floor
take/have the floor, ground/first/etc floor, floor show, floor plan, floorboard
Collocation
114 cards to learn, plus a reading text that puts the key phrases in context.
114 cards
take/have the floor, ground/first/etc floor, floor show, floor plan, floorboard
Collocation
fold sth in half/two, fold sth neatly/carefully, fold flat, fold your arms
Collocation
lay the foundations of, have no foundation, without foundation, foundation course, foundation stone
Collocation
move house, on the house, housework, housekeeping, housekeeper, housewife, houseproud
Collocation
mark sth with/on, leave a mark on, burn/scratch/etc mark, the halfway mark, be quick/slow off the mark, hit/ miss the mark
Collocation
material goods/possessions, material rewards, material resources, raw material(s)
Collocation
a matter of, in a matter of (days, etc), no matter how, no matter what, to make matters worse, as a matter of fact/course/urgency, a matter of opinion, subject matter
Collocation
precious metal, metal detector
Collocation
shape sth into, take the shape of, take shape, in / out of shape, all shapes and sizes
Collocation
keep a sharp eye on, sharp rise/increase/drop/fall, sharp criticism, have a sharp tongue
Collocation
smooth the way for, smooth-talking, smooth sailing, smooth operator
Collocation
on the surface, beneath/under the surface, surface area, kitchen surface
Collocation
set/clear/lay the table, table a proposal/etc, on the table, table manners, timetable
Collocation
get tough with, tough on, tough luck, tough love, tough guy
Collocation
town planning, the town of, the outskirts/edge of town, town centre
Collocation
a place where you feel as relaxed as you do in your own home
This hotel is a home away from home.
something that makes a place look less attractive, for example an ugly building
That factory is a blot on the landscape.
area surrounding a large city where many people who work in that city live
We live in the commuter belt outside the city.
unpleasant part of a city where there are a lot of ugly buildings close together
It’s just a concrete jungle around here.
in an area far from the town or city
They live out in the sticks.
feel relaxed and behave in the same way as you do in your own home
Please, make yourself at home.
with no place to live
She’s been living on the street for months.
spending the evening enjoying yourself in bars, clubs, theatres, etc
We’re going out on the town tonight.
town or city that is close to and depends on a larger city
I live in a satellite town outside the city.
cover a window or door with wooden boards
we boarded the house up because we knew a bad storm was coming
lock the doors of a building or business
the man was closing up for the evening
have a particular result or end in a particular way
everything came out alright in the end
be removed from something such as clothing or cloth by washing or rubbing
the stain finally came out, but I had to wash the T-shirt three times
stop eating something or doing something, especially because it is bad for your health
I'm gonna cut out coffee because it gives me indigestion
remove something from a larger piece by cutting
cut out the material you need and make sure it's the right size
clean, repair or decorate something
why don't we try to fix up that old bike of yours
destroy a building or wall
I see they have finally knocked the old factory down
if something piles up or someone piles it up, the amount of it increases a lot
the washing-up is beginning to pile up, so let's do it together
stop something from falling by putting something under it or against it
I had to use some books to prop my desk up
spend a particular amount of time doing something
Laura has put in a lot of hard work on this project
produce or organize something using many different things
I really enjoyed putting the exhibition together
make something by joining all its parts
how long did it take you to put that jigsaw together?
let someone stay in your house
Yes, I can put you up for a few days
build something such as a wall, fence or house
Dad's putting a fence up around the garden
make a piece of equipment ready for use
How do you set the pieces at the start of a game of chess?
build a structure or put it in a particular place
Let's set the tent up over there
if people in a group spread out, they move away from one another so that they cover a large area
we've got more change of finding him if we spread out
separate a large structure into pieces
after the play, we had to take down all the scenery
write down information or a statement
the police took down my details
make something such as a statement or newspaper article less offensive, powerful or detailed
the editor watered my article down
add water to a drink or liquid in order to make it less strong, dilute
id it's too strong, water it down
make something gradually disappear or become thinner by using or rubbing it
the heel of my shoes has worn down
a solid piece of wood, stone, ice, etc with straight sides
Have you ever seen someone make a swan out of a block of ice?
to stop something from moving through or along something else
A large rock blocked our way
a brittle substance or object is hard and can easily break into pieces
The plastic had gone brittle from sitting in the sun
if something hard chips, or you chip it, a small piece of it breaks off
I've chipped a tooth
a small piece of something such as wood or glass, especially when it has broken off something
Be careful because there might be chips of glass on the floor
to make something smaller or firmer by pressing it
Some places compact rubbish so it doesn't take up so much space
smaller than most things of the same kind
Our flat is quite compact
make a solution of something in water stronger
You can concentrate the solution by heating it
to damage something so that a line or long narrow hole appears on its surface, but it does not break into pieces
Who cracked the window?
a line on a surface where something is beginning to break apart
How long has that crack in the ceiling been there?
