U5: IDEAS
VOCABULARY:
-CHANGE:
oReact to change: adapt to + noun; adjust to + noun
oMake a positive change: have a positive effect on +
noun/pronoun; enabled + noun/pronoun + infinitive with to
oMake a negative change: have devastating effects on +
noun/pronoun; cause/do harm to + noun/pronoun; cause
damage to + noun
oMake a big change: revolutionise + noun; transform + noun
-COMPOUND NOUNS:
oCompromise: trade off
oExpectation: outlook
oSystem failure: breakdown
oA discovery: breakthrough
oDisadvantage: downside, drawback
oResult: outcome
Compound nouns are usually made of two words. They can be
written as separate words, e.g. bottle cap, or a single word, e.g.
breakthrough/outlook/drawback/breakdown/outcome/downside,
or they can be written with a hyphen, e.g. trade-off. The plural is
made by adding an s to the end, e.g. breakdowns. Several
common compound nouns are made of a verb + preposition, e.g.
breakthrough/trade-off/drawback/breakdown, or a preposition or
adverb + verb, e.g. outlook/outcome. If you understand both
parts of the compound, you can often guess the meaning.
-ADVERTASING COLLOCATIONS:
oA product: launch, advertise, promote, endorse
oA price: set, raise, increase, reduce,
oA market: break into, enter, dominate, see a gap in
-COLLOCATIONS WITH IDEA:
oGet: come up with
oTerrible: dreadful
oSay no to: reject
oSay … are bad: criticise
oExpanding: developing
oCrazy: bizarre
oNot … practical: unrealistic
oObvious: predictable
GRAMMAR:
-ARTICLES:
oA/an: with a singular countable nouns when you are not
talking about a particular thing, or when you mention
something for the first time.
E: a lawsuit, a key part (not the only key/important part of
family life)
oThe: with any type of noun when you and your reader/listener
know which particular thing you are talking about, for
example because it is unique or it has been mentioned
before.
E: the fast food chain (mentioned before McDonald’s), The
World Health Organization (unique)
o- : with plural and uncountable nouns to talk about things in
general.
E: reality television (uncountable), British men (plural),
women (plural)
o- : with most place names such as continents, countries,
cities.
E: America
oThe: in fixed phrases such as in … 1960s, in … beginning.
E: the late 1880s, the USA
oThe: with a singular countable noun or an adjective used as a
noun for something in general.
E: the modern car, the wealthy
-REAL AND HYPOTHETICAL CONDITIONALS:
oUse a real conditional when …
a) Something is always or generally true:
If + present simple + present simple
b) Something is likely to happen in the future as a result of a
possible action/situation:
If + present simple + (future with) will
oUse a hypothetical conditional when something is unlikely to
happen in the present or future:
If + past simple + would (+ infinitive without to)
oAs alternatives to if, it is possible to use:
a) Unless to mean if not
b) Provided, providing, on condition that or as long as to
mean if and only if.
c) Suppose, supposing, image or let’s say to say that
something is unlikely.
