If you know these 15 Words, your English is AMAZING!

Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

How would you rate your English vocabulary range on a scale of 1 to 10?

One being, 'I know nearly nothing,' to ten, which is, 'I ate a dictionary for breakfast.'

Well, today, I'm going to help you test your vocabulary knowledge with 15

beautiful words.

We'll start with some fairly common

words, and we'll gradually build up to super-advanced words that even proficient

speakers of English might not know.

What do you think?

Are you ready for the challenge?

Mega important!

There's a free PDF that you can download that goes with this video, and in this

PDF, you won't just find the 15 words, we've also added 15 bonus words to really

give your vocabulary a boost.

There's also a link that will take you to

some interactive vocabulary exercises to test you on the 30 words you'll learn in

the PDF.

I've also included some top tips to help

you memorise any words that are new for you.

To download this mega PDF and exercise

pack, just click on the link in the description box, or type in the link you

see here, or

you can even scan the QR code.

Then just enter your name and your email address.

After that, you'll automatically receive my free weekly PDFs alongside my news,

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It's a totally free service, and you can

unsubscribe at any time.

With these words, I will say them once so

you can think about whether you recognise it, and then when I say it the second

time, I'll show it on screen.

Let's get the ball rolling with a

relatively easy word—'reckon.'

'Reckon.'

Does it ring any bells?

Here it is in a complete sentence.

'I reckon it's gonna rain soon.'

Have you got it?

'Reckon' is an informal verb that means

'think' or 'believe.'

We use it so often in British English.

'I reckon that I use it around 100 times a day!'

Number 2—'core.'

'Core.'

Notice how I don't pronounce the 'R' in 'core.'

There's no 'R' sound there.

It's just that long vowel sound /ɔː/—'core.'

An example using 'core'—'My dad reading me

a story before bed is one of my core childhood memories.'

'Core' is such a beautifully versatile word.

As a noun, it means the central or middle

part of something, like 'an apple core' or 'the Earth's core.'

When used as an adjective, it usually refers to the central or key part of something.

'A core memory' is a significant memory from your childhood.

It's often something that has a direct impact on your personality.

We also often talk about 'core beliefs' or 'core values.'

Number 3—'deliberate.'

'The teacher made a deliberate mistake to

check if the students were  still paying attention.'

If you've never heard this word before,

can you guess its meaning from the context?

A 'deliberate' action is intentional.

We can also say—'The teacher made a mistake on purpose.'

The opposite of 'deliberate' is 'unintentional' or 'by accident,' British English.

In American English, they also say 'on accident.'

We favour 'by accident' in British English.

Now, 'deliberate' has an /ə/ sound at the end, the schwa, /dɪˈlɪbərət/.

You will also hear it squeezed down to three syllables, /dɪˈlɪb rət/, in fast

spoken English.

Be careful, though!

There is also a verb that is spelled in exactly the same way, but it has a

different meaning and pronunciation.

The verb form is 'to deliberate,'

/dɪˈlɪbəreɪt/, with /eɪ/ at the end.

Words like this are called heteronyms,

and I've included some more examples in the PDF.

Bonus point if you know what /dɪˈlɪbəreɪt/ means.

If you 'deliberate something,' you think

about it very carefully.

For example—'The judges deliberated for

hours before reaching their final decision.'

Time for number 4, 'elsewhere, elsewhere.'

Notice how the main stress is on the second syllable, 'elsewhere.'

Here is the word in context. Any idea what it means?

'The restaurant is fully booked — we'll have to go elsewhere.'

There is actually a bit of a clue in the word itself.

'To go elsewhere' means 'to go somewhere else, elsewhere, somewhere else.'

I think it is a beautiful word, the way 

that 'somewhere else' is  inverted to become 'elsewhere.'

We usually use it after a verb, like we did in the example sentence.

Okay, how are you getting on so far?

Let's do number 5—'grab, grab.'

For example—'Someone just grabbed my bag and ran off with it.'

'Grab' literally means to take hold of something very quickly, often using force.

But we can also use 'grab' as a casual expression, meaning to get something to

eat or drink quickly.

It's a great phrase that we use all the time.

For example—'We've got 30 minutes before the next meeting. Should we go and grab a coffee?'

Obviously, I'm not going to snatch the coffee like that, we're just going to get

it quickly.

It implies speed.

Number 6, ready?

I love this vowel sound, 'urge, urge.'

I love this word, but it can be tricky to pronounce because of the long vowel sound

at the beginning, /ɜː/.

Imagine you've just seen something that's

disgusting and say 'ur.'

It's the same sound you find in 'world' and

'work,'—'urge.'

Have you heard this word before?

Okay, let's look at the meaning.

Can you replace 'urge' with a synonym in

this sentence?

'The government urged the public to remain calm.'

It's a pretty formal word; you might have heard it on the news.

Still not sure?

Maybe you can think of another word that

begins with the letters u, r, g, and e. We have 'urgent,' this has the same root or

origin as 'urge.'

It's similar in meaning to 'recommend,' but

it's stronger.

The structure is 'to urge  somebody to do something.'

It's also often used in the passive.

For example—'She was urged to follow

safety procedures at all times.'

Okay, here comes lucky number 7, 'gig.'

'Gig.'

'I've just bought tickets for the Coldplay

gig in September.'

'Gig' is another word for 'concert.'

We normally use it with popular music concerts like pop, rock, or jazz.

We don't normally say a classical music gig.

