Word of the Week
With its 120th word, Word of the Week has now come to an end. We hope you enjoyed this free feature and that it has given you an insight into the thinking and research behind the English Vocabulary Profile.
All 120 are still available to read in our archive, below. Each Word of the Week in the archive is followed by a link to the full entry for that word on the English Vocabulary Profile. To view the entries, you will need to subscribe to the EVP: to subscribe for free click here.
Word of the week: position
The noun position has six meanings listed up to B2 level, and the entry shows the different grammar for this word according to meaning – the B1 meaning SITUATION usually has no plural, as in I wish I was in her position, whereas another B1 meaning SPORT is countable - there are several different positions in football or hockey, for example. The formal meaning JOB is at B2, though this meaning might be known at a lower level in a business context. The English Vocabulary Profile describes general English knowledge and performance up to B2 level and, for the C levels, both general and academic English. Several phrases using position will be included at C1, such as be in a position to do something, be in position and put someone in a difficult position.To view the full entry for position on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: light
The word light is an adjective, a noun, and a verb, and both the adjective and the noun appear to be known at the A levels. The first meaning to be listed at A1 is for the adjective: PALE, in connection with colour, as in light blue. In the entry below, the learner example given is at A2, but evidence has been found in beginner level coursebooks and other materials that this meaning is taught earlier, so it has been included at A1. One meaning of the verb is listed at B1: START FLAMES, and at B2, there is the further meaning MAKE BRIGHT, as in Fireworks lit up the sky. As you can see in the dictionary example, up appears in bold in the entry, showing that it commonly collocates with the verb in this sense. Further phrases will be included for the noun at the C levels, including in the light of (US: in light of) and come to light.To view the full entry for light on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: around
The word around is a preposition and an adverb, and several meanings for both parts of speech are included in the English Vocabulary Profile. The search results for this word give the core meanings and uses that are shown in the entry below, together with a number of other entries where around occurs – for example, at bounce along/around/into, hand about/around, the other way round/around, splash about/around/through, etc. This element of the resource gives the user a fuller picture of how the word is used and clicking on any one of the search results takes you directly to the entry selected. Interestingly, American English always uses around, whereas in British English around and round are often used interchangeably, as in look around/round (somewhere).To view the full entry for around on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
