Collins Easy Learning English Vocabulary

HarperCollinsPublishers
WesterhillRoad
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow
G642QT
Firstedition2011
Reprint109876543210
©HarperCollinsPublishers2011
EPUBEdition©November2011ISBN978-0-00746132-5
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Contents

Introduction
Guidetoentries
Pronunciationguide
airtravel
theanimalworld
artandphotography
bikes
boats,waterandthecoast
body
business

carsandroadtravel
celebrationsandceremonies
clothes
collegeanduniversity
colours
computersandtheinternet
cooking
countryside
employment
environment
feelingsandpersonalqualities
foodanddrink


friendsandfamily
fruit,nutsandvegetables
health
hotels
housesandhomes
inthehome
industry
jobsandcareers
law
materials
maths
money
music
theoffice
personalitems
plants,treesandgardens

readingandwriting
routines
school
science
shopping
societyandpolitics
sports
telephone,postandcommunications
televisionandradio
theatreandcinema
time
tools


townsandcities
trains
weather
geographicalplacenames
irregularverbs
measurements
numbers/ordinalnumbers
peopleoftheworld
timesanddates
Index


introduction

CollinsEasyLearningEnglishVocabularyisdesignedforanyone
whowantstobroadentheirknowledgeofEnglishwordsinkey

everyday situations. Whether you need English at work, at
school or university, or for a holiday, Collins Easy Learning
EnglishVocabulary offers you the information you require in a
clearandaccessibleformat.
This book is divided into 50 subject areas. These cover such
topics as ‘air travel’, ‘business’, ‘food and drink’ and ‘science’,
arranged in alphabetical order. This arrangement by subject
areahelpsyoutolearnrelatedwordsandphrasestogether.In
thisway,youcanalwaysbesureofusingtherightwordinthe
rightcontext.
Within each topic, vocabulary is divided into nouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs, phrases and idioms. Each word is defined
inrelationtothetopicinquestion.Forexample,in‘airtravel’,
themeaningthatisgivenforthewordconnectionis:
‘a plane that leaves after another one arrives and allows you to
continueyourjourneybychangingfromonetotheother’.

In‘computersandtheinternet’,ontheotherhand,connectionis
definedintermsofitscomputer-relatedsense:
‘alinkbetweenacomputerandanetwork’.


Foreachtopic,thereareplentyofauthenticexamplesentences
from the Collins corpus. These show you how words and
phrasesareusedinrealEnglish.
At the end of the book, there are additional sections on place
names and people, numbers, measurements, times and dates.
Thereisalsoanalphabeticalindex,andalistofirregularverbs.
We hope that this book will help you to expand your
knowledgeofEnglishvocabularyinawiderangeofsituations.

For more information about Collins dictionaries, visit us at
www.collinslanguage.com.


guidetoentries


Pronunciationguide

In this dictionary the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is
used to show how the words are pronounced. The symbols
used in the International Phonetic Alphabet are shown in the
tablebelow.

IPASymbols
Vowelsounds
aː

calm,ah

æ

act,mass

aɪ

dive,cry

aɪə

fire,tyre

aʊ

out,down

aʊə

flour,sour

e

met,lend,pen

eɪ

say,weight

eə

fair,care

I

fit,win

iː

seem,me

Iə

near,beard

ɒ

lot,spot

eʊ

note,coat


ɔː

claw,more

ɔɪ

boy,joint

ʊ

could,stood

uː

you,use

ʊə

sure,pure

ɜ:

turn,third

ʌ

fund,must

ə

thefirstvowelinabout

ConsonantSounds
b

bed,rub

d

done,red

f

fit,if

g

good,dog

h

hat,horse

j

yellow,you

k

king,pick

l

lip,bill

m

mat,ram

n

not,tin

p

pay,lip

r

run,read

s

soon,bus

t

talk,bet


v

van,love

w

win,wool

x

loch

z

zoo,buzz

ʃ

ship,wish

ʒ

measure,leisure

η

sing,working

tʃ

cheap,witch

θ

thin,myth

ð

then,bathe

dʒ

joy,bridge

Notes
Primary and secondary stress are shown by marks above and
belowtheline,infrontofthestressedsyllable.Forexample,in

the word abbreviation,/ə,briːviˈeɪʃən/, the second syllable has
secondarystressandthefourthsyllablehasprimarystress.
Wedonotnormallyshowpronunciationsforcompoundwords
(words which are made up of more than one word).
Pronunciationsforthewordsthatmakeupthecompoundsare
usually found at their entries at other parts of the dictionary.
However,compoundwordsdohavestressmarkers.


