English 3 Step 1

is probable / improbable 

probably

likely to (happen) or unlikely to  happen - likelihood 

a good chance  / a slim chance / no chance 

is certainly - I am certain 

uncertain - uncertainty 

… could / may / might -> It's possible 

… would -> It's certain 

… could / may / might / be …-ed  by … ...destroyed by...

… it would …  / … would be …-ed  ... would be caused

exact / precise - It was precisely … 998.50

approximate -> about / approximately / roughly 1000

nearly / almost / close to (an hour)

over (a month)

hundreds of / thousands of / millions of (people)

a dozens of = approximately 12

a handful of (people)

a single day / we didn't have a single day of sunshine = not even one day

double / triple / quadruple 

selling goods in a store is called retailing 

companies -> retailers 

retail outlet / chain store / superstore / supermarket

A market is a group of small markets stalls 

a butcher's sells meat 

a bakery / baker's sells bread, cakes 

a home-improvement store / DIY store sells materials, products, tools for doing building work and decorating 

1 You can do the job yourself.

2 You can have / get the job done by a company or professional 

installing things / putting things in - having a new kitchen installed 

repairing/ fixing things - you get it fixed 

changing / replacing things - replacing old … with new ones 

putting things together / assembling - e.g. assembling a chair from a IKEA kit

a written agreement = contract 

terms and conditions = details of an agreement 

goods - products 

to place an order  = you order something 

the retailer should confirm it  = confirmation 

a shipment / to ship goods = to deliver them by any type of transportation 

damaged = broken or scratched 

defective / faulty = product doesn't work properly 

to exchange it for a new one

get your money back / get a refund 

you're charged for it = you have to pay for something 

a guarantee  / a warranty = products are often guaranteed for a year 

receipt = piece of paper which shows that you bought 

modal verbs: can, must, should

To form the passive with modal verbs, we used be.

You can buy tickets here. (Active) -> Tickets can be bought here. (Passive)

... -> Passports must be shown.

... -> Cell phones should be switched off.

With have to and need to, we form the Passive in the same way as with modal verbs.

We have to do this job. -> This job has to be done.

... -> The potatoes need to be peeled.

We can use the Passive to describe predictions with will, may and might. As with modal verbs, we add be.

Perhaps they'll invite us to dinner. -> Perhaps we'll be invited to dinner.

... -> The flight may be canceled.

... -> I might be given a pay rise.

To describe plans with going to using the Passive, we also add be.

They're going to build a new airport. -> A new airport is going to be built.

May wahrscheinlich / might weniger wahrscheinlich 

To form the Passive in the Past Simple, we add was/were.

They found the stolen money. -> The stolen money was found.

... -> Hot drinks were served..

To form the Passive in the Present Perfect, we add has been/have been.

They've sold their house. -> Their house has been sold.

They've arrested the thieves. -> The thieves have been arrested.

to describe continuous actions that haven't finished 

I've been waiting for the bus for an hour .

We've been working together since the beginning of the year .

When we're interested in the result of the action, we use the Present Perfect Simple.

-> I've washed the car. It's perfectly clean.

When we're interested in the action itself, we use the Present Perfect Continuous.

-> I've been washing the car. That's why my clothes are wet.

to talk about hypothetical situations 

Impossible: If I had a wish, I would ask to be able to fly.

Possible but unlikely: If I found a suitcase full of cash, I would go to the police.

We can form the Second Conditional in the Passive:

Active: If a hurricane crossed the island, it would blow down a lot of trees.

Passive: If a hurricane crossed the island, a lot of trees would be blown down.

to describe things that other people do for us 

I have my newspaper delivered.

I'm going to get my car fixed.

I'm going to have my hair cut.

to book in advance 

advance reservation -> opposite = a last minute reservation 

to upgrade (to business class)

supplement = an extra payment / a supplementary charge 

…(the ticket) is valid  / It's not valid (at other times)

to alter (change) the reservation -> alteration 

It's refundable or it's non-refundable 

You can change some reservation prior to departure - that's before departure 

Tickets are often expensive at peak times.

Off-peak reservations are often cheaper 

You need to print your ticket before leaving.

You can't change the departure time after booking.

