Determiners

 ‘Determiner’ is a general term for words which are used before nouns to show which
person or thing is being referred to. Determiners of quantity are used to describe
how much or little of something there is.
a complete a large a small zero
amount amount amount amount ➝
all many enough a few no
every much few neither
each most several
both a little
little
The following determiners must only be used with countable nouns in the plural:
We don’t get many tourists here. We get several letters a week.
Hold on with both hands. I take fewer trips abroad these days.
We’ve invited a fewfriends to dinner. So fewpeople attended.
Note: Fewhas a negative meaning, and means ‘almost no’. A fewhas a positive
meaning and means ‘some’.
The following determiners must only be used with uncountable nouns:
Will it take much time? I had less money than I thought.
Add a little salt. We get so little light in this room.
Note: Little has a negative meaning, and means ‘almost no’. A little has a positive
meaning and means ‘some’.
The following determiners can be used with countable nouns in the plural and with
uncountable nouns:
Kim’s got more bags than me. Kim’s got more luggage than me.
Most items of jewellery are made Most gold is used to make jewellery.
from gold.
All children should receive education. All meat is rich in protein.
Do you have enough clothes? We don’t have enough furniture.
He left no instructions. There’s no ice in the fridge.
The following determiners must be used with singular countable nouns:
He checked each document carefully. Every child needs affection.
If you follow one determiner with another determiner (such as the or this) you
usually put of between them.
Take some bread. Take some of the bread.
Every and no cannot be used with of. Every one of or none of is used instead.
Every tree is marked with a cross Every one of the young trees is
marked with a cross.
We have no accurate information. None of this information is
accurate.