airtravel

NOUNS
aeroplane

[ˈeərəpleɪn]

aplane:avehiclewithwingsandengines
thatcanfly(InAmericanEnglish,use
airplane)

aircraft(PL) [ˈeəkrɒːft]

aplaneorahelicopter

aircraft
airline

[ˈeəlaɪn]

acompanythatcarriespeopleorgoodsin

planes

airplane



seeaeroplane

[ˈeəpɔːt]

aplacewhereplanescomeandgo,with

(American
English)
airport

buildingsandservicesforpassengers
air-traffic

[eəˌtræfɪk

someonewhosejobistoorganizewhere

controller

kənˈtrəʊlə]

planesgo

aisle

[aɪl]

thelongnarrowpassagebetweentherows
ofseatsonaplane

arrivals

[əˈraɪvəlz]

thepartofanairportwherepassengersget
offplanes;waitinarrivals


bag

[bæg]

acontainermadeofplasticorleather,
usedforcarryingthings

baggage

[ˈbægɪdʒ]

sameasluggage

baggage

[ˈbægɪdʒ

theplacewhereyoucollectyourbaggage

reclaim

rɪkleɪm]

afteryourflight;gotobaggagereclaim

boarding

[ˈbɔːdɪŋˌkaːd] acardthatyoumustshowwhenyouget

card

onaplane

bureaude

[ˌbjʊərəʊdə

aplacewhereyoucanchangeyourmoney

change(PL)

ˈʃɒnʒ]

toforeignmoney

bureauxde

[ˌbjʊərəʊdə

change

ˈʃɒnʒ]

business

[ˈbɪznɪsˌklaːs] seatsthatarecheaperthanfirstclassbut

class



moreexpensivethaneconomyclass;in
businessclass

EXAMPLES
Mostlow-costairlinesdonotservefood.
Wecheckedinearlyandwalkedaroundtheairport.
Pleasedonotleavebagsintheaisle.
Thepolicesaidtheincidentoccurredlastweekendinarrivalsat
Terminal3.
We went to a bureau de change to change the Euros back into
Sterling.
We had seats in business class on the flight from London to Los
Angeles.

cabin

[ˈkæbɪn]

thepartofaplanewherepeoplesit

cabincrew

[ˈkæbɪnˌkruː] thepeoplewhosejobistolookafter
passengersonaplane;Thecabincrewwere
verynice.

captain

[ˈkæptɪn]

thepersonwhoisinchargeofaplane

carhire

[ˈkaːˌhaɪə]

payingmoneytoborrowacar,for
examplewhenyouaregoingonholiday
(InAmericanEnglish,usecarrental)

carrental

seecarhire

[ˈtʃekɪn]

thedeskthatyougotoinanairporttosay

(American
English)
checkin

thatyouhavearrived;Gotocheckinat
once.
connection

[kəˈnekʃən]

aplanethatleavesafteranotherone
arrivesandallowsyoutocontinueyour
journeybychangingfromonetotheother

customs

[ˈkʌstəmz]

theplaceatanairportwhereyouhaveto
showcertaingoodsthatyouhavebought
inanothercountry,and,ifnecessary,pay
taxonthem

customsduty [ˈkʌstəmz

departures

taxthatyoupaywhenbringingcertain

ˌdjuːti]

goodsintoacountryfromanothercountry

[dɪˈpaːtʃəz]

thepartofanairportwhereyouwait
beforeyougetonaplane;Hewasstanding


indepartures.
duration

[djʊˈreɪʃən]

thelengthoftimethatsomethinglasts

economy

[ɪˈkɒnəmi

thecheapestseatsonaplane;ineconomy

class

ˌklaːs]

