Essential Vocabulary and Phrases for Daily Life
Essential Vocabulary and Phrases
Prepositional Phrases & Phrasal Verbs
Jealous (of): Wanting something that someone else has.
Loyal (to): Always liking and supporting someone or something.
Apologize (for): Telling someone that you are sorry.
Compare with: Saying how one person or thing is different from another.
Cope (with): Dealing successfully with a difficult situation.
Depend on: Needing the help and support of someone.
Do without: Managing without having something.
Laugh at: Showing that you think someone or something is stupid.
Addicted (to): Liking something very much.
Adventurous (with): Willing to try new, difficult, or dangerous things.
Aware (of): Knowing that something exists.
Cautious (about): Taking care to avoid risks or danger.
Critical (of): Saying that someone or something is bad or wrong.
Decisive (about): Able to make decisions quickly and confidently.
Hopeless (at): Very bad at a particular activity.
Back up: To make a copy of information.
Face up to: (Phrasal Verb) To accept that a difficult situation exists.
Focus on: To give a lot of attention to something.
Get in: To succeed in getting a place.
Health and Feelings
Faint: To suddenly become unconscious.
Feel dizzy: To feel as if everything is turning around.
Get in a panic: To have a sudden, strong feeling of fear.
Go over and over in your mind: To think repeatedly about something.
Have an upset stomach: To have an illness in the stomach.
Have difficulty sleeping: To not be able to get to sleep easily.
Lose your appetite: To not feel like eating.
Calm down: To stop feeling upset.
Come down with: To become ill.
Come round: To become conscious again after fainting.
Get down (someone): To make someone feel unhappy or depressed.
Get over: To get better after an illness.
Frequency Adverbs
All the time: Continuously.
Constantly: All the time or often.
From time to time: Sometimes, but not often.
Occasionally: Sometimes, but not often.
Once in a while: Sometimes, but not often.
Feelings and Emotions
Anxious: Worried and nervous.
Bad-tempered (about): Easily angered or annoyed.
Cheerful: Happy and positive.
Concerned (about): Worried.
Content (with): Pleased with your situation.
Depressed (about): Unhappy and without hope.
Down (about): Unhappy and depressed.
Fed up (with): Annoyed or bored.
Optimistic (about): Always believing that good things will happen.
Over the moon: Very pleased.
Pessimistic (about): Believing that bad things are likely to happen.
Petrified: Extremely frightened.
Relieved (about): Happy that something unpleasant has not happened.
Actions and Body Language
Lean: To move the top part of the body in a particular direction.
Mumble: To speak too quietly and not clearly.
Rush: To hurry or move quickly somewhere.
Sigh: To breathe out slowly and noisily.
Slap: To hit someone with the flat part of the hand.
Swing open: To open easily and without interruption.
Describing Places
Affordable: Cheap enough for most people.
Close: Where people know each other well.
Diverse: Varied or different.
Industrial: Related to industry and factories.
Inner-city: Central urban area with social issues.
Relaxed: Comfortable and informal.
Remote: Far from towns or cities.
Residential: Area with houses, not offices.
Rural: Related to the countryside.
Trendy: Fashionable and modern.
Urban: Related to a city.
Welcoming: Friendly and inviting.
Success and Goals
Achieve your goals: Succeed in what you planned.
Go wrong: Develop problems.
Have a go at (sth): Try something new.
Look bright: Seem likely to succeed.
Make a (big) difference: Improve a situation.
Make the best of (sth): Handle a bad situation positively.
Make the most of (sth): Take full advantage of something.
Put an end to (sth): Stop something.
See the best/worst in (sb): Focus on someone’s good/bad qualities.
Strength: A positive quality or skill.
Take an opportunity: Use a chance.
Weakness: A negative quality or flaw.
Personality and Qualities
Active: Always doing things.
Beneficial: Helpful or good.
Competition: Trying to win against others.
Dangerous: Could cause harm.
Driverless: Without a human driver.
Emotional: Related to feelings.
Enjoyment: Feeling of pleasure.
Majority: More than half.
Personality: How a person behaves and feels.
Professional: Work needing special training.
Recognisable: Easy to identify.
Relationship: Connection between people.
Remarkable: Very special or impressive.
Satisfaction: Pleasure from achieving something.
Settlement: A place where people live.
Useful: Helpful.
Valuable: Important or helpful.
Common Phrases with *At*, *By*, *In*, and *Out of*
At fault: Responsible for something bad.
At risk: In danger.
By accident: Unintentionally.
By chance: Unexpectedly.
In advance: Before something happens.
In detail: Including all information.
In secret: Without telling others.
Out of character: Unusual for someone.
Out of nowhere: Appearing suddenly.
Figurative Language and Idioms
Angel: A very kind person.
Boiling: Very hot.
Bright: Promising success.
Flood: To fill a place with large numbers of people or things.
Foggy: Unclear.
Freeze: To stop moving.
Frozen: Completely still.
Grill: To ask many questions.
Hit: To affect badly.
Lift (sb’s) mood: To make someone happier.
Sail through (sth): To succeed easily at something.
Stormy: Full of problems.
Weigh up: To carefully consider something.
Verbs for Interaction
Amuse: To make someone laugh.
Cheer (sb) up: To make someone feel happier.
Congratulate: To express happiness for someone’s success.
Highlight: To draw attention to something.
Promote: To encourage or advertise something.
Reassure: To comfort someone and stop them from worrying.