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Academic word list 1 & 2

Read or download the sublists 1 & 2 from the academic word list. If you are unsure of the meaning of any of the words, look them up in a dictionary and find examples of how they can be used in academic writing.

Different activities focus on:

  • word meaning
  • grammatical word form
  • collocation (words that typically pair with the target word)
  • spelling

Most common form Other words in the family
analysis analyse, analysed, analyser, analysers, analyses, analysing, analyst, analysts, analytic, analytical, analytically
approach approachable, approached, approaches, approaching, unapproachable
area areas
assessment assess, assessable, assessed, assesses, assessing, assessments, reassess, reassessed, reassessing, reassessment, unassessed
assume assumed, assumes, assuming, assumption, assumptions
authority authoritative, authorities
available availability, unavailable
benefit beneficial, beneficiary, beneficiaries, benefited, benefiting, benefits
concept conception, concepts, conceptual, conceptualisation, conceptualise, conceptualised, conceptualises, conceptualising, conceptually
consistent consist, consisted, consistency, consistently, consisting, consists, inconsistencies, inconsistency, inconsistent
constitutional constituencies, constituency, constituent, constituents, constitute, constituted, constitutes, constituting, constitution, constitutions, constitutionally, constitutive, unconstitutional
context contexts, contextual, contextualise, contextualised, contextualising decontextualised, uncontextualised
contract contracted, contracting, contractor, contractors, contracts
create created, creates, creating, creation, creations, creative, creatively, creativity, creator, creators, recreate, recreated, recreates, recreating
data -
definition definable, define, defined, defines, defining, definitions, redefine, redefined, redefines, redefining, undefined
derived derivation, derivations, derivative, derivatives, derive, derives, deriving
distribution distribute, distributed, distributing, distributional, distributions, distributive, distributor, distributors, redistribute, redistributed, redistributes, redistributing, redistribution
economic economical, economically, economics, economies, economist, economists, economy, uneconomical
environment environmental, environmentalist, environmentalists, environmentally, environments
established disestablish, disestablished, disestablishes, disestablishing, disestablishment, establish, establishes, establishing, establishment, establishments
estimate estimated, estimates, estimating, estimation, estimations, over-estimate, overestimate, overestimated, overestimates, overestimating, underestimate, underestimated, underestimates, underestimating
evidence evidenced, evident, evidential, evidently
export exported, exporter, exporters, exporting, exports
factors factor, factored, factoring
financial finance, financed, finances, financially, financier, financiers, financing
formula formulae, formulas, formulate, formulated, formulating, formulation, formulations, reformulate, reformulated, reformulating, reformulation, reformulations
function functional, functionally, functioned, functioning, functions
identified identifiable, identification, identifies, identify, identifying, identities, identity, unidentifiable
income incomes
indicate indicated, indicates, indicating, indication, indications, indicative, indicator, indicators
individual individualised, individuality, individualism, individualist, individualists, individualistic, individually, individuals
interpretation interpret, interpretations, interpretative, interpreted, interpreting, interpretive, interprets misinterpret, misinterpretation, misinterpretations, misinterpreted, misinterpreting, misinterprets, reinterpret, reinterpreted, reinterprets, reinterpreting, reinterpretation, reinterpretations
involved involve, involvement, involves, involving, uninvolved
issues issue, issued, issuing
labour laboured, labouring, labours
legal illegal, illegality, illegally, legality, legally
legislation legislate, legislated, legislates, legislating, legislative, legislator, legislators, legislature
major majorities, majority
method methodical, methodological, methodologies, methodology, methods
occur occurred, occurrence, occurrences, occurring, occurs reoccur, reoccurred, reoccurring, reoccurs
percent per cent, percentage, percentages
period periodic, periodical, periodically, periodicals, periods
policy policies
principle principled, principles, unprincipled
procedure procedural, procedures, proceed, proceeded, proceeding, proceedings, proceeds
process processed, processes, processing
required require, requirement, requirements, requires, requiring
research researched, researcher, researchers, researches, researching
response respond, responded, respondent, respondents, responding, responds, responses, responsive, responsiveness, unresponsive
role roles
section sectioned, sectioning, sections
sector sectors
significant insignificant, insignificantly, significance, significantly, signified, signifies, signify, signifying
similar dissimilar, similarities, similarity, similarly
source sourced, sources, sourcing
specific specifically, specification, specifications, specificity, specifics
structure restructure, restructured, restructures, restructuring, structural, structurally, structured, structures, structuring, unstructured
theory theoretical, theoretically, theories, theorist, theorists
variables invariable, invariably, variability, variable, variably, variance, variant, variants, variation, variations, varied, varies, vary, varying

