Learning English

6 Minute Vocabulary

Uncountable nouns have no plural form and are not used with the indefinite article a or an.

Can you give me some information about accommodation in the city?

There are three main types of uncountable nouns that students often think are countable:

• activity nouns: travel, work, homework
• information nouns: advice, information, knowledge, research
• group nouns: accommodation, baggage, furniture, money, traffic, weather

Other nouns that are uncountable are:

• liquids and gasses: water, air
• materials and substances: wood, rice
• feelings and ideas: happiness, education
• subjects: geography, history, economics

A few uncountable nouns look plural because they end in -s. But they use a singular verb like other uncountable nouns:

Physics is a very interesting subject.

Session 3

wodge
a large amount of something

notes
banknotes

fancy
(here) posh and expensive

luxury items
things that aren't necessary but make our lives more comfortable and that are usually highly desired

make do
manage in a situation even if you don't have a lot of resources or help

content
happy

be central to
be important to

crucial
very important

wealthier
richer

child mortality
death rate of children between 1 month and 5 years of age

life expectancy
the average time a person can may expect to live

keep on
continue

decidedly
absolutely

rat race
the competitive and stressful world of work

Session 4

suffocate
die because you can't breathe

root around
look around (for something)

materialism
belief that having money and things is important

consumer revolution
big change in society where people buy and sell more things that are made in factories

transforms
changes

scarcity
not having enough

abundance
having enough or too much

signature pattern
recognisable pattern

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
mental illness caused by stressful or frightening events

chronic fatigue
illness where you feel tired all the time

mortality
death

correlation
connection

grave
(here) death

status
position in a group or society

Drama

heather
a wild plant with small purple flowers that grows on hills and in wild places

hanged
to be killed by having a rope put around the neck and then made to fall

marsh
area of soft, wet land

be damned
slang expression meaning you do not care about something at all

bear
continue to accept something you do not like

wagons
form of transport in the past with four wheels and pulled by horses

smuggle
to secretly bring things in and out of a place in a way that is not allowed by law

innocent
describes someone who has not done anything wrong