Common mistakes

The following pages show you the type of
mistakes that advanced learners of English
make when they write exam papers. All our
information on the type of mistakes that
students make in writing comes from the
Cambridge Learner Corpus. The Cambridge
Learner Corpus (CLC) is based on a large
collection of exam papers that have been
written by students taking Cambridge ESOL
English exams. At the moment this corpus
contains nearly 28 million words of English
written by learners and it is growing all
the time.
The mistakes below have been grouped into
different types, for example a learner may have
spelled a word wrongly, or they may have used
a regular tense for an irregular verb. Many of
these mistakes are well-known to teachers.
The Cambridge Learner Corpus has been
developed in partnership with Cambridge
ESOL, whose exams are taken by students
all over the world.
The Top 10 Spelling Mistakes
The list below shows you the ten words that
advanced students most often spell wrongly
in the Cambridge Learner Corpus. The bold
letters in these words show you which parts
of the words learners most often get wrong.
To help you spell these words correctly, pay
special attention to these letters in the correct
spellings:
Correct spelling
1 accommodation
2 which
3 government
4 beginning
5 definitely
6 successful
7 environment
8 advertisement
9 believe
10 colleague
Spelling words in English can be difficult for
learners because sometimes a word is very
similar to a word in their own language but
is not spelled the same. This is why French
learners of English, for example, spell success
with only one ‘s’, or colleague without an ‘a’.
Another thing that makes spelling difficult
is that some words in English do not sound
exactly as they are spelled. In the word
definitely, for example, the second ‘i’ sounds
more like an ‘a’. It is important that students
of English learn these differences.
The Top 10 Uncountable Noun Mistakes
An uncountable noun is a noun such as
furniture, music, health or happiness that
has no plural form and is not a singular noun.
Because uncountable nouns have no singular
or plural form, they cannot be used with a,
an, many, few, several etc. At an entry for an
uncountable noun in this dictionary you will
see the grammar code [U] and at an entry for
a countable noun, you will see the grammar
code [C]. At an entry for a noun that can be
both countable and uncountable, you will see
the grammar code [C or U]. For examples of
these, see the entries below:
"adjective with special permission not to do or pay
something: Goods exempt from this tax include books
and children’s clothes. * Pregnant women are exempt
from dental charges under the current health system.
Word partners for exercise healthy activity
do/get/take exercise . be good exercise . daily/
regular exercise . strenuous/vigorous exercise
. gentle/light/moderate exercise . a form of exercise
. an exercise class/programme/routine
Word partners for exercise practice
perform/take part in an exercise . the aim/object/
point/purpose of the exercise . a futile/pointless
exercise . a useful/worthwhile exercise . an exercise
in sth
exercise /"ek.s@.saIz/ /-s -/
"noun healthy activityk1.E [CorU] physical activity
that you do to make your body strong and healthy:
Swimming is my favourite form of exercise. * You really
should take more exercise. * I do stomach exercises most
days. practicek2.E [C] an action or actions intended
to improve something or make something happen:
Ships from eight navies will be taking part in an exercise
in the Pacific to improve their efficiency in combat. * It
would be a useful exercise for you to say the speech aloud
several times. * an exercise in public relations 3.E [C] a
short piece of written work which you do to practise
something you are learning: The book has exercises at
the end of every chapter. usek 4 [U] formal the use of
something: The exercise of restraint may well be difficult.
ceremonyk 5 exercises [plural] us formal a ceremony
which includes speeches and usually traditional music
or activities: graduation exercises
Common mistake: exercise
Warning: Check your spelling!
Exercise is one of the 50 words most often spelled
wrongly by learners.
"verb do healthy activityk 1.I [I or T] to do physical
activities to make your body strong and healthy: She
exercises most evenings usually by running. * A work-out
in the gym will exercise all the major muscle groups. 2 [T]
If you exercise an animal, you make it walk or run so
that it stays strong and healthy: Now he’s retired he
spends most afternoons exercising his dogs. usek 3.A
[T] formal to use something: I exercised my democratic
exfoliate dead skin improve /-%foU-/ ex gratia gratia is made were made exhale /of your mouthpiece. S@n/ noun exhaust "verb tired: exhausted something world’s exhausted this topic say about "noun car’s, or the main Car on exhausted tired: reached exhaustible supplies so there resources exhausting you feel exhaustion are extremely exhaustive thorough: /Ig"zO;.documented.
exLhaust the back from the exhibit "verb Important words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ger and cooler: The wind is expected to freshen as it
moves in from the east. drinkk 3 [T] (also freshen up)
mainly us If you freshen someone’s especially alcoholic
drink, you add more to it: Here, let me freshen your
drink.
"phrasal verbs freshen (sb/sth) up [M] to make someone
or something clean and pleasant: Would you like to
freshen up after your journey? * [R] I’mjust going to have
a shower to freshen myself up.
freshen sth up [M] to make something different and
more interesting or attractive: The Prime Minister has
freshened up her Cabinet with a few new faces.
fresher /"freS.@r/ /- / noun [C] uk informal a student
who has recently started studying at a college or university
fresh-faced /"freS.feIst/ adjective looking young: freshfaced
18- and 19-year-old soldiers
freshly /"freS.li/ adverb recently done: freshly baked bread
* freshly made sandwiches * freshly washed hair
freshman /"freS.m@n/ noun [C] us 1 (informal frosh) a student
in the first year of high school, college, or university:
He’s a freshman at Harvard. * Greg and Jody
met in their freshman year at college and married soon
after they graduated. 2 someone who has recently
started any particular job or activity: a freshman in
Congress * a freshman football player
freshwater /"freS%wO;.t@r/ /-%wA;.8 / adjective [before
noun] living in or containing water that is not salty:
freshwater fish * a freshwater lake/river cCompare salt
water
fret /fret/
"verb [I] (-tt-) to be nervous or worried: Don’t fret - I’m
sure he’s OK. * She spent the day fretting about/over
what she’d said to Nicky.
"noun [C] any of the small raised metal bars across the
long thin part of a stringed musical instrument such as