Most common form Other words in the family
achieve achievable, achieved, achievement, achievements, achieves, achieving
acquisition acquire, acquired, acquires, acquiring, acquisitions
administration administrate, administratesadministrations, administrative, administratively, administrator, administrators
affect affected, affecting, affective, affectively, affects, unaffected
appropriate appropriacy, appropriately, appropriateness, inappropriacy, inappropriate, inappropriately
aspects aspect
assistance assistassistant, assistants, assisted, assisting, assists, unassisted
categories category, categorisation, categorise, categorised, categorises, categorising, categorizing
chapter chapters
commission commissioned, commissioner, commissioners, commissioning, commissions
community communities
complex complexities, complexity
computer compute, computation, computational, computations, computable, computed, computerised, computers, computing
conclusion conclude, concluded, concludes, concluding, conclusions, conclusive, conclusively inconclusive, inconclusively
conduct conducted, conducting, conducts
consequences consequent, consequence, consequently
construction construct, constructed, constructing, constructions, constructive, constructs reconstruct, reconstructed, reconstructing, reconstruction, reconstructs
consumer consume, consumedconsumers, consumes, consuming, consumption
credit credited, crediting, creditor, creditors, credits
cultural cultureculturally, cultured, cultures, uncultured
design designed, designer, designers, designing, designs
distinction distinct, distinctions, distinctive, distinctively, distinctly, indistinct, indistinctly
elements element
equation equate, equated, equates, equating, equations
evaluation evaluate, evaluated, evaluates, evaluating, evaluations, evaluative, re-evaluate, re-evaluated, re-evaluates, re-evaluating, re-evaluation
features feature, featuredfeaturing
final finalise, finalised, finalises, finalising, finality, finally, finals
focus focused, focuses, focusing, refocus, refocused, refocuses, refocusing
impact impacted, impacting, impacts
injury injure, injured, injures, injuries, injuring, uninjured
institute instituted, institutes, instituting, institution, institutional, institutionalise, institutionalised, institutionalises, institutionalising, institutionally, institutions
investment invest, invested, investing, investments, investor, investors, invests reinvest, reinvested, reinvesting, reinvestment, reinvests
items item, itemisation, itemise, itemised, itemises, itemising
journal journals
maintenance maintain, maintained, maintaining, maintains,
normal normalisation, normalise, normalised, normalises, normalising, normality, normally abnormal, abnormally,
obtained obtain, obtainable, obtaining, obtains, unobtainable
participation participate, participant, participants, participated, participates, participating, participatory
perceived perceive, perceives, perceiving, perception, perceptions
positive positively
potential potentially
previous previously
primary primarily
purchase purchased, purchaser, purchasers, purchases, purchasing
range ranged, ranges, ranging
region regional, regionally, regions
regulations regulate, , regulated, regulates, regulating, regulation, regulator, regulators, regulatory, deregulated, deregulates, deregulating, deregulation, unregulated
relevant irrelevance, irrelevant, relevance
resident reside, resided, residence, residential, residents, resides, residing
resources resource, resourced, resourceful, resourcing unresourceful, under-resourced
restricted restrict, restricting, restriction, restrictions, restrictive, restrictively, restricts, unrestricted, unrestrictive
security secure, insecure, insecurities, insecurity, secured, securely, secures, securing, securities
sought seek, seeking, seeks
select selected, selecting, selection, selections, selective, selectively, selector, selectors, selects
site sites
strategies strategy, strategic, strategically, strategist, strategists
survey surveyed, surveying, surveys
text texts, textual
traditional tradition, non-traditional, traditionalist, traditionally, traditions
transfer transferable, transference, transferred, transferring, transfers

Activities

Now try the activities which will help you become familiar with the words and expand your vocabulary.

