Word of the week: under


The preposition under is known even at A1 level in its core meaning of LOWER POSITION. The frequent meaning LESS THAN, as in under £20, under the age of ten, under 50% seems to be known from A2 level. Further phrases with under are included at the higher levels, such as be under the impression at B2 and be under way at C2. Under also occurs in the common idioms down under, under your nose and be/feel under the weather, all of which are included at C2. It is possible to search for idioms as a separate category in the English Vocabulary Profile – for example, to find all idioms containing the word under, type this word in the Search box and select ‘idioms’ in the Category menu of Advanced search. Under is also used as a prefix and a wild card search (typing under* in the Search box) will return all the words in the English Vocabulary Profile that start with under, including underdeveloped, underestimate, undergo, underline, underlying, etc. To narrow your search for a particular level, for example C1, select ‘C1 only’ – this will restrict the search results to the words and phrases that are thought to be new for learners at C1 level.
 
To view the full entry for under on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.

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