Students Book

Unit 9 Language
1 sign language = the system of hand and body
movements that deaf people use to communicate
There’s a deaf girl in our street – it’s amazing to
watch her talking to her friends in sign language.
2 slang = very informal language, usually spoken
rather than written
‘Lolly’ is slang for ‘money’ in some parts of England.
3 an idiom = a group of words in a fixed order that
have a particular meaning, different from what
the words on their own mean
To ‘bite off more than you can chew’ is an idiom
in English. It means to try to do something which
is too difficult for you.
4 a cliché = an expression that is very often used,
so it’s not original or interesting
My wedding day – and I know it’s a cliché – was
just the happiest day of my life.
5 bad language = language that many people think
is rude or unacceptable
My father always says that there’s too much bad
language on television.
6 to swear = to use rude or offensive words
My mother was very angry when a man in the
street swore at her.
7 a slogan = a short and easily remembered phrase,
especially one used to advertise an idea or a
product
In his campaign to become president, Barack
Obama used the slogan ‘Yes, we can’.
8 to speak the same language = to have similar
ideas and similar ways of expressing them
We both come from New York and we both
love baseball – so we speak the same language!
9 terminology = special words and phrases used
by groups of people, especially in their work
It’s hard to understand this letter from the
lawyer – it’s full of legal terminology.
10 jargon = terminology that you don’t like, that
annoys you
When Jim starts using computer jargon, I can’t
understand a word of what he’s saying.
Unit 10 Expressions with opinion
1 a matter of opinion = something people can have different ideas about
Well, some people think it’s a good idea, and some people don’t – it’s a matter of opinion.
2 to express an opinion = to say what you think about something
I don’t know what he thinks about it – he didn’t express an opinion.
3 (my) considered opinion = (my) opinion after thinking a lot about it
Well, I’ve thought about your suggestion and it’s my considered opinion that it’s the wrong thing to do.
4 a difference of opinion = when people don’t think the same way
We don’t agree at all – let’s just say we have a difference of opinion.
5 a second opinion = another opinion, especially from a doctor
The doctor says my mum needs an operation, but we think she should get a second opinion.
6 to have a high opinion of (yourself) = to think (you) are skilled/clever, in a way that is annoying
Paul really makes me angry – he’s got such a high opinion of himself.
7 an opinion poll = when people are asked questions to discover what they think about a subject
The latest opinion poll shows that the president’s popularity has gone down.
8 public opinion = what people in general think
The government want to buy more planes and guns, but public opinion is against it.
VOCABULARY BANK 115