| Abbreviations and acronyms Abbreviations are simply the shortening of words and expressions. Some common abbreviations come from Latin: eg. for example, from exempli gratia NB note well, from nota bene ive. that is, from id est AD the year of Our Lord, used to count years since the birth of Christ, from Anno Domini Some come from shortened words: bedsit: one room which is a bedroom and a sitting room sitcom: short for situational comedy (a kind of TV programme) sci-fi: science fiction Some are pronounced as individual letters: EU European Union ID identity document BC Before Christ, used co count years asap as soon as possible before the birth of Christ Some abbreviations are acronyms, i.e. they are formed from the first letters (or occasionally syitables} of a word or series of words and are pronounced as a word: AIDS /eidz/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome NATO /'neitau/ North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Some can be pronounced both as an acronym and as individual letters: VAT value-added tax, pronounced /veet/ or /viz e1 tis! UFO unidentified flying object, pronounced /'ju:fav! or /ju: ef 'su/ Sometimes abbreviations can have more than one meaning. AA Alcoholics Anonymous [an organisation helping people with alcohol-relaced problems) ard the AA the Automobile Association [a UK motorists’ club] PC personal computer or Police Constable [the lowest rank of police officer in the UK] or politically correct avoiding expressions which may suggest prejudice and cause offence} m metre, mile, million, male, macried p per, pence, page Some abbreviations are particularly common in writing RSVP reply please {used on invitations, from French, répondez s'il vous plait] PTO please turn over FAQ frequently asked question [found mainly on websites] These abbreviations are increasingly common ia electromic text messages: FYI for your information AFK away from keyboard LOL laughing out loud BTW bythe way R are C see U you EZ easy 4 for 2 to, too, wo Abbreviations are often used in newspaper small ads for accommodation. £300 pem excl: rent is £300 per calendar month excluding payment for gas, electricity, etc. £60 pw ine: rent is £60 per week including gas, electricity, etc. Wf: fully furnished s/c: self-contained [has all it needs within itself] suit n/s prof female: would suit a non-smoking woman in a professional job all mod cons: all modern conveniences, ¢.g. washing machine ch: central heating d/g: double garage 0.n.0.: or nearest offer Note that you may see different punctuation for these expressions ~ e/h, ch, and ch 20 English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)Md 4.2 1.4 1.6 7 Exercises Insert the correct Latin abbreviations from A into the gaps. 1 This antique vase dates from 1500 2 Fruit, the usually sweet part of a tree or bush which contains seeds, is normally delicious to eat. 3 fruit cannot be taken across the border into the USA. 4 Fruits, lemons, pears and grapes, are sometimes added when cooking poultry. How are the abbreviations in these sentences pronounced? What do they stand for? 1 Ifhe can’t kick the habit on his own, he should try joining AA. 2. Read pp.10-22 for homework. 3. Cars must not exceed 30 mph in a built-up area. 4. The film gives a convincing depiction of life BC despite some curious anachronisms. 5. Do you believe in UFOs? 6 Write back asap. What do these abbreviations stand for? Choose from the words in the box. Use each word once only. 1 WHO 2 UNESCO 3 IMF 4 OBE 5 GMT 6 IOC 7 RSPCA 8 EST ‘Animals Educational International Organisation Standard British Empire Mean Organisation Committee Fund Monetary Prevention Cruelty Greenwich Nations Royal Cultural Health ‘Olympic Scientific Eastern International Order Society ‘Translate this mobile phone text message into standard English. cv 4 tat 3, OK? BTW K's going 2 b here 2. As requested in the note below, write an advert to appear in the small ads column of the local newspaper. Use D opposite to help you and be as brief as possible. Could. you prepare an advert for a girt to rent the third bedroom in our fat? We want someone who doesn’t smoke and. it would be nice to have a teacher or a nurse or someone in & reasonably reliable job. The advert had, better mention that the. flak is fully furnished and. centrally heated and. has all the kitchen appliances she might need. Don't, of course, forget to say that she would have to pay £220 a month, not including bis Write an advert for someone to rent your own house or flat. Sometimes the exact name of an organisation is chosen so that its acronym has a hamorous or memorable effect. For example, ASH stands for Action on Smoking and Health, Here are some more examples. What do you think the other letters stand for? 1 