am sad to learn that

Express something sure

Definitely/Doubtlessly
Without any question
There is no question that

Surely
Certainly

Express something probable

Seemingly/Apparently
On the face of it

Probably/Actually/Really
It seems that

Generalize

All things considered

Broadly speaking

In general
By and large

Convince for

I like to reassure you

You have my personal guarantee

I assure you that

There is no doubt

Convince against

Theres no guarantee
Im not convinced

I am not sure
Its not a good idea
Im against

Say thanks

Thats very kind of you

Im thankful/grateful for
I appreciate your interest

Thank you very much

Thank you
Thanks

Replies to thanks

Dont mention it
It was a pleasure
Im glad you enjoyed

Thats okay
Youre welcome (most used in AmE)

Thank people for coming

Its been a pleasure to speak to you

Ive been delighted to meet to you

Thank you for coming

Ive enjoyed your company today

Offer

Would you like some coffee?

Would you care for some tea?

How about a cup of coffee?

Can I bring you something?

Invite someone

Would you like to...?

Id like to invite you to
Wed be delighted to have you

Do you want ?
How about?
Why dont we?

Accept an invitation

That would be wonderful

That sounds perfect
Its so nice

Sounds good
Good idea
Great

Decline an invitation

Thanks for asking but

I dont think Id be able

No can do
Id rather not
Cant make it

Thank after an invitation

Thanks for your hospitality

What a pleasure

I enjoyed/loved

Apologies

Please accept my apologies

I would like to apologize you for

Im sorry, but
Im really sorry about that
Sorry

Replies to apologies

Thats all right

Dont worry about it

Never mind

Farewell

Goodbye!
Good night!
See you tomorrow/on Monday

Bye!

027

English B1

Did you know?

Thanks a lot! is sarcastic. You can use
this expression in an informal context, for
example, when you say to a friend You
ate all my cake! Thanks a lot!.

When somebody gives you information or when you buy something, you are
expected to say Thank you or Thanks. Some people even could feel offended
if the other person does not say it. Usually people do not need to say anything as a
reply, although some people may say some expressions like the following.
Thats all right.
Thats okay.
Dont mention it.

In AmE they may say You are welcome.

Besides, people may say Thank you or Yes, please when they want to accept
something.
Have a coffee?
Thank you/Thanks/Yes, please.

They say No, thank you or No, thanks to refuse something.

Would you like some more coffee?
No, thank you/No, thanks!

People say Please when they want to ask for something. In BrE it introduces
or ends this kind of requests but in AmE it may appears always at the beginning
of a request.
Please, could I get into the car? (BrE and AmE)
Could I get into the car, please? (BrE)

English speakers very often apologize: not only when they do something wrongly
but also when they communicate bad news or something not good. In the latter
cases, sorry doesnt mean apology but regret.
Im sorry you couldnt come yesterday.

People say Excuse me when they want to go past somebody. It is also used
when someone wants to attract attention of someone else whom he or she
doesnt know.
Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the nearest bank?
Excuse me, sir. Is this seat vacant?

Sorry or Im sorry are used in BrE for apologies: Sorry, Im late; Im sorry, but
would you mind if you wait outside? The last sentence implies that the speaker
is apologizing in advance for any inconvenience. I beg your pardon is more
formal: I beg your pardon, I should call you early. In AmE, both Pardon me and
Excuse me are used for apologies: Excuse me/Pardon me, I couldnt phone
you before.
When someone passes someone else
in the street, the first one usually says:
Excuse me

028

In BrE people also say Pardon? or Sorry? when they did not hear and they
need to ask for something to be repeated: Pardon, could you say that again?. In
AmE you say Pardon me? or Excuse me? instead: Excuse me, what was
that? Saying What? is not polite.

