Open Mind

WORD LIST upper intermediate

Unit 11  Through the lens

WORDS AND PHRASES
Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence
alike adjective /əˈlaɪk/ in the same way or in a similar She and her mother are
way very alike in both looks and
personality.
background noun /ˈbækˌɡraʊnd/ the part of a picture or photo If you look carefully, you can
that is behind the main people see a lake in the background.
or things in it
defining adjective /dɪˈfaɪnɪŋ/ a defining event, quality or The invention of the internet
feature shows exactly what was a defining moment in the
something or someone is like history of communication.
digital age noun /ˈdɪdʒɪt(ə)l ˌeɪdʒ/ the period of time in Technology is advancing at a
which we are now living rapid pace in the digital age.
that is dominated by
digital technology and
communication, for example
the internet, emails, etc
due to phrase /ˈdjuː tuː/ because of something The game was postponed due
to bad weather
ephemeral adjective /ɪˈfemərəl/ lasting only for a short time Success in sport is, by its very
nature, ephemeral.
family portrait noun /ˈfæm(ə)li ˌpɔː(r)trɪt/ a photograph of a family sitting The family portrait showed
or standing together Leo and Wilma with their
three children and nine
grandchildren.
feedback noun [uncountable] /ˈfiːdbæk/ comments about how well It’s important to give your
or badly someone has done employees regular feedback.
something, in order to help
them to improve
foreground noun /ˈfɔː(r)ˌɡraʊnd/ the part of a picture or photo You can see the railway track in
that is in front of the main the foreground of the picture.
people or things in it
hone verb /həʊn/ to make improvements to Tennis players practice for
something hours in order to hone their
skills.
image noun /ˈɪmɪdʒ/ a photograph of someone or Some of her wildlife images
something have been published in
magazines.
in contrast phrase /ˌɪn ˈkɒntrɑːst/ used when you are comparing He’s tall and fair-haired; in
two things or people, to say contrast, his brother is short
that the second one is very and dark-haired.
different from the first
in that phrase /ˈɪn ˌðæt/ used for introducing an The new system is better in
explanation of something that that it provides faster access to
you have just said, showing in the internet.
what way it is true
landscape noun /ˈlændˌskeɪp/ a photograph or painting of an Do you prefer taking photos of
area of land people or landscapes?

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Open Mind UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

mundane adjective /mʌnˈdeɪn/ boring I hate mundane tasks
like doing the dishes and
vacuuming.
objectification noun [uncountable] /əbˌdʒektɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ the process of treating Feminists have criticised what
something as if it were just an they see as the objectification
object when it is not of the female body.
out of focus phrase /ˌaʊt əv ˈfəʊkəs/ something that is out of focus The camera must have moved
cannot be seen clearly at the last moment and the
shot is slightly out of focus.
point of phrase /ˌpɔɪnt əv ˈdɪfrəns/ a thing that is different about One point of difference is that
difference one thing or person compared the people in Photo A are
to another thing or person much more formally dressed
than the people in Picture B.
pointless adjective /ˈpɔɪntləs/ not having a purpose or use Some people think that taking
selfies is pointless.
portrait noun /ˈpɔː(r)trɪt/ a painting, drawing or I love the portrait of the
photograph of someone young woman posing by the
motorbike.
pose verb /pəʊz/ to sit or stand somewhere The young woman is posing in
so that someone can take a front of a motorbike.
photograph of you
reverse a trend phrase /rɪˈvɜː(r)s ə ˈtrend/ to change the development of The company has lost money
a process or situation so that it in recent months so we’re
becomes the opposite of what trying to reverse the trend by
it was launching a new advertising
campaign.
selfie noun /ˈselfi/ a photograph that someone This is a selfie of me with my
takes of themselves, often favourite tennis player, Rafael
using a mobile phone Nadal.
self-portrait noun /ˌselfˈpɔː(r)trɪt/ a painting that an artist does of Van Gogh’s self-portrait shows
himself or herself an old man wearing a straw hat
with a bandage around his ear.
similarity noun /ˌsɪməˈlærəti/ something that makes one I saw the similarity between
thing seem like another Josh and his brother
immediately.
sitter noun /ˈsɪtə(r)/ someone who sits in a In Victorian times, the sitter
particular position when an had to stay still for hours
artist paints or photographs while an artist worked on their
them portrait.
slogan noun /ˈsləʊɡən/ a short phrase used to We need to think up a catchy
advertise something slogan for the product.
studio portrait noun /ˈstjuːdiəʊ ˈpɔː(r)trɪt/ a photograph of a person or Professional photographers
group of people taken by a can earn a lot of money doing
professional photographer in studio portraits of family
his or her studio groups.
subject noun /ˈsʌbdʒɪkt/ a person or thing which is The subject of the photo is a
shown in a photograph young woman in a denim shirt
and black trousers.
traditional noun [uncountable] /trəˈdɪʃ(ə)nəl methods of communication Advertising in traditional media
media ˈmiːdiə/ such as television or books, is no longer enough; you must
that existed before the internet also advertise online.
unlike adjective /ʌnˈlaɪk/ different from someone or It’s an unusual image, unlike
something else anything I’ve seen before.

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Open Mind UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

whereas conjunction /weərˈæz/ used for comparing two She’s an extrovert, whereas her
things, situations or people, husband is shy and reserved.
and showing that there is an
important difference between
them
while conjunction /waɪl/ used when comparing two While most people look
things, situations or people, forward to retirement, some
and showing how they are people cannot bear the
different thought.

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Open Mind
Useful Expressions
Expression
Also, …
Both are …
Can you tell us why you decided to …?
Do you think … might be better?
Have you thought about …?
I see your point, and I could change
things so that …
In addition, we liked …
The first/second shows …
They are similar in that …
We thought … was a really good idea
Yes, I understand, but the reason I did
that was …
© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015. This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
Topic / Category
Giving and receiving feedback
Making comparisons
Giving and receiving feedback
Giving and receiving feedback
Giving and receiving feedback
Giving and receiving feedback
Giving and receiving feedback
Making comparisons
Making comparisons
Giving and receiving feedback
Giving and receiving feedback
UPPER INTERMEDIATE
Sample Sentence
I thought the report lacked detail. Also,
there were one or two spelling errors.
A: Give me your impressions of the two
photos.
B: Well, both are of beautiful
landscapes.
Can you tell us why you decided to
choose this particular subject for your
presentation?
Do you think a landscape photo might
be better? It would show more of the
forest.
Have you thought about a social media
campaign? That would be better than a
poster campaign.
I see your point, and I could change
things so that the campaign is more
visual, using the beauty of the local
area.
She seemed smart and well-dressed. In
addition, we liked her positive attitude.
The first photo shows a girl posing by a
motorbike, whereas the second shows a
mountain landscape.
They are similar in that both are photos
of a group of people.
We all thought that buying a smaller car
was a really good idea because it would
save us a lot of money.
A: I thought the campaign film was a
little long.
B: Yes, I understand, but the reason
I did that was to show people all the
attractions the area has to offer.
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