DUMP Disposal of Medicines and 2 NOW National of Women 3 UNITE of National Income Tax Employ 4 CALL — Computer Assisted Learning 5 AAAAA American for the of Abbreviations and Acronyms. English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced) 24NOTE injure [people] ‘damage [chings}: 200 people ‘were injured, Buildings were damaged, Global problems Disasters/tragedies earthquakes famine * [no food] {the earth moves/trembles} a floods {too much rain} drought {no rain} _ = major accidents explosions [e.g. a bomb] ——|e.g. a plane crash] hurricanes/tornadoes |: y D _ epidemics [diseases affecting typhoons [violent winds / storms] — large numbers of people} volcanoes [hot liquid / war / civil war (civil war is war rock and gases pour from a mountain} between people of the same country] Disasters not caused by human beings can be called natural disasters. Verbs connected with these words A volcano has erupted in Indonesia. Hundreds are feared dead. ‘The flu epidemic spread rapidly throughout the country. Millions are starving as a result of the famine, A big earthquake shook the city at noon today. The area is suffering its worst drought for many years. Civil war has broken out in the north of the country. A tornado swept through the islands yesterday. Words for people involved in disastersitragedies The explosion resulted in 300 casualties... (dead and injured people] The real victims of civil war are children left without parents. {those who suffer the results] There were only three survivors «0.7 . All the other passengers were reported dead, [people who live through a disaster] ‘Thousands of refugees tet 1 l51:7 have crossed the border looking for food and shelter. During the battle, the dead and wounded \\\i:\iiisI_were flown out in helicopters. [wounded: injured in a battle / by a weapon] Headlines Here are some headlines from newspapers all connected with diseases and epidemics. Explanations are given, ¢ BSne —_ ibis esease / Cholera) and @phoi caustd by \ Rabi ( Se nal injections not needed” a cee \Gaisbone ok || nests noc de fox, eke: | parts offAsia sviows { stud disses sing sideness, diacthoea ot; caused often by infuted food and water — tropical disease; fellow fe beams of rasa | drug 5 sin goes yon eerie caquied irneran 7 nen AIDS ay . sypdrone; len causid | New AIDS unit sos tamble _) Minister says fight Stxsel contact or vatace” — | (© be opened this skin disease; lasts | against leprosy) wlth contaminated blook — | Month the skin defareud | goes on 86 English Vocabulary in Use (Upper-intermediate)42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 42.5 Exercises What type of disaster from the list in A opposite are these sentences about? Why? EXAMPLE The lava flow destroyed three villages. volane; loin is the hot rodks and etal The earth is cracked and vegetation has The tremor struck at 3.35 p.m. local time. People had boarded up shops and houses during the day before, and stayed indoors. Shelling and mortar fire could be heard all over the town. ‘Witnesses said they saw a fire-ball fall out of the sky. People had to stay in the upper floors and sometimes on the roofs of their homes. ithered, au ken Complete the missing items in this word-class table, using a dictionary if necessary. Where there is a dash (-), you do not need to write anything. verb ‘noun: thing or idea noun: person ‘explosion - injure starve erupt In these headlines, say whether the situation seems to be getting worse or better, or whether a disaster has happened or has heen avoided! prevented. 1] Poison gas} 3; OILSLICK SJ Allsurvive jumbo < cloud spreads ) RECEDES < emergency landing ae s 2 J POLICE DEFUSE i JAIDS time-bomb{ 6 Food warnings Q ‘TERRORIST BOMB < ticking away ¢ not heeded in time Fill the gaps with a suitable word from B opposite. Try to work from memory. Another 50 people died today, all uo of the famine, The government agreed to allow 3,000 war svn tO enter the country. It was the worst road accident the country has ever seen, with over 120 As Were there any soon when the ship sank? B: I'm afraid not. The and ... were left lying on the battlefield; it was a disgrace. Which diseases are weiglking about? Try to do this from memory. 1 One that can be caused by a mosquito bite. 2. One that leaves the skin badly deformed. 3. One you can get by drinking infected water. 