a guitar, that show you where to put your fingers on the
strings in order to produce different notes c See picture
Music on page P25 . fretted /"fret.Id/ /"fre8-/ adjective
Guitars and lutes are fretted musical instruments.
fretboard /"fret.bO;d/ /-bO;rd/ noun [C] a fingerboard
(= long strip of wood on a stringed musical instrument
against which the strings are pressed) with frets such as
on a guitar c See picture Music on page P25
fretful /"fret.f@l/ adjective behaving in a way that shows
you are unhappy, worried or uncomfortable: By midnight
the children were tired and fretful (= complaining
a lot because they were unhappy). . fretfully /"fret.f@l.i/
adverb
fretsaw /"fret.sO;/ /-sA;/ noun [C] a saw for cutting
curves and inside corners in wood
fretwork /"fret.w3;k/ /-w ;k/ noun [U] decorative open
patterns especially cut out of wood or metal or made in
embroidery
Freudian /"frOI.di.@n/ adjective relating to the ideas or
methods of Sigmund Freud, especially his ideas about
the way in which people’s hidden thoughts and feelings
influence their behaviour
KFreudian Lslip noun [C] something which you say by accident
friary /"fraI@.ri/ /"fraI .i/ noun [C] a building in which
friars live
fricassee /"frIk.@.si;/ noun [C or U] a dish made of pieces
of meat, especially chicken or veal (= meat from young
cows) cooked and served in a white sauce
friction /"frIk.S@n/ noun [U] forcek 1 the force which
makes it difficult for one object to slide along the surface
of another or to move through a liquid or gas:
When you rub your hands together the friction produces
heat. disagreementk2 disagreement or unfriendliness
caused by people having different opinions: There’s a
lot of friction between my wife and my mother. * Politics
is a source of considerable friction in our family. * Border
clashes have led to increased friction between the two
countries. . frictional /"frIk.S@n.@l/ adjective
Friday /"fraI.deI/ noun [C or U] (written abbreviation Fri) .E the day of the week after Thursday and before
Saturday: Shall we go to the theatre on Friday? * I love
Fridays because I leave work early.
fridge /frIdZ/ noun [C] (also refrigerator, us old-fashioned
ice-box).A a piece of kitchen equipment which uses
electricity to preserve food at a cold temperature: Don’t
forget to put the milk back in the fridge. c See picture In
the Kitchen on page P1
fridge-freezer /%frIdZ"fri;.z@r/ /-z / noun [C] (us
usually refrigerator-freezer) a piece of kitchen equipment
divided into two parts which are used to keep
food fresh, one of which is a fridge and the other a
freezer
Lfridge Kmagnet noun [C] a small decorative magnet used
for fastening messages and notes to a fridge
fried /fraId/ adjective cooked in hot oil or fat: a fried egg
Word partners for friend
have / find / make friends . be / become friends with
sb . sb’s best /closest /oldest friend
friend /frend/
"noun [C] person you likek 1.E a person who you
know well and who you like a lot, but who is usually not
a member of your family: She’s my best/oldest/closest
friend - we’ve known each other since we were five. * He’s
a family friend/friend of the family. * This restaurant
was recommended to me by a friend of mine. * We’ve
been friends for years. * Jose´ and Pilar are (good) friends
of ours. * We’re (good) friends with Jose´ and Pilar. * She
said that she and Peter were just (good) friends (= they
were not having a sexual relationship). * I’vemade a lot
of friends in this job. * He finds it difficult to make
friends. cSee also befriend 2 someone who is not an
enemy and who you can trust: You don’t have to pretend
anymore - you’re among friends now. person giving
moneyk 3 someone who gives money to a theatre,
other arts organization or charity in order to support
it: The Friends of the Royal Academy raised £10 000
towards the cost of the exhibition.
"idioms A friend in need (is a friend indeed). saying This
means that a friend who helps you when you really
need help is a true friend. . have friends in high places
to know important people who can help you get what
you want . What are friends for? (also That’s what
friends are for.) saying said to a friend who has thanked
Important words to learn:.E Essential.I Improver.A Advanced friend
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
F
obj + -ing verb] I sit by the
window and watch people
walking past. * [+
question word] Just watch
how he slides that ball in
past the goalkeeper.
* Bonner watched
helplessly as the ball
sneaked in at the near
post. * She’ll pretend that
she hasn’t seen us - you
watch. 2.A [T] to stay with something or someone
such as a child for a short time to make certain that
they are safe: If you want me to watch the kids for a
couple of hours while you go out, just let me know.
* Could you watch my bags for me, while I go to the toilet?
be carefulk3.A [T] to be careful of something: I have
to watch my weight (= be careful not to become too
heavy) now I’m not doing so much sport. * Watch your
language (= Do not use rude words) in front of ladies,
young man! * [+ (that)] Watch (that) you don’t get glue
on your fingers, won’t you? * [+ question word] Watch
what you’re doing with that knife, Jim, it’s sharp. * You
want to (= You should) watch him- he’s a bit of a strange
character.
"idioms watch your back to be careful of the people
around you, making certain that they do nothing to
harm you: I have to watch my back at work - there are a
lot of people who would like my job. . watch your step to
be very careful about how you behave: He’ll have to
watch his step if he wants to keep that job of his!
. watch it informal used to tell someone to be careful:
Watch it, you nearly knocked my head off with that plank!
. watch paint dry informal humorous used to refer to an
activity that you consider extremely boring: "So you
don’t want to watch the football?" "To be honest I would
rather watch paint dry". . watch the clock disapproving to
often notice the time and wish that it was later, especially
when you are doing work that you do not like
. watch the world go by to look at people as they go
past: I love sitting in outdoor cafes watching the world
go by. . watch this space If someone says watch this
space, they mean that there will very soon be an exciting
change in their situation.
"phrasal verbs watch out.I used to warn someone of
danger or an accident that seems likely to happen:
"Watch out!" he shouted, but it was too late - she had
knocked the whole tray of drinks on the floor.
watch out for sb/sth to be careful to notice someone or
something interesting: Watch out for his latest movie,
which comes out next month.
that is entertaining: It’s not the most profound series
I’ve ever seen but it’s very watchable.
watchdog /"wQtS.dQg/ /"wA;tS.dA;g/ noun [C] organizationk
1 a person or organization responsible for