(class)



EXAMPLES
Askcabincreworseeleafletfordetails.
Thepriceincludesflights,carhireandaccommodation.
Wegottotheairportandwentstraighttocheckin.
MyflightwaslateandImissedmyconnection.
Wewalkedthroughcustoms.
The government has reduced customs duty on imported
machinery.
Youmustpaycustomsdutyonthesegoods.
Pleasegotodepartures.
Youmustkeepyourmobilephoneswitchedofffortheduration
oftheflight.
MargaritasatineconomyclassontheflighttoBucharest.


emergency

[ɪˈmɜ:dʒənsi

aplacewhereyouleaveaplaneifthereis

exit

ˌegzɪt]

anemergency,suchasacrashorafire

entrance

[ˈentrəns]

thedoororgatewhereyougointoaplace

escalator

[ˈeskəˌleɪtə]

asetofmovingstairs

e-ticket

[ˈiː-ˌtɪkɪt]

shortfor‘electronicticket’:aticketthatis
storedonacomputerratherthanonpaper

exit

[ˈeksɪt]

thedoorthatyouusetoleaveapublic
building

fare

[feə]

themoneythatyoupayforajourneyina
plane

firstclass

[fɜ:stˈklaːs]

thebestandmostexpensiveseatsona
plane;infirstclass

flight

[flaɪt]

atripinanaircraft

flight

[ˈflaɪt

apersonwhosejobitistolookafter

attendant

ətendənt]

passengersonaplaneandtogivethem
foodanddrink

flight

[ˈflaɪtnʌmbə] theuniquenumberthatisgiventoeach

number
gate

flight
[geɪt]

aplacewhereyouleaveanairportandget
onaplane

hand

[ˈhænd

thebagsthatyoutakewithyouinthe

luggage

ˌlʌgɪdʒ]

cabin,ratherthanthebagsthatareputin
thehold;lotsofhandluggage


helicopter

[ˈhelikɒptə]

anaircraftwithlongbladesontopthatgo
aroundveryfast

hold



[həʊld]

theplaceinaplanewheregoodsor
luggagearestored

EXAMPLES
Taketheescalatortothesecondfloor.
Ourflightwasdelayedbythreehoursbecauseoffog.
There were no direct flights to San Francisco, so we had to
changeplanes.
Iaskedtheflightattendantforaglassofwater.
Heisonflightnumber776fromBeijing.
HowmanypiecesofhandluggagecanItakeontheplane?
Thispieceofluggagewillhavetogointhehold.


IDcard

[ˌaɪˈdiːkaːd] acardwithyourname,dateofbirthand
photographonitthatshowswhoyouare

information [ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən aplacewhereyoucanaskforinformation
desk

ˌdesk]

aboutyourflight

jetlag

[ˈdʒetlæg]

thefeelingofbeingverytiredwhenyou
flybetweentwoplaceswherethetimeis
different;sufferingfromjetlag

jumbojet
landing

[ˈdʒʌmbəʊ

alargeplanethatcancarryseveral

ˌdʒet]

hundredpassengers

[ˈlændɪŋ]

theactofbringingaplanebackdownon
totheground;asmoothlanding;abumpy

landing

layover



seestopover

[ˈlʌgɪdʒ]

thebagsthatyoutakewithyouwhenyou

(American
English)
luggage

travel;lotsofluggage
luggagelabel [ˈlʌgɪdʒ
ˌleɪbəl]

apieceofplasticwithyournameand
addressthatyouattachtoyourluggagein
caseitgetslost

parachute

[ˈpærəˌʃuːt]

alargepieceofthinmaterialthataperson
attachestotheirbodywhentheyjump

fromanaircrafttohelpthemfloatsafely
totheground

passenger

[ˈpæsɪndʒə]