4 One you can get from an animal bite. 5 One that makes the skin go yellow. Do people get any of these discases in your country? Follow-up: Look at an Engish-language newspaper and see how many ofthe global problems ‘mentioned in this unit are reported, Cut out any articles you find, and make a list of the vocabulary for ‘each topic in your notebook, English Vocabulary in Use (Upperintermediote) 87ANA Things that typically go together: cake-tn | vase elbow cock | moped sink banged v racked v v broken down v dented v stopped v blocked v 41.5 banged/bumped my head. locked myself out. mislaid her number. broken down / not working, (It could also be jammed which means mechanically stuck, e.g. by some broken film.) fell and twisted my ankle / cut my leg/knee, etc. Unit 42 42.1 1 Drought; if the plants and trees are withered, they are probably dying because they hav no water, and since the earth is eracked (hard, with a pattern of deep lines over it), it suggests it is very dry. 2 Earthquake; a tremor is a trembling movement of the earth. Note how disasters of various kinds can strike, e.g. The hurricane struck the coastline at noon, 3A violent storm or wind, a hurricane/typhoor/tornado; if you board up your house yo= cover the windows and doors with wooden boards to protect them. 4 War or a battle of some kind; shells and mortars are projectiles which cause explosions when they strike, 5 Probably a plane crash; people who witness such crashes often describe the explosion = a fire-ball, or ball of fire. 6 Probably a flood, since if your house is flooded, the natural thing to do is to go to the upper floor(s) or the roof to escape the water. 42.2 [ver | noun: thing or idea | noun: person ‘explode | explosion - survive | survival survivor injure | injury the injured starve | starvation the starving. ee ae - 42.3 1 getting worse (spreads means gets bigger / covers a wider area) 2 a disaster was avoided (the bomb was defused ~ made safe) 3. getting better (the oil is receding ~ going away from where it was heading, for example. towards a beach) 4 getting worse (to tick away means to get worse with time) S$ disaster avoided (an emergency landing is a landing when the pilot has to land the plans immediately ~ perhaps he has no proper control over the plane, e.g. if there is an electrical fault) 6 disaster has occurred / is occurring (if you heed a warning, you take note, and do something; here the warning was ignored) 236 English Vocabulary in Use (Upperintermediote)42.4 42.5 43.1 43.2 43.3 1 victims 2 refugees 3 casualties. 4 survivors 5 dead; wounded 1 malaria 2 leprosy 3 cholera or typhoid 4 rabies 5 yellow fever Unit 43 1 primary 5 further/higher 2 nursery 6 evening classes 3. grammar 7 grant 4 comprehensive 8 teacher-training college 1 I'm taking/doing/sitting an examination tomorrow. or P've got an examination 2 hear you passed / did well in your examination! 3. You can study a lot of different subjects / take a lot of different courses at this university. (a career is a job or profession you follow for life or for many years) 4 Igor some good marks/geades in my continuous assessment this term, 5 She’s a teacher in a primary school. (Professors are only in universities and are very senior teachers.) 6 He gave an interesting 45-minute lecture on Goethe. (A conference is a big meeting of people with the same interests, usually lasting several days.) 7 She got a diploma in personnel management. (Only universities can give degrees.) 8... we started having French classes/lessons at school. (Seminars are classes held in colleges or universities.) Possible questions: 1 Do students in your country get a geant? 2 What’s the difference between a state university and a private one? 3. Whar goes on at playschools and nursery schools? 4 Why did you choose a teacher-training college instead of a university? 5 What's the school-leaving age in Britain now? 6 You look terribly tired. What've you been doing? 7 Do you get marks/credits/points/percentages for your exams? 8 Did you skip yesterday's lecture? 9. What are ‘A-levels’? Follow-up: You could look up these things in an encyclopaedia, or else write to your ‘American Embassy and ask them to send you information about education in the USA. Broadly speaking a high school is lke a British secondary school, college means further education, a sophomore is a second-year college student and graduate school is where you study for further degrees, eg. MA/MSc, after gaining your first degree. Unit 44 1 union representative 7 supervisor 2 executive 8 labourer 3. director 9 personnel officer 4 unskilled worker 10. public relations officer 5 administrator 11. security officer 6 safety officer (not the security 12. receptionist officer ~ see answer 11) English Vocobulary in Use (Upperintermediate) 237Speech: style and articulation Verbs denoting volume: from quiet to loud Mumble and mutter are both usually negative: Stop mumbling! I can’t hear what you're say He was muttering something under his breath, probably complaining, as usual. Murmur can be more positive: They murmured their approval when he told chem the plan The phrase without a murmur means without any protest or complaint or comment: They accepted it all without 4 murmur. I was surprised. Normally they complain. Raise one’s voice can be used in positive or negative contexts: You'll have to raise your voice a bit. She’s a little hard of hearing. [speak louder] ‘Don’t you raise your voice at me!’ [Do not speak in that loud, angry cone.] Shout, yell, scream, roar and shriek are all followed by at: Don’t shout at me. Yell often conveys urgency, anger, frustration; it is also used when there is much surrounding noise: He yelled at the children to stop messing around with his compurec, “Stay where you are!” he yelled above the noise of the traffic. Shriek means loud and very high-pitched. It can be used in negative and positive contexts ‘Oh, wow! That's fantastic!’ she shrieked. Roar suggests very loud volume, but deeper-pitched, like a tion. It is used in positive and negative contexts: As he kicked the ball into the goal, the crowd roared, “Yes!” “How dare you come in here!” he roared. HEB SC Verbs describing episodes of speech and styles of conversation Note how away is used co emphasise continuous/extended talk: He’s been chattering away on the phone all morning. [suggests light, non-serious atic] Tom and Lily are always nagging (at) each other. (criticising faults or duties not done] We always gossip about work when we go out together. [talk abour people, rumours, etc.] Stop bickering you two! Why can’t you be friends? [arguing in an irritated way] It took him a long time to realise they were winding him up. [/'waindiy/ informal: teasing/fooling him] They spent all evening slagging off their colleagues. [informal: criticising] I realised she was buttering me up for some reason. [negative: saying nice things to me because she wanted something from me] Janet is always whining and whingeing about something. [informal, negative: complaining| Speech and articulation problems nr problem example meaning lisp He speaks with a lisp. / He lisps. difficulty in making an’s’ sound and He says ‘thing’ instead of ‘sing’ making ath’ sound instead stammer __ | He hates speaking in front of people speak with abnormal pauses and because he’s got a really bad stammer. | repetitions stutter “Twant to t-t-ttell you something’ he | repeat sounds at the beginning of words stuttered nervously. slurring He was slurring his words because he | his words had a slow, lazy sound: difficult had drunk far too much alcohol. to understand tongue-tied | I want to tell her llove her, but | get | cannot say what | want to say: mix up tongue-tied my words 190 English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)86.1 86.2 86.3 86.4 Exercises Without looking at the opposite page, can you remember the following? a verb meaning ‘to argue in an irritated manner’ a phrase meaning ‘without complaining’ a verb meaning chat someone often makes a ‘th’ sound instead of an ‘s’ or ‘z’ sound three verbs meaning ‘speak very loudly’ that are followed by at how che verb roar is different form the verb shriek two verbs connected with talking about people, usually when they are not present, either about their private affairs or saying very negative things abour them 7 a verb meaning to tease someone or fool them to make them look silly Aueene Fill the gaps with one word. 1 ‘T want to ¢-c-c-c-come with you,’ she nervously 2 Igor and said to her ‘Yous backer’s dutiful? instead of “Your jacker’s beautiful’! 3. I wish you'd speak up and stop Tcan’t hear a word you're saying. 4 Thad to at him to be heard, the noise of the plane was so loud. 5 ‘love you,’ he softly. 6 Thate people who about their workmates. I never talk about other people The drugs had made her speech very incoherent. I couldn’t follow what she was trying ro say. She was all her words 8 She speaks with a I thought she said she had too much fit on her holiday, but she was trying to say sun Correct the mistakes in these sentences. 1 They're always whineing and winging about everything. Take no notice of them 1 don’t believe you. { think you're winding me. Do you think Peggy was trying to banter me up for some reason? } wonder why she was saying ail those nice things about me? I’m suspicious. 