Biz-E-Training

Vocabulary review (1)

Here is a series of short activities that will help you review some of the vocabulary touched on in the Business English (B1) course.

1. Phrases & collocations

Choose the correct word (or phrase) to complete each of the following sentences.

2. Re-write the sentences
  1. Complete the new version of each sentence.
  2. Use the word(s) given in brackets plus any additional words that may be needed.
  3. Do NOT change the words given in brackets in any way.
  4. Make sure that your new version KEEPS the meaning of the original sentence.
  5. Here’s an example:

We made this product especially for the customer.
The product ……………….. the customer. (TAILORED)
Answer: …was tailored for…

3. Mini-dialogues
  1. Choose the correct response in each mini-dialogue.
  2. Here’s an example:
John:I was wondering if you could come on Monday?
Franca:Yes, I was wondering about that too.
Yes, I’d be happy to.
May I come on Monday?
Further study

Here are some tips for learning new vocabulary.

Tips

To expand your vocabulary, it’s important to first notice and then make a note of new words and combinations of words. When you are reading or listening to English the main focus is on understanding, enjoying and benefitting from what has been written or said.

However, to expand your vocabulary, you also need to pay attention to the language being used to convey the information or express the ideas and opinions. Rather than skip over them (as we all tend to do in our rush to get to the meaning), we need to slow down, notice any new words whose meaning we’re not actually sure of, make a note of them and find out how they are being used in the particular context. A good dictionary can be of great help in doing this: Cambridge Dictionary.

If the word or phrase is something that you’d like to add to your own active vocabulary – that is, vocabulary that you can use to express yourself fluently and confidently – you need to take one more step. You need to work on the vocabulary item so that it passes from your short-term to your long-term memory. How you do this depends on your own learning preferences. If you enjoy working digitally using your smartphone, then creating vocabulary sets using an app like Quizlet will prove effective. You may prefer, though, to use more traditional methods such as creating word lists and test yourself. Or you may prefer to do the same using sets of vocabulary cards.

The important thing is that you find a method that works for you and that motivates you to work on your vocabulary regularly, even if it’s only five minutes a day!