Learning English

General vocabulary - Unit 6

achieve
succeed in doing or getting something, especially after a lot of effort

hurdles
frames or fences that people jump over in a running race

sailed
travelled across water in a boat or ship

the South Pole
the point on the earth’s surface (in Antarctica) that is further south than any other point

qualify
(here) be successful in one stage of a competition so that you are allowed to move to the next stage

retired
stopped working because of old age

eavesdrop
secretly listen to someone else’s private conversation

during
from the beginning to the end of a particular length of time or activity

No way!
(here) Wow! That’s amazing!

Cheer up!
this expression means: Don't be sad!

counts
(here) is important

the treble
In English football, the treble refers to a team winning 3 main trophies in one season of football, usually the Premiership, the Champions League and the FA cup.

triathlon
a type of race where people swim, cycle, and run over very long distances

in plaster
when a broken bone is put into a hard cover to hold it in position while it gets better we say it’s ‘in plaster’

nervous
worried and scared

debut
first appearance or performance

progressed
improved; got better

anticipated
expected (something to happen)

evolving
(here) changing and improving

ultimate
(here) the best possible

spell
(here) period of time

favourably
in a good way

excited
very happy and full of energy because something good is happening or is going to happen

journalist
person whose job is to report the news for a newspaper, magazine, radio or television programme

restarted
began again

subtitles
a translation or text of what people are saying on TV or a film that is shown at the bottom of the screen

actually
this word is used to stress what really happened in a situation

[sic]
a word written in square brackets […] after a word that you have copied to show that you know it has been spelled or used wrongly

retired
stopped working because of reaching a certain age

hero
a person who admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great.

celebrity
a famous person, especially in entertainment or sport.

challenge
a situation that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully

exhausted
very tired

adored
loved and admired

 

-ing and –ed adjectives

Both –ing and –ed adjectives help us to talk about our feelings.

The main difference is that –ing adjectives are usually used to talk about the person, place or thing that is making us feel a certain way:

Yawn! This lecture is really boring!

But –ed adjectives are used to talk about how we feel:

I’ve been listening to him for hours – I’m so bored.

Be careful: If you say I am boring – it’s grammatically correct, but it means that you make other people feel bored!

Here are some common pairs of -ed and -ing adjectives:

exciting and excited

We have seen some exciting developments in technology recently.

 

We are excited about our new range of smartphones.

surprising and surprised

It is surprising how little we know about our oceans.

 

My whole family was there for my party – I was so surprised!

annoying and annoyed

I hate popup adverts on the internet – they’re annoying!

 

I’m sorry, I know you’re annoyed – I won’t make that mistake again!

relaxing and relaxed

Some people find listening to classical music very relaxing.

 

Doing yoga makes me feel more relaxed.

confusing and confused

I couldn’t understand the story in that film – it was too confusing.

 

If lots of people are talking at the same time, I get confused.

 

News Report

captain
someone who leads a team

skill
ability, especially in difficult things

skinny
very thin

talent
natural ability

rough diamond
someone who is very good or nice, even though they don't look that way

coach
someone who teaches sports

physically
in terms of the body

recover
get better after losing something (like health or energy)

fee
price; amount of money you pay for something

 

The Race

pinched
stolen

lawless
not obeying laws, sometimes by using violence

bounty
(here) large amount of stolen money and valuable things

sabotage
doing something, for example, causing damage, to stop something else being successful

joyriders
people who steal a vehicle (or boat) and drive it fast and dangerously just for pleasure

scallywags
people who behave badly

swashbuckling
brave, exciting and often fighting

lawless
not obeying laws

Irregular verbs

Infinitive - Past simple - Past participle

fall - fell - fallen

feel - felt - felt

get - got - got

go - went - gone or been

have - had - had

hurt - hurt - hurt

keep - kept - kept

put - put - put

run - ran - run

take - took - taken

tell - told - told

win - won - won