4. You’re always nigging at met Just leave me alone and let me watch TVE Complete the crossword. Across 3 people often do this on the phone for hours 4 rather low voice Down 1 speak loudly 2. problem in speaking 5 make a loud, deep sound like a tion English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)92 Idioms that comment on stories and === reports HEI A. Note how some idioms in the text below set the scene (1-3), some make the events more incense of exciting (4-8), and some comment on the events and draw conclusions (9-16) O* day, I was sitting at my desk in the infected e-mail himself and that now his) office, minding my own business! and computer had completely crashed. To \ just ¢widdting my thumbs?, when my cap/crown it all®, he had lost a long, colleague Tom Jessop came walking important report he had almost finished towards me. I could feel it in my bones _But, would you believe it’, { had not saved that something was going to happen. my work for about an hous, and, to-cuta | Suddenly, out of the blve’, and without eo long story short", by pulling out my power much as a by-your-leave®, he pulled the —_cable he caused me to lose a report I was. power cable out of the back of my writing too, even though he saved me from | computer, switching it off instantly. Before J. the virus! However, as luck would have knew where I was, he was switching iton __it!', I remembered later that I had a copy on again, and in next to no time’, it was my laptop, so everything turned out all | working normally. He explained that he had right in the end", and all's well that ends | noticed out of the comer of his eye that! well! at least for me. Tlived to tell the | was just about to open an e-mail which he __tale'*, but poor old Tom lost everything on | knew contained a dangerous virus, and he his computer. I know it was just one of reacted quickly to stop me doing it. He those things!®, but still, it just goesto explained that he had just opened the show's how you can never trust technology. __ ' doing nothing special 9 said when one is about to tell a coincidence 2 feeling bored, with nothing co do 1 0 cell something briefly 3 Tcould sense "purely by luck + completely unexpectedly finished well 5 without asking permission or warning "8 said as a comment on a good ending to anyone a seties of bad events © before I had time to be aware of what I survived the events was happening it was an event that one just has to accept 7 very quickly used to state the moral or logical @ as the worst event ina series of bad ones conclusion of the events [MB Other expressions that occur in narratives : It turned our she went to the same school as my sister 8: Well! It’s a small world, isn’t it? [said when a coincidence happens between people] “So I said, I’m not afraid of animals, let me carry it Famous last words! It was a six-foot snake!” [said when one later regrets something one has said] don’t think Pll ever trust her again. Well, you tive and fearn, don’t you? [comment on events from which someone has learnt a lesson] “So you're from Earth 100? Small worlt 202 English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)92.1 92.2 92.3 92.4 Exercises Complete the idioms in these sentences. 1 Iwas just standing there, and then, out of yamanona horse rode up to me. 2 Iwas in the office, minding , when [heard a bell ringiag in the street. 3 Icould feel that it wasn’t going co be an ordinary day. 4 We were just rwiddling . , waiting for something to happen. 5 Then, without so much y he took my bike and rode off. Which idiom means ... to get quickly to the end of the story? you usually learn something from a bad experience? coincidences happen in this world of ours? I survived all the bad things? the events prove/demonstrate that the events were something you just have to accept? Ausens ‘Match the beginnings and endings of the idioms below. as luck that ends well famous believe it in next would have it all’s well ic all to crown last words would you to no time aAuAUNE Match the underlined idioms with their definitions. Use a good general dictionary or a dictionary of idioms if necessary. Idioms 1 Lhad a feeling of déji vu. 2. So far so good, | thought. 3. One thing led to another. 4 If you can’t beat them, join them. 5 You can’t win them all. 6 Lhad nothing to lose, so I did it. Definitions a) A series of events all happened, over which the speaker had little control. b) The speaker felt he or she had already experienced what was about to happen. c) One always has to accept that bad things will happen as well as good. d) Things were already bad, and the proposed action could not make them worse. ¢) Things were going fine up to that point. f) One is resigned to accept something that one has been struggling against. Look in the letters column of an English language magazine at the kind of letter where someone ‘writes in to recount something unusual that has happened to them. Note any idioms of the kind illustrated in this ur English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced) 203| Language and gender Gender awareness and vocabulary A number of vocabulary changes are being introduced as a result of the feminist movement and heightened awareness of the sexist nature of some English vocabulary, David Crystal in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language writes: =e has been focused on the replace- ent