English Vocabulary and Grammar: Key Concepts
Real Estate Terms
Property Boom:
- A furnished studio apartment
- A period cottage
- A barn conversion
- A basement flat
- An unfurnished warehouse conversion
Abbreviations:
- N/S: Non-smoker
- PCM: Per calendar month
- Inc: Include
- Sat: Satellite
- Min: Minimum
- GCH: Gas central heating
- Voc: Block
- Amenities: Amenities
- Character: Character
- Detached: Separate
- Lease: Rent
- Mains gas: Central
- Open plan: Living room + dining + kitchen together
Life Stages
Stages of Life:
- Child: Child
- The elderly: The elderly
- Teenager/adolescent: Teenage
- Toddler: Child 1 to 2 years
- OAP: Old age pensioner
- Youth: Youth
Vocabulary:
- Be born: Birth
- Be brought up: Grow up
- Be buried: Buried
- Change: Change
- Gain: Gain
- Get married: Married
- Grow up: Grow
- Leave: Leave
- Pass away: Die
- Retire: Retire, retire
- Settle down: Installed
- Start: Start
- Thirties: Thirties
Infancy > Childhood > Adolescence > Middle age > Adulthood > Old age
Talking About the Future
- Will: Used for future events, predictions, instantaneous decisions, offers, and promises (often with "I think," "I'm sure..."). Example: I will be 21 in June.
- Going to: Used for future plans and predictions based on current evidence. Example: Tony is going to take us to Angelmo.
- Present Continuous: Used for agreements and pre-arranged plans. Example: I'm meeting Alicia for drinks tonight, and Harry and Chelsea are coming around for dinner. (Seeing the doctor)
- Present Simple: Used for schedules or timetables. Example: The bus leaves at 2:15 PM, and the match starts at 3:00 PM.
Common Phrasal Verbs
- Put up with something/somebody: Tolerate
- Set something up: Establish (a business)
- Hold something/somebody up: Delay
- Do something up: Renovate
- Own up (to something): Confess
- Get somebody down: Depress
- Cut down on something: Reduce
- Put something down to: Attribute
- Put somebody down: Criticize
- Look down on somebody: Think that you are superior to
Non-Metric Measures
- Length: 1 inch (in) = 25.4 mm | 12 inches = 1 foot (ft) = 30.48 cm | 3 feet = 1 yard = 0.914 meters | 1 mile = 1.609 kilometers
- Weight: 1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 grams | 16 ounces = 1 pound (lb) = 0.454 kilograms | 14 pounds = 1 stone (st) = 6.356 kilograms (used for people's weight) | 1 ton = 1.016 kilograms
- Volume: 1 pint (pt) = 0.568 liters | 8 pints = 1 gallon = 4.546 liters
Verb Patterns
Verbs Followed by -ing Form
Admit, advise, avoid, can't bear, can't help, carry on, consider, delay, refer, deny, enjoy, envisage, fancy, feel, finish, give up, have difficulty, imagine, intend, it's no good, it's not worth, justify, keep (on), mind, practice, propose, put off, recollect, recommend, risk, stop, spend time, suggest
Verbs Followed by to + Infinitive
Allow, ask, command, dare, enable, encourage, expect, forbid, force, get, inspire, invite, order, permit, persuade, remind, request, teach, tell, trust, urge, warn, want, wish, would like, would prefer
Verbs Followed by Object + Base Form
Help, make, know, let, notice
Verbs Followed by -ing Form
Admit, advise, avoid, can't bear, can't help, carry on, consider, delay, refer, deny, enjoy, envisage, fancy, feel, finish, give up, have difficulty, imagine, like, intend, it's no good, it's not worth, justify, keep on, mind, practice, propose, put off, recollect, recommend, risk, stop, spend time, suggest
Verbs Followed by to + Infinitive
Agree, ask, beg, dare, choose, expect, fail, happen, hope, manage, mean, offer, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, want, wish, would like, would prefer
Verbs Followed by Object + to + Infinitive
Allow, ask, command, dare, enable, encourage, expect, forbid, force, get, inspire, invite, order, permit, persuade, remind, request, teach, tell, trust, urge, warn, want, wish, would like, would prefer
Verbs Followed by Object + Base Form
Help, make, let, know, notice
Verbs Followed by Object + Past Participle
Get, have