making certain that companies obey particular standards
and do not act illegally: The Countryside Commission
was set up as the government’s official watchdog on
conservation. dogk 2 us for guard dog
-watcher /-wQtS.@r/ /-wA;.tS / suffix used with nouns
to describe a person who is interested in and enjoys
watching a particular thing: Royal-watchers have once
again been speculating on the health of the princess.
watcher /"wQtS.@r/ /"wA;.tS / noun [C] a person who
watches television or films: The new channel is certainly
good news for the movie watcher. cSee also viewer
watchful /"wQtS.f@l/ /"wA;tS-/ adjective paying careful
attention and ready to deal with problems: Under the
watchful eye of their mother, the two boys played on the
shore. * She keeps a watchful eye on her husband to see
that he behaves himself. . watchfully /"wQtS.f@l.i/
/"wA;tS-/ adverb . watchfulness /"wQtS.f@l.n@s/
/"wA;tS-/ noun [U]
watchman /"wQtS.m@n/ /"wA;tS-/ noun [C] a person
who is employed to guard a building or several buildings
watchstrap /"wQtS.str&p/ /"wA;tS-/ noun [C] mainly uk
(us watchband) a strip of leather or other material or a
metal chain which fastens a watch onto your wrist
watchtower /"wQtS%taU@r/ /"wA;tS%taUr/ noun [C] a
tower built especially around the edges of prisons and
army camps, the top of which provides a good position
from which to see anyone who is coming close
watchword /"wQtS.w3;d/ /"wA;tS.w ;d/ noun [C usually
singular] (a word or phrase which represents) the main
ideas or principles directing the way that someone
behaves or the way that something is done: And remember,
let caution be your watchword.
water /"wO;.t@r/ /"wA;.8 /
"noun 1.E [U] a clear liquid, without colour or taste,
which falls from the sky as rain and is necessary for
animal and plant life: a bottle/drink/glass of water
* bottled/mineral/tap water * hot/cold water * Can I
have a drop of water in my whiskey, please? * Is the
water hot enough for a bath? * The human body is
about 50% water. 2.E [U] an area of water, such as
the sea, a lake or a swimming pool: The water’s much
warmer today - are you coming for a swim? * I like swimming
but I don’t like getting my head under (= in) water.
* Dad, I swam a whole length of the pool under water
Important words to learn:.E Essential.I Improver.A Advanced water
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition
© Cambridge University Press 2008
Here are some examples of typical mistakes
that students make with uncountable nouns,
followed by the correct way to say each
sentence:
✗✗ He gave me an advice.
✓✓ He gave me some advice.
✓✓ *He gave me a piece of advice.
✗✗ He gave me a lot of advices.
✗✗ He gave me many advices.
✓✓ He gave me a lot of advice.
*Note that you can make some of these nouns
countable by adding a phrase such as ‘piece
of ’ or ‘item of ’ before the noun, e.g. She gave
me two very useful pieces of advice.
The words numbered 1–10 below, taken from
the Cambridge Learner Corpus, are the ten
uncountable nouns that advanced students
most often use wrongly as if they were
countable.
Uncountable noun
1 information pieces of information
2 advice pieces of advice
3 transport methods of transport
4 equipment pieces of equipment
5 behaviour* types of behaviour
6 research* pieces of research
7 training
8 knowledge
9 software pieces of software
10 accommodation
*These words also have meanings that can be
made plural. See the main dictionary for these.
Although a lot of languages have words that
do not have a plural form, these are not always
the same words in different languages. The
words for furniture in German, Russian and
Italian, for example, all have a plural form.
Therefore it is easy for learners of English to
make mistakes with uncountable nouns.
The Top 10 Mistakes Using Nouns
With Irregular Plurals
To make most countable nouns plural in
English, you usually add an ‘s’ at the end, for
example, dog – dogs. However, some nouns
do not follow this rule and have an irregular
plural form. The following list shows the ten
nouns with irregular plural forms that cause
the most difficulty for advanced learners
of English. The words on the left show the
singular form of the noun and the words on
the right show the correct plural form:
Singular Plural
1 life lives
2 child children
3 belief beliefs
4 country countries
5 company companies
6 hero heroes
7 wife wives
8 city cities
9 sheep sheep
10 activity activities
Note that in this dictionary an entry for a
noun with an irregular plural form will show
the plural form at the start of the entry:
chicane /SI"keIn/ noun [C] specialized a piece of road with
severe bends like an ‘S’, which forces drivers to gomore
slowly, especially in motor racing
chicanery /SI"keI.n@r.i/ /-n -/ noun [U] formal clever,
dishonest talk or behaviour which is used to deceive
people: The investigation revealed political chicanery
and corruption at the highest levels.
Chicano /tSI"kA;.n@U/ /-noU/ noun [C] (plural Chicanos)
informal someone living in the US who was born in
Mexico or whose parents came from Mexico
chichi /"Si;.Si/ adjective informal disapproving trying too
hard to be decorated in a stylish or attractive way and
therefore having no real style or beauty: They live in a
rather chichi part of town.
chick /tSIk/ noun [C] birdk 1 a baby bird, especially a
young chicken womank 2 slang a young woman. This
word is considered offensive by many women.
chicken /"tSIk.In/
"noun birdk1.E [CorU] a type of bird kept on a farm
for its eggs or its meat, or the meat of this bird which is
cooked and eaten: A male chicken is called a cock and a
female chicken is called a hen. * We’re having roast/fried
chicken for dinner. personk 2 [C] informal a coward
(= person who is not brave): Jump, you chicken!
"idioms a chicken and egg situation informal a situation
in which it is impossible to say which of two things
existed first and which caused the other one . play
chicken slang to play dangerous games in order to discover
who is the bravest
"adjective [after verb] child’sword not brave; cowardly:
Why won’t you jump? Are you chicken?
"phrasal verb chicken out slang disapproving to decide
not to do something because you are too frightened: I
was going to go bungee jumping, but I chickened out.
chickenfeed /"tSIk.In.fi;d/ noun [U] informal a small and
not important amount of money: They’re losing $200
000 on this deal, but that’s chickenfeed to/for a company
with yearly profits of $25 million.
chickenpox /"tSIk.In.pQks/ /-pA;ks/ noun [U] an infectious
disease that causes a slight fever and red spots on
the skin: Chickenpox is common among children.
chickenshit /"tSIk.In.SIt/ noun [C], adjective us slang disapproving
for chicken (PERSON) (= a person who is not
brave) C’mon, don’t be such a chickenshit - just go up and
ask her to dance.