of ‘male’ words with a generic meaning by neutral items — chairman, for example, becoming chair or chairperson (though not without controversy) or salesman becoming sales assistant. In certain cases, such as job descriptions, use of sexually neutral language has become a legal require- ment. There is continuing debate between ' a typical person (could be replaced by person in the street) in Europe and Asia 2.5 to 3 million years ago extremists and moderates as to how far suct revisions should go — whether they should affect traditional idioms such as man in the street! and Neanderthal Man?, ot apply t© pars of words where the male meaning of man is no longer dominant such as manhandle? and woman. The vocabulary of marital status has also been affected with the introduction of Ms as a neutral alternative to Miss or Mrs. 2 primitive people who lived + handle roughly, using force Here are some examples of non-sexist variations of vocabulary: older usage | current usage older usage current usage spokesman spokesperson air hostess flight attendant fireman firefighter cleaning lady cleaner male nurse nurse foreman supervisor to man to staff manpower human resources: ‘man-hours: working hours mankind human race ‘Words relating to gender words ‘meaninglcomment ‘example male, female used for gender classification in biology ‘male and female bees ‘masculine, feminine having qualities felt to be typically male or female masculine pride, feminine charm manly, womanly or female having positive qualities felt to be typically male manly strength, womanly grace le manly (usually used in a sexual context) handsome and virile men in looks and behaviour (informal) effeminate resembling a woman (used of men, negative) his effeminate walk mannish resembling a man (used of women, negative) her manish haircut a tomboy a young girl who behaves and dresses like a boy | She's a real tomboy. a sissy a boy who behaves like a girl, or a weak He's such a sissy! and cowardly person (informal, negative) butch used of men and women, aggressively masculine | butch stars of cowboy films 214 Engish Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)98.2 98.3 98.4 Exercises Answer these questions about the text. 1 Why do you think there have been attempts to introduce non-sexist language of the ind described by David Crystal? How would you explain this expression: male words with a generic meaning? Why do you think there might have been controversy about attempts to change the word chairman? 4 What do more extreme advocates of making English sexually neutral want to do that is unacceptable to the moderates? 5 Why was Ms introduced and why is it useful? ‘A modern editor would probably alter these sentences. How would this be done? 1 Three firemen helped put our a fire at a disused warehouse last night. 2. A spokesman for the Department of Education provided us with a statement, 3 Cleaning lady wanted for house in Priory Street 4 The switchboard is continuously manned even during holiday periods. 5 All our air hostesses are fluent in at least three languages. 6 7 8 Miss Jones is in charge of the Manpower Department of the company. Policemen today spend more time in cars than on the beat. Brenda’s husband is a male nurse. 9 It took a great many man-hours co clean up the stadium after the concert. 10 This was a great step for mankind. 11 The man in the street has little time for such issues. 12 They manhandled the hostage into the van. Circle the best of the underlined words to complete each sentence. That suit makes her look rather mannish/manly. Go on, jump. Don’t be such a sissy? Younger men are said to be more male/virile than older ones. She always dresses in a very feminineleffeminare way. You never see her in trousers. The masculine/male cat is less aggressive than his sister. weene Answer these questions. 1 Does your language ever use male words generically? 2 Ifso, have there been attempts to change them to avoid sexual stereotyping? 3. Do you think that using sex-biased words does affect people’s attitudes to men and women’s roles in society? 4 How do you feel abour imposing language changes of the different kinds that David Crystal describes? Do terms of address (i.e. Mr, Mrs, etc.) in your language indicate whether people ace married? Do you think it is better if terms of address indicate matital srarus or not? Why? A grammatical problem in this area is the use of he/his co refer to a person of either sex. In the sentence ‘A government minister may have to neglect his family.’ the minister could be a man or a woman. However the use of ‘his’ assumes, perhaps wrongly, that it is a man. How could you rewrite this sentence to avoid this problem? NO English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced) 215