… you made previously (before)

… subsequently (after)

First / first of all 

Then / next

Once you've (select)-ed ..., chose ...

Finally

It's really easy. -> It's straightforward. / It couldn't be easier. / It's dead easy.

It was terrible.-> It was a nightmare.

It's really cheap -> It costs peanuts.

It's really expensive. -> It costs an arm and a leg.

It takes a long time. -> It takes ages.

It involves a lot of time/work for nothing. -> It's a waste of time.

My advice is, do it. -> I'd recommend you doing it. / If I were you, I'd do it 

to invent - invention - was invented 

to develop - development - was developed 

to improve - improvements - was improved (=mejorado)

to grow - growth - grew

to reduce - reduction - reduced costs 

to save - savings - saved money 

modern - to modernize

simple - to simplify 

easy - to ease communication 

At this time tomorrow I'll be flying to…

… they'll installing our new kitchen.

… I'll have cleaned up the mess.

By the time we get there, the movie will have started.

the economy: world of commercial/business activity 

the economic situation/climate 

economics: analysis/study of the economy 

economist: specialist who analyzes/studies the economy 

The world is sometimes called the globe.

global economy: world economy 

The economy is becoming more international. This process is called globalization.

We live in an increasingly globalized world 

There are different economic opportunities and difficulties in different locations/places.

… consider where to locate their plants, offices 

Sometimes global companies relocate their plants to other countries.

The question of relocation is a major issue with regard to globalization

An employer is a company or individual that employs workers/employees.

In economics, the question of employment is an important issue.

People who can't find jobs are unemployed. 

In some places, unemployment is a big problem.

employ / employee / employed / employment 

at a given time: Mammoths became extinct 5' years ago. 

time is not mentioned: Many species of animals have become extinct.

started in the past and is continuing to happen: Since the dinosaurs died out, the climate has been changing constantly.

was happening in the past and has now finished: People lived while mammoths were walking the earth.

happened for a long time in the past, but has now finished: Some species of dinosaurs used to eat other dinosaurs.

endangered species: danger to becoming extinct 

reptiles: snakes, lizards 

mammal: animal that feeds milk to its young 

apes: monkeys, gorillas 

antelope: live in Africa, run fast to escape predators 

big cat: lions, tigers, leopards 

insects: six legs, flies, bees, ants 

rodent: mouse, rat

bird 

fish

one  -->   two 

sheep -> sheep

fish -> fish

deer -> deer (Hirsch)

mouse -> mice

goose -> geese (Gans)

- up-to-date: It's looks modern.

- out-of-date / old-fashioned: It's not modern at all.

- a state-of-the-art / cutting-edge: It's brand new.

- high-tech: It's full of the latest technology.

- out-of-the-ordinary: It's totally different from typical designs.

- a run-of-the-mill product: typical, ordinary design 

- looks down-to-earth: very simple and quite ordinary 

A hundred years ago, it used to /  would take longer to build a house. 

They never used to / didn't use to make windows with double glazing.

How did they use to cook in the days before electric and gas cookers?

The design has a lot of advantages. However, / Nevertheless, it also has some disadvantages.

It's a good design, although / even though it isn't perfect.

It's a good design. It isn't perfect, though.

The current model is looking old-fashioned. Therefore, it needs to be redesigned. -> connect two ideas 

The new model is better than the last one. What's more, it's cheaper than the old > two 

in the nineteen-nineties / in the nineties -> 1990-1999

they early 1990s

the mid-1990s

the late 1990s

I think she's in her ... / he's is in his ...

... twenties / early sixties / mid-forties / late thirties 

baby

toddler (2-3y)

child / childhood

teenager (13-19y)

youth / young adult

 middle-aged (40-64)

elderly (old person)

How did the incident happen?

How was it caused? / What caused it to happen? / What was it caused by?

What happened consequently? Consequences / effects / results

The incident caused / resulted in / led to several problems.

Several problems occurred because of / as a result of / due to / owing to the incident.

Some good things happened thanks to the incident.

forever 

in the foreseeable future / long-term (not soon)

shortly / before long  / short term (soon)

never-ending / here to stay (will never end)

in the near future / in the not-too-distant future 

It's lasted ages / donkey's years (a very long time)