Lchicken Kwire noun [U] netting (= material in the form
of a net) made of metal wire, which was originally used
to make closed areas for chickens
Lchick Kflick noun [C] informal humorous a film about relationships,
romance, etc. that attracts mainly women
Lchick Klit noun [U] informal humorous stories written by
women, about women, for women to read
chickpea /"tSIk.pi;/ noun [C] uk (us garbanzo bean) a hard
pale brown round bean which can be cooked and eaten
chicory /"tSIk.@r.i/ /- -/ noun [U] 1 (us also endive, australian
also witlof) a vegetable with white leaves that
me, chief?
"idiomtoo many chiefs and not enough Indians informal
too many managers and not enough people to do the
work
Kchief Lconstable noun [C usually singular] in Britain, the
police officer in charge of the police in a particular area
Kchief exLecutive noun [C usually singular] the person with
the most important position in a company: She’s the
chief executive of one of the country’s largest charities.
the KChief ELxecutive noun [S] us the president of the
United States
Kchief eKxecutive Lofficer noun [C] (abbreviation CEO) the
person with the most important position in a company
Kchief Ljustice noun [C usually singular] the most important
judge of a court of law, especially a very important
court in a country
chiefly /"tSi;.fli/ adverb mainly: The island chiefly attracts
upmarket tourists. * magazines intended chiefly for teenagers
Kchief of Lstaff noun [C] one of the highest-ranking officers
in the armed forces
chieftain /"tSi;f.t@n/ noun [C] the leader of a tribe
chiffon /"SIf.Qn/ /SI"fA;n/
"noun [U] a very thin, almost transparent cloth of silk
or nylon
"adjective [before noun] us describes food which is
made light, especially by adding the clear part of eggs
which have been beaten: lemon chiffon pie
chignon /"Si;.njQ/ /-njA;n/ noun [C] a woman’s hairstyle
where the hair is arranged in a knot or roll at the
back of her head
chihuahua /tSI"wA;.w@/ noun [C] a very small dog with
large eyes and smooth hair
chilblain /"tSIl.bleIn/ noun [C] a painful red swelling on
the toes or fingers, caused by cold weather
child /tSaIld/ (plural children)
"noun [C] 1.E a boy or girl from the time of birth until
he or she is an adult, or a son or daughter of any age: an
eight-year-old child * As a child I didn’t eat vegetables.
* A small group of children waited outside the door.
* Both her children are now married with children of
their own. * Jan is married with three young children.
* They campaign for the rights of the unborn child.
cSee also brainchild 2 disapproving an adult who behaves
badly, like a badly behaved child: He’s such a child if he
doesn’t get his own way. 3 a child of sth someone who
has been very influenced by a particular period or situation:
Me, I’m a child of the sixties.
"idioms be child’s play informal to be very easy: Using
computers nowadays is child’s play compared to how difficult
they were to use twenty years ago. . Children should
be seen and not heard. saying said to emphasize that you
think children should behave well and be quiet
. (great) with child old use (very) pregnant
234
The Top 10 Irregular Verb Mistakes
The following list from the Cambridge
Learner Corpus shows the ten irregular verbs
that cause the most difficulty for advanced
students of English. The bold letters in this
list show you the letters in these verbs forms
that students most often get wrong:
Verb Correct inflection
1 write writing
2 pay paid
3 occur occurred
4 study studying
5 develop developed
6 choose chosen
7 be being
8 happen happened
9 rise rose
10 prefer preferred
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition
© Cambridge University Press 2008
Writing essays
Note that in this dictionary an entry for an
irregular verb will show the irregular forms at
the start of the entry.
disapproving
gluttonously
disapproving when
They treat
system for
increase the
/- .rIn/
which is used
making
specialized glycerine
specialized a
which stores
controlling sugar
abbreviation for
food: food
scientifically changed:
convince consumers
abbreviation for
animal
Greenwich
twisted,
from bad
drew a long
that bites
something
gradually
GNP /%dZi;.en"pi;/ noun [U] specialized abbreviation for
Gross National Product: the total value of goods and
services produced by a country in one year, including
profits made in foreign countries cCompare GDP
gnu /nu;/ noun [C] (plural gnu or gnus) a large African
animal with a long tail and horns that curve to the
sides, which lives in areas covered with grass
go /g@U/ /goU/
"verb (going, went, gone)
move/travelk 1.E [I usually + adv/prep] to travel or
move to another place: We went into the house. * I went
to Paris last summer. Have you ever been there? * We
don’t go to the cinemavery often these days. * Wouldn’t it
be quicker to go by train? * Does this train go to Newcastle?
* Where do you think you’re going? Shouldn’t you
be at school? 2 .E [I usually + adv/prep] to be in the
process of moving: Can’t we go any faster? * We were
going along at about 50 miles an hour. * to go down the
road * to go up/down stairs * to go over the bridge * to
go through a tunnel * figurative I’ve got a tune going
around/round in my head (= I am continually hearing
it) and I just can’t remember the name of it. 3.E [I] to
move or travel somewhere in order to do something:
[+ -ing verb] We go shopping every Friday night. * I’ve
never gone skiing. * They’ve gone for a walk, but they
should be back soon. * [+ to infinitive] She’s gone to meet
Brian at the station. * There’s a good film on at the
Odeon. Shall we go? 4 where has/have sth gone?.A
said when you cannot find something: Where have my
keys gone?
leavek 5.E [I] to leave a place, especially in order to
travel to somewhere else: Is it midnight already? I really
must go/must be going. * She wasn’t feeling well, so she
went home early. * mainly uk What time does the last
train to Bath go? * I’m afraid he’ll have to go (= be dismissed
from his job) - he’s far too inefficient to continue
working for us. * This carpet’s terribly old and worn - it
really will have to go (= be got rid of). 6 to go.A mainly
us If you ask for some food to go at a restaurant, you
want it wrapped up so that you can take it away with
you instead of eating it in the restaurant: I’d like a
cheeseburger and strawberry milk shake to go, please.
612
Collocation Mistakes
A collocation is a combination of two or more
words that are frequently used together. In
this dictionary, collocations are shown in
the example sentences that come after the
definitions. You will see them clearly because
they are shown in bold letters:
tions, trains, etc: a railway station/timetable/siding, etc.
* Thomas Grant worked on the railway(s) for fifty years.
raiment /"reI.m@nt/ noun [U] old use clothes
rain /reIn/
"noun [U] 1.E drops of water from clouds: Rain is