a very small piece that falls off a dry food such as bread or cake
Don't get crumbs on the carpet
to hit or press something so hard that you damage it severely or destroy it
Crush the can and put it in the recycling bin
a crowd of people all extremely close together in an area that is too small for them
There was quite a crush in the club last night
a dense substance is very heavy in relation to its size
Lead is a very dense metal
to make a liquid less strong by adding water or another liquid
I find orange juice a bit strong, so I usually dilute it
a dilute liquid has been mixed with another liquid to make it less strong
Use dilute bleach to clean the table
if a solid substance dissolves in a liquid, it is mixed into the liquid
Salt dissolves quite easily in water
cloth, especially when it is used for making things such as clothes or curtains
We need to choose the fabric we want for the curtains
solid but not hard
When the cake feels firm, remove it from the oven
to come off a surface in small flat pieces
The paint on the door is beginning to flake
a small flat piece of something
The floor was covered in flakes of paint from the old walls
easy to break or damage
Be careful with that ornament because it's very fragile
the physical force that makes it difficult for one surface to move over another
If you rub your hands together, friction makes them get warm
a very small individual piece of a substance such as sand, salt or sugar
Each grain of salt is really a tiny cube
the force that makes something fall to the ground
How do they measure gravity?
to break something into very small pieces or powder
I often grind my own spices
empty inside
I was surprised to find that the tree was hollow
a substance that can flow, has no fixed shape, and is not a solid or gas
Did you know that glass is actually a liquid?
in the form of a liquid
You have to be careful when you're handling liquid explosive
to put people or things into the same group, although they do not really belong together
You can't just lump all disabled people together like that
a solid piece of something that does not have a regular shape
I tripped over a lump of concrete
a natural substance in the earth, for example coal, salt, gold or diamonds
This area is very rich in minerals
a shaped container into which you pour a liquid that then becomes solid in the shape of the container
Pour the jelly into the mould and then put it in the fridge
to give something a particular shape or form
Mould the clay into the shape of a person
opaque glass, liquid, etc is difficult to see through
We've had opaque glass put into the bathroom
to touch someone gently several times with a flat hand to show that you care about them
He patted me on the shoulder and told me not to worry
the action of gently touching someone or something several times with a flat hand
I felt a pat on my back and turned around
to put a large number of things on top of each other
Don't just pile your clothes on the bed
a number of things put on top of each other
Could you help me carry this pile of books?
to rub the surface of something in order to make it shine
The maid polished the table and then cleaned the floor
a chemical substance that you rub onto an object to make it shine
Put some polish on your cloth and then rub, like this
to pull your nails along your skin, especially because you have an itch
You'll only make it worse if you scratch
to damage a surface by marking it with something sharp or rough
How did you scratch your violin?
a thin mark on a surface
There's a scratch on my new CD!
to wash or clean something by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush
I've been scrubbing the floor all day
a thorough wash or clean
What your fingernails need is a good scrub
to break something noisily into many pieces by dropping or hitting it with a lot of force
You've smashed the glass on my favorite picture!
a substance that is not a liquid or a gas
Water is a liquid, but ice is a solid
a solid substance is firm and hard and is not a liquid or a gas
The concrete should be solid by now
a very small spot or mark
There isn't a speck of dust in the house
to damage something by pressing or crushing it and making it lose its normal shape
She sat on my glasses and squashed them!
a situation in which there are too many people in a small space
It'll be a bit of a squash, but we can get five in the car
the action of squeezing something
She gave my hand a quick squeeze
to press something firmly, especially with your hands
Squeeze the sponge to get all the water out
a pile of things placed one on top of another
I can't believe you knocked over that stack of tins
to arrange things so that they stand one on top of another
The assistant was stacking boxes when I walked into the shop
firm and difficult to bend
Take a stiff piece of card and cut a hole in it
a gentle movement of your hand across skin, hair or fur
I fell asleep while my mum was stroking my hair
to gently move your hand over skin, hair or fur
I was only trying to stroke the dog!
a variety of objects or things
What's all this stuff on your desk?
to push something soft into a space or container
I stuffed a few things into a suitcase and set off
a particular type of liquid, solid or gas
You're not allowed to take certain substances on a plane
made from artificial materials or substances, not from natural ones
Nylon is a synthetic material
a hole in a piece of paper, cloth, etc where it has been torn
There's a big tear in my dress
to pull something so that it separates into pieces or gets a hole in it
I've torn my T-shirt on the door handle
the way something feels when you touch it
I love the texture of silk
a transparent object or substance is clear or thin enough for you to see things through
Glass is transparent
A short text using 30 of the key phrases. Tap a highlighted phrase for its meaning.
When a person , we say they have . Especially horrible crimes – like a or a – can be described as , or .
If someone tries to commit a crime but does not succeed, we use the word – for example, an , or . If someone accuses another person of a crime, but it is not yet proven, then we use the word – for example, an , , or .
After the victim to the police, the police will begin to . They’ll visit the and . If , the police will interview them to hear a of what happened. They also consider possible .
Police can who they believe have committed a crime – but the suspect can by – that means giving a confirmed explanation of where they were at the time of the crime. If it is never discovered who committed the crime, then the case remains an . The statistics about number of crimes in a particular area is called the crime rate. And when there is a big increase in the crime rate, we can call this a .
There are also a number of collocations we can use to describe criminals. A is someone who has broken the law for the first time, whereas someone who has broken the law in the past . A criminal who is famous – like a or a person who is heavily involved in – can be called a .