· 24 lists · 1302 words

The groundwork

The words no sentence can stand without.

What holds these lists together

These lists belong to no area, which means they belong to all of them. A pronoun, an article, a number, a question word, the commonest verbs: they turn up in every sentence you will later build about the flat, the weather or the office. In Italian they carry an extra load that English spreads elsewhere. The subject pronoun is usually left out, so the ending alone says who is speaking — parlo, parli, parla — where English needs «I», «you» and «she». An English speaker who puts io in front of every verb is understood, but sounds as if they were insisting on it.

The 24 lists

B2Structuring a textThe words that hold a paragraph together: conceding, concluding, qualifying, closing.50 words B2Arguing and objectingClaim, objection, concession, refutation — the words of a debate that goes further than « I think ».50 words B2Precise adjectivesNot « good » and « bad », but established, arguable, hasty, negligible.50 words A2Words for everythingThe linking words, quantity words and set phrases that turn up in every other sentence.50 words A2What a thing is likeShape, surface, state and taste — the words you describe an object with.50 words A2Doing somethingGripping, pushing, pouring, pressing — the verbs for handling things and moving about.50 words A2Words for thinkingMeasure and amount, cause and result, choice and opportunity — the nouns that name no object.50 words A1Greetings and politenessWhat you say before you can say anything else.41 words A1People and small wordsThe mortar between the words.46 words A1Numbers and timeCounting, naming the day, telling the time.75 words A1The verbs that matter mostThe verbs that half of all sentences get by on.59 words A1Words that turn up everywhereWhat is found everywhere and belongs nowhere.66 words B1Words without a topic IIIWhat you need in order to talk about reasons, consequences and conditions.148 words B1Measures, amounts, changeHow much, how strongly, how fast — and which way it is moving.44 words B2Words without a topic IVThe words for claiming something cautiously and limiting it precisely.90 words B2Verbs of motionWalking, throwing, pulling, turning — a different word for each manner.50 words B2Describing trendsWhat a line does, and how strongly it does it.44 words B2Make and conditionSturdy, flimsy, worn out, made to measure — describing things precisely.52 words C1Words without a topic VThe negations and derivatives that belong to no field at all.30 words C2Degrees and gradationsHow strongly something is meant — from barely to completely.41 words C2Projects and how they runStarting, keeping going, stopping — and how an ending gets its name.33 words C2Cause and effectHow a text ties two things together, and how tightly.48 words C2Time relationsBefore, meanwhile, ever since — and how long something lasts.40 words C2Verbs that replace a subordinate clauseOne word for what would otherwise take eight.45 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

Level	Words	Share
A1	263	20 %
A2	224	17 %
B1	193	15 %
B2	386	30 %
C1	31	2 %
C2	205	16 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 24 lists and all 1302 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.