forecast for tomorrow. * Come inside out of the rain.
* We had heavy/light rain all day. * We got caught in
pouring/torrential (= a lot of) rain without either raincoats
or umbrellas. * There will be showers of rain/rain
showers (= short periods of rain) in the east. * It looks
like rain (= as if rain is going to fall). 2 the rains [plural]
the season of the year in tropical countries when there
is a lot of rain: Villagers are now waiting for the rains to
come so that the rice will grow. * This is the third year in
a row that the rains have failed.
"idiom come rain or shine whatever happens: Come
rain or shine, I’ll see you on Thursday.
"verb [I].E If it rains, water falls fromthe sky in small
drops: I think it’s starting to rain. * It’s raining hard/
heavily (= a large amount of rain is falling).
"idioms It never rains but it pours. uk (us When it rains,
it pours.) saying said when one bad thing happens, followed
by a lot of other bad things, which make a bad
situation worse . It’s raining cats and dogs! old-fashioned
something that you say when it is raining heavily
. rain on sb’s parade to do something that spoils someone’s
plans: I’m sorry to rain on your parade but you’re
not allowed to have alcohol on the premises.
"phrasal verbs rain (sth) down to fall in large amounts,
or to direct something in large amounts, usually forcefully
or violently: Bombs rained down on the besieged
city. * Her attacker rained down blows on her.
rain sth off uk (us rain sth out) If an event is rained off, it
cannot start or continue because it is raining: His
hockey match was rained off.
rainbow /"reIn.b@U/
/-boU/ noun [C].A an
arch (= curved shape) of
different colours seen in
the sky when rain is
falling and the sun is
shining: The tropical
butterfly’s wings were
shimmering with all the
colours of the rainbow.
Lrain Kcheck us
"noun [C] 1 a piece of paper that you are given by a
shop when something which is advertised for sale at a
certain price is not available. This piece of paper allows
you to buy the product at the advertised price when it
becomes available. 2 a ticket that allows you to see an
event at a later time if bad weather stops that event
from happening
"idiom take a rain check (on sth) informal used to tell
someone that you cannot accept their invitation now,
but would like to do so at a later time: Mind if I take a
rain check on that drink? I’ve got to work late tonight.
raincoat /"reIN.k@Ut/ /-koUt/ noun [C] a coat which
protects the wearer against rain: a plastic raincoat
raindrop /"reIn.drQp/ /-drA;p/ noun [C] a single drop of
rain
rainfall /"reIn.fO;l/ /-fA;l/ noun [U] rain, or the amount
rainy /"reI.ni/
"adjective raining a lot: We had three rainy days on holiday,
but otherwise it was sunny.
"idiom save/keep money for a rainy day to save money
for a time when it might be needed unexpectedly: Luckily
she had saved some money for a rainy day.
raise /reIz/
"verb [T] liftk1.E to lift something to a higher position:
Would all those in favour please raise their hands?
* He raised the window and leaned out. * Mary Quant
was the first fashion designer to raise hemlines. increasek
2.E to cause something to increase or become
bigger, better, higher, etc: The government plan to raise
taxes. * I had to raise my voice (= speak more loudly) to
make myself heard over the noise. * The inspector said
that standards at the school had to be raised. * Our little
chat has raised my spirits (= made me feel happier).
existk 3 .E to cause to exist: Her answers raised
doubts/fears/suspicions in my mind. * This discussion
has raised many important issues/problems. * The
announcement raised a cheer/laugh. * I want to raise
(= talk about) two problems/questions with you. * I
want to start my own business if I can raise (= obtain)
the money/cash/capital/funds. * formal The chapel was
raised (= built) as a memorial to her son. developk4.E
to take care of a person, or an animal or plant, until they
are completely grown: Her parents died when she was a
baby and she was raised by her grandparents. * The
lambs had to be raised by hand (= fed artificial milk by
people) when their mother died. * The farmer raises
(= breeds) chickens and pigs. * The soil around here
isn’t good enough for raising (= growing) crops. card
gamesk 5 If you raise another player in a game of
cards, you risk more money than that player has risked:
I’ll raise you. * [+ two objects] I’ll raise you $50. stopk
6 formal to end or stop: They agreed to raise the trade
embargo if three conditions were met. * After three weeks
the siege was raised. communicatek 7 to communicate
with someone, especially by telephone or radio: I’ve
been trying to raise Jack/Tokyo all day.
"idioms raise (a few) eyebrows to cause surprise or
shock: Jemma’s miniskirt raised a few eyebrows at the
board meeting. . raise your game to make an effort to
improve the way that you do something: They’re going
to have to raise their game if they want to stay in the
Premiership this season. . raise your hand to/against sb
to hit someone: Never raise your hand to a child.
"noun [C] us for rise (= increase in pay) She asked the
boss for a raise.
-raiser /-reI.z@r/ /-z / suffix a person or thing that
causes the stated thing to exist or be obtained: a
money-raiser * These new taxes are designed to be a revenue-
raiser.
raisin /"reI.z@n/ noun [C] a dried black grape
raison d’eˆ tre /%rez.A~ ;"det.r@/ /%reI.zA;n-/ noun [C usually
singular] (plural raisons d’eˆ tre) a reason for existence:
Her job is her raison d’eˆtre.
the Raj /D@"rA;dZ/ noun [S]
the period of British rule
in India: the days of the
Raj
rajah /"rA;.dZ@/ noun [C] a
male Indian ruler cSee
raiment Important words to learn:.E Essential.I Improver.A Advanced
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
As well as the collocations that you see in the
example sentences, you will find collocations
in small blue boxes in the main dictionary.
These blue boxes have the words ‘Word
partners for . . .’ at the top. Here is an example
of a Word partner box for the word house:
night)? * He returned in the early/small hours (= at
night, after midnight). 4 work long/regular/unsocial,
etc. hours used to describe how many hours in the day
you work or what part of the day you work: She’s a
nurse so she often works unsocial hours. * He’s paid
well but he works long hours. 5 for hours (and hours) .I informal for a very long time: I waited for him for
hours. 6 at all hours (of the day and night) disapproving
repeatedly during the day and the night: They keep ringing
me up at all hours (of the day and night).
"idioms after hours after the usual hours of work . hour
after hour.A for many hours without stopping: I sat by
her bedside for hour after hour. . your hour has come
literary If you think your hour has come, you think
