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: impression
The word impression is characteristic of B2 level vocabulary, and the other members of this Word family are also listed at the same level. Two distinct senses are known at B2, OPINION and EFFECT, as well as the phrase be under the impression. These represent the most frequent uses of the word by first language users. Further senses under consideration at the C levels include COPY, as in He does a really good impression of the president and MARK, used in relation to a mark made on the surface of something. If you have a view on the use of these phrases, or anything else to do with the EVP or Word of the Week, please contact us using the Feedback button.To view the full entry for impression on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: care
The word care is a noun and a verb, and both are included in the EVP, along with the phrasal verb care for sb/sth. Learners appear to know the informal phrase Take care! first, at A2 level. Then, at B1, these same words combine in the sense of ATTENTION, as in Take care that you don’t fall. Another common phrase included at B1 is take care of sb/sth. The verb form of care is known from B1 level in the senses of WORRY and LOVE, while the informal expression Who cares? has currently been given B2. However, as this is a largely spoken sense, this level may be revised once spoken learner data is available in the Cambridge English Profile Corpus. What do you think? Please give us your views by using the Feedback button.To view the full entry for care on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: how
The adverb how is a word that learners need very early on and the phrase How are you? is listed at A1, together with the sense of QUANTITY, which is used in questions such as How much…?/How many...? Four more senses are added at A2, including the formal greeting How do you do? and the common phrase for making a suggestion How about…? Note that a different sense of this phrase is listed at B1, meaning used to ask for someone’s opinion, as in So the town was nice – how about the food? Another important sense of how is EMPHASIZE, also at B1, as in How nice to see you!To view the full entry for how on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