apersonwhoistravellinginaplane,but


whoisnotflyingitorworkingonit
passport

[ˈpaːspɔːt]

anofficialdocumentthatyouhaveto
showwhenyouenterorleaveacountry

pilot

[ˈpaɪlət]

apersonwhocontrolsanaircraft

plane

[pleɪn]

avehiclewithwingsandenginesthatcan
fly

planecrash

[ˈpleɪnkræʃ] anaccidentinwhichaplanehitsanother
planeorhitstheground

propeller



[prəˈpelə]

apartofanaircraftthatturnsaroundvery
fastandmakestheaircraftmove

EXAMPLES
Ihadterriblejetlagforthreedaysaftermyholiday.
Howmanypiecesofluggageareyoucheckingin?
WhydoesIngridneedsomuchluggageforashortstay?
CouldIseeyourpassportandboardingcard,please?


reservation

[ˌrezəˈveɪʃən] aseatonaflightthatanairlinekeeps
readyforyou

runway

[ˈrʌnweɪ]

alongroadthataplanetravelsonbefore
itstartsflying

seat

[siːt]

somethingthatyoucansiton

seatbelt

[ˈsiːtbelt]

alongbeltthatyoufastenaroundyour
bodytokeepyousafewhenyouareona
plane

security

[sɪˈkjʊərɪti]

1everythingthatisdonetoprotecta
place;Securityhasbeenincreased.
2theplaceinanairportwhereyourbags
arechecked;gothroughsecurity

stopover

[ˈstɒpəʊvə]

ashortstayinaplacebetweenpartsofa
journey(InAmericanEnglish,uselayover)

suitcase

[ˈsuːtkeɪs]

acaseforcarryingyourclotheswhenyou
aretravelling

take-off

[ˈteɪkɒf]

thebeginningofaflight,whenaplane
leavestheground;asmoothtake-off

terminal

[ˈtɜ:mɪnəl]

aplacewherepeoplebeginorendaflight

ticket

[ˈtɪkɪt]

asmallpieceofpaperthatshowsthatyou
havepaidforaflight

timetable

[ˈtaɪmteɪbəl]

alistofthetimeswhenplanesarriveand
depart

tourist

[ˈtʊərɪst]

apersonwhoisvisitingaplaceonholiday


travel

[ˈtrævəl

agency

ˌeɪdʒənsi]

traveller

[ˈtrævələ]



abusinessthatsellsjourneysandholidays

1apersonwhoisonatrip
2apersonwhotravelsalot

EXAMPLES
Youareinseat35C.
Pleasefastenyourseatbeltsduringtake-offandlanding.
World leaders have announced plans to tighten up airline
security.
WemadeastopoverinBangkoktobreakupthejourneybetween
LondonandBrisbane.
Whattimeistake-off?
Welefttheairportterminalandlookedforthetaxirank.
Terminal1willhandleAirCanada’sdomesticflights.


traytable

[ˈtreɪˌteɪbəl] asmalltablethatisattachedtotheback
oftheseatinfrontofyouonaplane

trip

[trɪp]

ajourneythatyoumaketoaparticular
placeandbackagain

trolley

[ˈtrɒli]

alargecontainerwithwheelsthatyouuse
atanairportformovingheavyluggage

window

[ˈwɪndəʊ]

aspaceinthesideofaplanethatyoucan
seethrough

wing

[wɪŋ]

oneofthelongflatpartsatthesideofa
planethatsupportitwhileitisflying

VERBS
board

[bɔːd]

togetintoaplanetotravelsomewhere

book

[bʊk]

toarrangeandpayforaflight;booka

ticket;bookaflight

cancel

[ˈkænsəl]

tosaythatsomethingthathasbeen
plannedwillnothappen;cancelaflight

checkin



totellthepersonatanairportdeskthat
youhavearrived

check



somethingin
delay

togiveyourluggagetothepersonatan
airportdesk;checkinluggage

[dɪˈleɪ]

tomakesomethinglaterthanexpected;
Theflightisdelayed.

depart

[dɪˈpaːt]

toleave