you are going to die: I thought my hour had come when
he pointed his gun at me. . (from) hour to hour If something
changes from hour to hour, it is different every
hour. . in sb’s hour of need literary when someone
urgently needs help: She helped me in my hour of need.
. out of hours mainly uk (us after hours) If you drink in a
bar out of hours, you drink alcohol at a time when it is
not allowed by law . till all hours disapproving very late:
He stays up drinking till all hours.
hourglass /"aU@.glA;s/
/"aUr.gl&s/ noun [C]
a glass container filled
with sand that takes one
hour to move from an
upper to a lower part
through a narrow
opening in the middle,
used especially in the
past to measure time
Lhourglass Kfigure noun [C
usually singular] If a
woman has an hourglass
figure, she has a very
small waist.
Lhour Khand noun [C usually
singular] the part on a
clock or watch which points to the hours. It is shorter
than the minute hand.
hourly /"aU@.li/ /"aUr-/
"adjective 1.A done or happening every hour: There’s
an hourly bus service into town. * Take two tablets at
hourly intervals. 2 hourly fee/rate, etc. the amount that
is charged or earned every hour
"adverb.A once every hour: Trains call here hourly.
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house . a beautiful / fine /
derelict / rambling house . a terraced / semidetached
/detached house
house
"noun /haUs/ (plural houses /"haUzIz/ )
homek 1.E [C] a building which people, usually one
family, live in: a detached/semi-detached house * to buy/
rent a house * house prices * She lives in a little house uk
in/us on Cross Street. cSee also farmhouse; roadhouse
2 [C usually singular] all the people living in a house: Try
not to wake the whole house when you come in! 3 [C] a
building where animals are kept: the monkey/lion house
at the zoo * a hen house 4 [C] a building or part of a
building which is used for a special purpose: the Sydney
Opera House * Broadcasting House
businessk 5 a business or organization of the stated
type, especially one that produces books or designs
clothes: a publishing house * a fashion house * uk a
sports and other competitions: an inter-house football
match
familyk 8 [C] an important family, especially a royal
one: The British Royal Family belong to the House of
Windsor.
politicsk 9 [C] an organization which makes laws, or
its meeting place 10 the House the members of the
organization which makes laws: The House began sitting
at 3 p.m./rose at 2 a.m. 11 [S] the group of people
who suggest a subject for a debate: The motion for
tonight’s debate is, "This house believes that capital punishment
should be abolished."
theatrek 12 [C] the people watching a performance,
especially in a theatre: The opera played to a full/packed
house.
"idioms get on like a house on fire informal If two people
get on like a house on fire, they like each other very
much and become friends very quickly: I was worried
that they wouldn’t like each other but in fact they’re getting
on like a house on fire. . get/put your own house in
order to solve your own problems: You should put your
own house in order before you start telling me what to do!
. go (all) round the houses uk to waste time doing or
asking something in a very complicated way . house of
cards a complicated organization or plan that is very
weak and can easily be destroyed or easily go wrong
. on the house If you have something on the house, it
is given to you free by a business: All the drinks were on
the house.
"verb [T] /haUz/ to give a person or animal a place to
live, or to provide space for something: It will be difficult
to house all the refugees. * The museum houses the biggest
collection of antique toys in Europe.
Lhouse arKrest noun under house arrest legally forced to
stay in your house as if it were a prison: The opposition
leader has just been put/placed under house arrest.
houseboat /"haUs.b@Ut/ /-boUt/ noun [C] a boat which
people use as their home, often kept in one place on a
river or canal
housebound /"haUs.baUnd/ adjective unable to leave your
home, especially because you are ill: She’s been housebound
since the accident.
housebreaker /"haUs%breI.k@r/ /-k / noun [C] a person
who illegally enters a house in order to steal something
. housebreaking /"haUs%breI.kIN/ noun [U]
housebroken /"haUs%br@U.k@n/ /-%broU-/ adjective us
for house-trained
housebuyer /"haUs%baI.@r/ /- / noun [C usually plural] a
person who wishes to buy, or is buying a house or other
form of place to live in
Lhouse Kcall noun [C] when a doctor or other health
worker comes to your home, usually to give treatment
LHouse ComKmittee noun [C] in the US, a group of
people chosen by the House of Representatives to
consider a particular matter: He appeared before the
House Committee on Space, Science and Technology.
housefly /"haUs.flaI/ noun [C] a small common fly often
found in houses
houseful /"haUs.fUl/ noun a lot of people or things in your
house: We’ve got a houseful of visitors at the moment.
houseguest /"haUs.gest/ noun [C] mainly us a person
who stays at someone else’s house for one or more
nights
household /"haUs.h@Uld/ /-hoUld/ noun [C; + sing/pl
verb].A a group of people, often a family, who live
together: By the 1960s, most households had a TV.
hourglass Important words to learn:.E Essential.I Improver.A Advanced
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
If you use common collocations when you are
writing and speaking, your English will sound
more natural and be easier to understand.
Remember that collocations exist in all
languages, but different words go together in
different languages. In some languages you
‘do a mistake’, but in English, you ‘make a
mistake’. On the other hand, while in some
languages you ‘make your homework’, in
English you ‘do your homework’. Use the lists
below to learn how to avoid the most common
mistakes with collocations.
1 Verb + noun
This list shows you the ten mistakes that
advanced students most often make when
they choose a verb to go with a noun. In most
cases it is clear what the student means, but
the problem is that the combination of verb +
noun that they have used is not a collocation,
does not sound natural, and is considerd to be
incorrect. In each case, a more natural verb +
noun combination with the same meaning is
shown under the incorrect combination.
1 Noun: experience
Example:
✗ I know several people who have made
the same experience.
✓ I know several people who have had the
same experience.
2 Noun: friend
Example:
✗ I found it difficult to find friends and
felt very lonely.
✓ I found it difficult to make friends
and felt very lonely.
3 Noun: research
Example:
✗ It is impossible to make any research
without the Internet.
✓ It is impossible to do any research
without the Internet.
4 Noun: work
Example:
✗ Francesca makes her work very
efficiently.