Here, the word concert would be more appropriate.

Musicians or comedians 'do' or 'play a gig,' but most of us 'go to a gig.'

Sometimes it's used in a slang way to mean a job.

'I've got a gig as a children's party entertainer'—for example.

It's like a one-off.

It can also be used as a verb, and I've

left more information about all of this and all of the other words, plus

more, in the PDF.

The link's in the description.

Okay, we're over halfway through now, and we're moving things up a notch to some

advanced level words.

Number 8, I love how this word

sounds, 'cling.'

'Cling.'

Here it is in a sentence.

'He always clings to his girlfriend's arm

when they watch horror films together.'

If you 'cling to or onto something,' you

hold it very tightly, usually because you're afraid.

You probably have some cling film in your kitchen.

It's also known as plastic wrap.

We use it to cover food tightly.

If you describe a person  as 'clingy,' /ˈklɪŋi/ what

are you saying?

It's a fairly disapproving adjective,

meaning that a person depends on another person too much and lacks independence.

We often use it to describe children or partners who are perhaps a bit too possessive.

For example—'Sarah is a clingy child —

che never leaves her mother's side.'

Ready for number 9?

We're moving into super advanced

territory now.

'Gabble.'

'Gabble.'

'He got nervous in the interview and

started to gabble.'

If you 'gabble,' you speak so quickly that

people find it difficult to understand you.

We often use it with the prepositions 'on'

and 'away.'

What do you tend to 'gabble on about' or

'gabble away about?'

'I have to admit, I tend to gabble on a

bit about Spain…'

I'm here right now and I love it.

Number 10.

This is a word that I learnt fairly

recently, and now that I know what it means, I see and hear it everywhere.

It's a regular verb, 'gaslight.'

'Gaslight.'

For example —'The boss made a mistake and then gaslighted me into thinking it was

my fault.'

'To gaslight' means to manipulate someone's

memory of an event, and this usually involves trying to make somebody believe

things that aren't true in an attempt to control them.

If someone gaslights you, you might start to doubt your memory of an event and

you're probably thinking, where on earth does this come from?

Well, interestingly, this term comes from the 1930's British play called 'Gas Light,' in

which a man manages to convince his wife that she has a mental illness.

Really creepy!

Number 11:

We have 'ghost.'

'Ghost.'

Now, I know you're thinking, Lucy, there's no way that ghost is an advanced word.

Well, you're not wrong.

The noun 'ghost' is definitely an

intermediate word, but could you use 'ghost' as a verb?

Here's an example.

'We chatted online for over a year and

then she completely ghosted me.'

If you 'ghost somebody,' you suddenly stop

all communication with  someone without explanation.

You simply, and then I'll go down like

this, disappear!

We often use the term with online

relationships, but you could also be ghosted by a friend or someone you're

dating in person or in real life.

It's quite sad, actually.

Let's move on to number 12, to another word I love saying, 'finicky.'

'Finicky.'

This word has two meanings, so let's hear

it in context.

'I'm a bit finicky when it comes to

coffee so I always buy from the same independent coffee shop.'

Another example, different meaning:

'Can you help me put this shelf together —

it's a bit finicky.'

So, in the first sentence,  'finicky' means 'fussy.'

It's a disapproving adjective which means that you worry too much about certain things.

This worrying can make it difficult for you to be happy or satisfied with something.

In the second sentence, assembling the furniture is 'finicky' because it requires

a lot of attention to detail as there may be lots of small parts.

Okay, we are on the home straight now.

Our final 3 words.

Number 13, 'situationship.'

'Situationship.'

An example—'I'd love to move things on from being in a situationship to actually

being boyfriend and girlfriend.'

Any ideas?

This is a great word to use when you're more than friends with somebody but

you're not officially dating or in a serious relationship.

It's a blend of the word 'situation' and 'relationship,' and it's being used more and

more frequently.

Number 14, 'ableism.'

Do you recognise any parts of this word, 'able-' or '-ism'?

Perhaps you're familiar with the words 'racism,' 'sexism,' and 'feminism.'

Here's the word in context.

'As a wheelchair user, Sally is forced to

face ableism on a daily basis.'

'Ableism' refers to discrimination against

disabled people, and I love this word because it draws attention to

unacceptable attitudes and behaviours 

towards people with mental  and physical disabilities.

Okay, now it's time for our final word of the day and this is a word that I most

definitely relate to, 'nomophobia.'

Perhaps you recognise the last part of

the word, '-phobia.'

Here's the word in context.

'She has a severe case of nomophobia —

she can't go anywhere without her mobile phone.'

So, a 'phobia' is an extreme fear of something, and 'nomophobia' is a fear of not

having your mobile phone, something I can kind of relate to, although I'm trying to

spend more time away from my mobile phone.

Okay, that brings us to the end of

today's lesson.

How many of these wonderful words did you

already know and which one is your favourite?

Let me know in the comments section.

As I said, there are 15 more words in the PDF, and we go into loads more detail, and

you'll also find that link for the interactive exercise pack.

I think you'll really like it.

Just click on the link in the description

box to join the mailing list and get that right away.

If you enjoy learning advanced English with me, I think you will love my

Beautiful British English C1 Programme.

In the C1 Programme, we really dive into nuance.

We differentiate between those little shades of meaning.

We also look at your pronunciation, conversation skills, and of course,

advanced C1 grammar.

If you're interested, visit

englishwithlucy.com.

I will see you soon for another

lesson!

Muah!