Lexical and semantic contents

Common vocabulary and expressions 1.2.2.

in colloquial English
In every language, there are some words that people use in a colloquial
way. These expressions are very common among young people and talking
with friends, colleagues or relatives. However, we must be careful because
this vocabulary and expressions can offend people or may be considered
inappropriate by someone else.
Some words and expressions very frequently used in colloquial English are
those used to speak about someone. English people may call a young man
lad boy: I have spoken with the lad boy of 5th floor, hes nice! Ace is used
in AmE refer to someone being the best at something: He is an ace football
player. This word is also used as a colloquial word referred to a foolish person:
Look, ace, you cant cook a cake with salt rather sugar, because it isnt tasty.
When someone talks about famous people, usually use celeb; this word
refers to a celebrity.

Guy mainly refers to a man, but in modern English it may be also used with
reference to a woman. This word is used in very informal situations: Hey, guys,
lets go! Rare bird refers to an unusual person or a person with rare talents
or abilities: She is a rare bird who enjoys classical music and cant understand
modern one. Babe, for example Peters girlfriend is such a babe, implies that
that girl is very attractive. Sub is the short for substitute: I was a sub teacher for
two months.
Other terms used to address a male are: mate, old boy, bud, pal, mister, bo, baby,
babe, boss, bub, doc, buddy, chief.
OK, boss, how are you doing?
Whats up doc?
Stop over there, will you, old man?

Vocabulary
The word boss has its origin in Dutch
baas, meaning master.

Keep the change, bo.

In colloquial English there may be several words to refer to the same concept
or idea. Some examples are the following.
- To refer to a fat person: fatty, jelly-belly, etc.
- To refer to a thin person: beanpole, weed, streak, etc.
- To refer to pregnancy: to be in the family way, to be expecting, to be in pod, etc.

029

English B1

Family is a topic which can be referred to by saying many colloquial words. To

designate relations or members of a family in colloquial situations we can say
folks, tribe or clan. To refer to a brother people sometimes use bro,
to refer to a sister, sis. Auntie or aunty are two usual forms to refer to an
aunt. In colloquial situations and contexts people use different terms when they
speak about parents. To refer to a father: dad, dada, dada, daddy, pappy, pa, pop,
poppa, etc. To refer to a mother: mam, mammy, mummy, mum, mumsy, mums,
ma, momma, mom, mommy, old girl, old woman, old lady, etc. Other colloquial
words are the following:
- To refer to a spouse: better half.
- To refer to a husband: hubby, old man, papa, pot and pan, monkey man.
- To refer to wife: old woman, missus, missis, duchess, Mrs.
- To refer to a former spouse or lover: ex
Some words or expressions commonly used when speaking with children are:
bellyache (it means stomach ache): Mum, I have a bellyache. Boo-boo
means an error: I made a small boo-boo. Little children use Bow-wow to refer
to a dog. See you later, alligator means goodbye; it is answered by After a
while crocodile.
There are also slang words to talk about money: tenner means 10, fiver
means 5 and quid means 1. Cabbage means money: I havent enough
cabbage to buy that dress.
Other colloquial expressions are the following: To be amped, for instance
Im amped! meaning that the speaker cant wait for something to happen. The
expression Its monkeys outside means Its very cold. To lose the plot
means to go crazy or mentally unstable.
Give me five! and Give me some skin!
mean Shake my hand!, that is, a request
for some form of touching in greeting

To give someone a bell, for instance Ill give you a bell, means Ill call you.
In the same way, give someone a buzz means to give someone a telephone
call: Give me a buzz tomorrow morning.
To thank, English people used to say Thank you or simply Thanks which is
more usual in informal contexts. Another very colloquial expression is Thanks a
buch, but the meaning is different because it has an ironic tone.
Colloquial word

Did you know?

People say cheese when someone
takes a photography of them. Note that
your mouth smiles when you say that
word.

Meaning

Ginger

Red-haired person

Head

Headache

Sec

Second

Show biz

Show business

Silks

Clothing

Specs

Eyeglasses, spectacles

Telly

Television

To trash

To throw away

To wheel

To drive

Up

Happy

Veg

Vegetable

Vid

Video

Widow-maker

Extremely dangerous

A toast is a kind of congratulation in which a drink, usually an alcoholic drink, is

taken to honour or congratulate a person, to whom someone proposes a toast. To
make a toast people usually say the following expressions.

030