✓ Francesca does her work very
efficiently.
5 Noun: mistake
Example:
✗ People often do the same mistakes.
✓ People often make the same mistakes.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition
© Cambridge University Press 2008
6 Noun: survey
Example:
✗ I made a survey of the level of job
satisfaction in our department.
✓ I carried out/did a survey of the level
of job satisfaction in our department.
7 Noun: effort
Example:
✗ It is worth doing an effort to live a
healthier life.
✓ It is worth making an effort to live a
healthier life.
8 Noun: child/children/baby
Example:
✗ They married young, got two children,
and led an ordinary life.
✓ They married young, had two
children, and led an ordinary life.
9 Noun: business
Example:
✗ I spent two days in the office making
business by phone.
✓ I spent two days in the office
conducting/doing business by phone.
10 Noun: change
Example:
✗ They suggested doing some changes to
the schedule.
✓ They suggested making some changes
to the schedule.
2 Adjective + Noun
This list, from the Cambridge Learner Corpus,
shows the ten mistakes that students make
most often when they choose an adjective
to go with a noun. In most cases it is clear
what the student means, but the problem is
that the combination of adjective + noun that
they have used does not sound natural and
is considered to be incorrect. In each case, a
more natural adjective + noun combination
with the same meaning is shown under the
incorrect combination.
1 Noun: number/amount/quantity
Example:
✗ a big number of tourists/students/
customers etc.
✓ a large number of tourists/students/
customers etc.
✗ a big amount of money/food/
information etc.
✓ a large amount of money/food/
information etc.
✗ In my country we eat a big quantity of
pasta.
✓ In my country we eat a large quantity
of pasta.
2 Noun: choice
Example:
✗ They offer only a little choice of cold
snacks.
✓ They offer a limited/narrow choice of
cold snacks.
3 Noun: range/variety/choice
Example:
✗ There is a big range of study materials
available.
✓ There is a wide range of study
materials available.
✗ They provide a big variety of hot meals
every day.
✓ They provide a wide variety of hot
meals every day.
✗ They offer a bigger choice of meals.
✓ They offer a wider choice of meals.
4 Noun: noise
Example:
✗ Suddenly there was a big noise.
✓ Suddenly there was a loud noise.
5 Noun: pressure
Example:
✗ I am already overworked and under
high pressure.
✓ I am already overworked and under
great/a lot of pressure.
6 Noun: importance
Example:
✗ This fact is of very big importance to me.
✓ This fact is of very great importance
to me.
7 Noun: amount
Example:
✗ They earn a high amount of money.
✓ They earn a large amount of money.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition
© Cambridge University Press 2008
8 Noun: tree/building/person
Example:
✗ It is a high building.
✗ He is not very high.
✓ It is a tall building.
✓ He is not very tall.
9 Noun: progress
Example:
✗ I have made quite big progress in
speaking English.
✓ I have made great/a lot of progress in
speaking English.
10 Noun: decrease
Example:
✗ There was a little decrease in profits in
the second year.
✓ There was a slight decrease in profits
in the second year.
The Top 10 Verb + Verb
Combination Mistakes
This list shows the ten mistakes that advanced
students most often make when they put one
verb after another verb. In each case the form
of the second verb is incorrect.
1 Main Verb: suggest
✗ suggest (sb) to do sth
✗ I suggest to send our colleagues
on a similar course.
✓ suggest (that) sb do sth
✓ I suggest (that) we send our colleagues
on a similar course.
2 Main Verb: recommend
✗ recommend to do sth
✗ I recommend to employ a part-time
assistant.
✓ recommend doing sth
✓ I recommend employing a part-time
assistant.
3 Main Verb: look forward to
✗ look forward to do sth
✗ I look forward to hear from you.
✓ look forward to doing sth
✓ I look forward to hearing from you.
4 Main Verb: need
✗ need do sth; need doing sth
✗ We need resolve a lot of other important
problems.
✓ need to do sth
✓ We need to resolve a lot of other
important problems.
5 Main Verb: consider
✗ consider to do sth
✗ I would like you to consider to refund at
least some of my money.
✓ consider doing sth
✓ I would like you to consider refunding
at least some of my money.
6 Main Verb: want
✗ want do sth
✗ If you want have the body you have
always dreamed of, you must join a gym.
✓ want to do sth
✓ If you want to have the body you have
always dreamed of, you must join a gym.
7 Main Verb: be used to
✗ be used to do sth
✗ You should be used to work in teams and
be computer literate.
✓ be used to doing sth
✓ You should be used to working in
teams and be computer literate.
8 Main Verb: (would) like
✗ would like do sth
✗ I would like thank the families for their
help.
✓ would like to do sth
✓ I would like to thank the families for
their help.
9 Main Verb: can
✗ can to do sth
✗ We need to find new markets where we
can to sell our products.
✓ can do sth
✓ We need to find new markets where we
can sell our products.
10 Main Verb: help
✗ help (sb) doing sth
✗ My job was to help operating the rollercoaster.
✓ help (sb) to do sth; help (sb) do sth
✓ My job was to help (them) to operate
the roller-coaster.• My job was to help
(them) operate the roller-coaster.

How to be a good teacher?

What makes a good teacher?

 How should teachers talk to students?

·         How should teachers give instruction?

·         Who should talk in class?

·         What are the best kinds of lesson?

·         How important is it to follow a pre-arranged plan?

What makes a good teacher?

I have collected many instant responses from the students. The following answers are representative of the many that were given

Ø  They should make their lessons interesting so you don’t fall asleep in them

Ø  A teacher must love the job. If he/she enjoys the job that’ll make the lessons more interesting

Ø  I like the teacher who has his own personality and doesn’t hide it from the students so that he/she not only a teacher but a person as well – and it comes through the lessons

Ø  I like the teacher who has lots of knowledge, not only of his subject

Ø  A good teacher is an entertainer and I mean that in a positive sense, not a negative sense

Ø   It is important that you can talk to the teacher when you have problems and you don’t get along with the subject

Ø  A good teacher is ….somebody who has an affinity with the students that they’re teaching.

Ø  A good teacher should try and draw out the quiet ones and control the more talkative ones.

Ø  H should able to correct people without offending them

Ø  A good teacher is …someone who helps rather that to shouts

Ø   A good teacher is …. Someone who knows our names

Those are some responses from the students