Human Language

IELTS Language

Complex

Elaborate

City

Conurbation

Considerable

Substantial

Promise

Oath

To Punish

To Penalize

Unlimited

Unfettered

Limited

Constrained

Product

Commodity

Miracle

Marvel

Violent

Malevolent

To Acquire

To Harvest

Lack of

Deficiency of

To Lack sth

To be devoid of sth

A lot of

Plethora of

High

Gross (economy)

Validated

Accredited

Experience

Expertise

Group

Cohort

Very hard

Knock-on

Deep

Profound

To Develop and
Care

To Foster

To Communicate
(info)

To Impart (the bad news)

Pointless

Aimless

To Trade/Bargain

To Barter

Unusual

Uncanny

Growing

Springing Up

Therefore

Hitherto

To Compete

To Vie (with sb for sth)

Competitive

Viable

Creative

Imaginative

Hardly

Immensely

Good

Desirable

Distract

Detract

Unimportant

Petty/Peripheral

To Persuade/to
Cause

To Induce

To Persuade
forcefully

To Coerce

Breakdown

Analysis

Before

Prior To/Beforehand

Grouped

Lumped

Delicious

Palatable

To Keep

To Preserve

To Outgrow

To Dwarf

Very Small

Filamentous

Very High

Staggering

Opposite

Contradictory

To Trick

To Elude

In General

Habitually

Victim

Quarry

Old & Poor
Condition

Dilapidated

Idea

Notion

Abusive

Prohibitive

To Block (or try to
block)

To Obstruct/To Clog

To Light Up

To Illuminate

Stubborn

Adamant (that…)

To Publish

To Issue

Famous

Notable

Famous (bad)

Notorious

To Use

To Tap
For more than a century, Eastern
cities have expanded their water
supplies by tapping ever more
remote sources.

There is a rich vein of literary
talent here just waiting to be
tapped (into) by publishers.

Fragile

Flimsiest

Catastrophic

Disastrous

Intact

Unscathed

To Minimise

To Dampen

To Bend

To Flex

Following

Consecutive

Artificial

Battery

Forward

Onward

To Give Results

To Yield

Results

Yields

One-sided

Unilateral

Double-sided

Mutual, Collateral

Sudden

Abrupt

To Support sth

To Prop sth Up

Possible

Feasible

Variety

Diversity

Blooming

Thriving

Stable

Sustainable

Goal

Objective

0

Nought, Null

12.05.2000

12

th

May 2000

Agreement

Consent

Infinite

Indefinite

Thickness

Toughness

Tribes

Peoples

Natural
Environment

Habitat

Cruel/Unfair

Oppressive

Dangerous

Precarious

Boredom

Tedium

Exciting

Exhilarating

Carefully

Assidiously

Exclusive (only)

Sole

IELTS Expressions

Human Language

IELTS Language

To Dislike Sth/Sb

1.

To Hold Sb/Sth in
Contempt

2.

To Have a Contempt
for sb/sth

3.

To Treat something
with contempt

Contemptible –
deserving Contempt

To Admit/State

To Avow that…

To Remember

To Bear sth in Mind

To Believe that...

1.

To harness the belief
that…

2.

To maintain that…

To Put Up taxes on
sth

To Levy Taxes on sth

To Guess that...

To Conjecture that...

To Predict

1.

To think ahead about
sth

2.

To anticipate sth

3.

To be beforehand
with sth

4.

To forestall

5.

To get things set
before

To start doing
something

1.

To undertake sth
Students are
required to
undertake simple
experiments.

2.

To set about
sth/doing sth
I tried to apologise,
but I think I set about
it the wrong way.

To take sth for
granted

To take sth at face value

To die out

To become extinct

To deal with sth

To cope with sth

To take part in sth

To participate in sth

To get rid of sth

1.

To Dispense with sth

2.

To Dispose of sth

3.

To Discard sth

4.

To Dump sth

To refer to sth

To call on sth

To tap sth

To stimulate sth

Writing Task 1 Expressions

Human language

IELTS language

To Increase

To Rocket, Soar, Jump,
Show an Upward
Trend

To Decrease

To Decline, Fall, Dip,
Go Down, Show a
Downward Trend,
Plummet, Plunge (last
two refer to sudden
changes)

To Remain Flat

To Level Off

To Have the Highest
Value

To Reach a High/Hit
the Peak/Be At a

Premium

To Bounce Off (from the
lowest point)

To Bottom Out

To Stand For...

To Account For...

To be equal/similar to…

To Correspond to…

Writing Task 1 Expressions & Words

Correlation – a connection between two or
more things, often one in which one of
them causes or influences the other.
There’s a high correlation between smoking
and lung cancer.

to correlate

Stress levels and heart disease are strongly
correlated (=connected).
To have a competitive advantage = to
get/have the upper hand
Sth makes up more than half of sth
To be categoric in doing sth.
Pacemaker – the person or animal who
establishes the speed in a race, or a person
or organization that is an example for other
by being successful
To witness (the most noticeable increases)
– to experience

Writing Task 2 Expressions

One reason why…
One cause for this is that…
A way to solve this is…
To put sth forward – to state an idea or opinion, or to
suggest a plan or person, for other people to consider
The proposals that you have put forward deserve
serious consideration.
I wasn’t convinced by any of the arguments that he
put forward.
The peace plan put forward last August has been
revived for the latest round of negotiations.
She has decided to put her name/put herself forward
as a candidate.
A legend holds that…
To look favourably on sb
Sth should use greater utilisation
To adjust sth according to sth else
Counterpart – a person or thing which has the same
purpose as another one in a different place or
organization
On this occasion…
To bring sb into touch with (the real world)
To exert influence/power/pressure on sb
Sth is being carried out (f.ex. study)
To have knowledge on sth
Amittedly, (I could have tried harder but I still don’t
think all this criticism is fair) - Used when you are
agreeing that something is true, especially unwillingly

To agitate – to make someone feel anxious or angry
I didn’t want to agitate her by telling her.
Preliminary – coming before a more important action
or event, especially introducing or preparing for it
To know your way around sth – to be familiar with a
place or organization and be able to act effectively
within it
Counterproductive – not productive
Curriculum – the group of subjects studied in a school,
college, etc.
the school curriculum
To arrange for sb to do sth – She’s arranged for her
son to have swimming lessons.
To galvanise sb – to cause someone to suddenly take
action, especially by shocking or exciting them in
some way.
To bear (bore, borne) – to give birth to young, or (of a
tree or plant) to give or produce especially fruit or
flowers.
With only pegs and wedges… - primitively
To have no hesitation in doing something
To work irregular hours
To advance sth – to consider it of the highest priority
Shortlisted – chosen by elimination method
upon
You can never place enough emphasis upon the
importance of safety.
A country’s future prosperity depends, to an extent,
upon the education of its people.
aim

1.

Aim sth at sb
The advertisements are specifically aimed at
young people.

2.

Aim at sth
The talks are aiming at a compromise.
The government’s campaign is aimed at
influencing public opinion.

position
Whether or not you’re given a car depends on your
position in the company.