Questions

  1. relating to money
  2. relating to the law
  3. relating to the natural world
  4. a means of evaluating a student's knowledge or skills
  5. a written, or audio/visual work
  6. a section of a book
  7. not changing or contradicting
  8. necessary, needed
  9. a research result which is unlikely to have happened by chance or coincidence
  10. a number used to express a proportion
  11. information, especially figures, used for analysis
  12. a mathematical formula
  13. an academic or specialist magazine or periodical
  14. a series of questions used to collect information from people on a topic
  15. a recognised expert
  16. a group of people connected by a shared locality, ethnicity, or special interest
  17. a single person or thing
  18. an organisation or unit that carries out work
  19. the money you receive from employment or business transactions
  20. the ability to buy goods and pay for them later
  21. an amount of money you put into a bank or business for the purpose of making profit
  22. to believe something is fact without actual proof
  23. to make an informed guess about the approximate amount of something
  24. to bring something into existence
  25. a length of time
  26. a geographical area
  27. a field of activity in the economy
  28. to investigate something and make a judgement about its value
  29. to cause a change
  30. to plan the form and function of something
  31. an agreed and established way of doing something
  32. symbols and numbers which express a mathematical rule or chemical compound
  33. the significant parts of something
  34. not simple
  35. an idea or theory
  36. the wider situation relating to an idea or event
  37. first or most important
  38. particular, precise, definite
  39. last
  40. a process of investigating something by dividing it into smaller parts
  41. an idea or explanation which hasn't been proven
  42. information which helps support an explanation or argument
  43. to investigate and discover information
  44. to have a positive effect
  45. to help
  46. the way of doing something
  47. elements of a particular situation which are changeable
  48. the action or purpose of something
  49. a general truth or fixed rule
  50. circumstances or facts which influence something
  51. official rules which control how we do things
  52. collections of things which share common features
  53. different ways of looking at or thinking about something
  54. a series of steps or actions taken to do or make something
  55. got
  56. looked for
  57. bought
  58. guidelines for action agreed upon by a business, institution or government
  59. laws
  60. problems or difficulties

Answers

  1. financial
  2. legal
  3. environmental
  4. assessment
  5. text
  6. chapter
  7. consistent
  8. required
  9. significant
  10. percent
  11. data
  12. equation
  13. journal
  14. survey
  15. authority
  16. community
  17. individual
  18. institute
  19. income
  20. credit
  21. investment
  22. assume
  23. estimate
  24. create
  25. period
  26. region
  27. sector
  28. evaluate
  29. affect
  30. design
  31. procedure
  32. formula
  33. features
  34. complex
  35. concept
  36. context
  37. primary
  38. specific
  39. final
  40. analysis
  41. theory
  42. evidence
  43. research
  44. benefit
  45. assist
  46. method
  47. variables
  48. function
  49. principle
  50. factors
  51. regulations
  52. categories
  53. aspects
  54. process
  55. obtained
  56. sought
  57. purchased
  58. policy
  59. legislation
  60. issues


Activity 1

Identify the correct word forms. Choose the correct noun, verb or adjective from the options inside the square brackets.

Word 1

  • Noun: distribution
  • Verb: [distribute, distributional, distributor]
  • Adjective: [distribution, distributional, distributor]

Answers:

  • Noun: distribution
  • Verb: [distribute]
  • Adjective: [distributional]

Word 2

  • Noun: Interpretation
  • Verb: [misinterpretation, interpret, interpretive]
  • Adjective: [misinterpretation, interpret, interpretive]

Answers:

  • Noun: Interpretation
  • Verb: [interpret]
  • Adjective: [interpretive]

Word 3

  • Noun: [conclusion, concludes, conclusive]
  • Verb: conclude
  • Adjective: [conclusion, conclusive conclusively]

Answers:

  • Noun: [conclusion]
  • Verb: conclude
  • Adjective: [conclusive]

Word 4

  • Noun: [selection, select, selective]
  • Verb: select
  • Adjective: [selective, selector, selectively]

Answers:

  • Noun: [selection]
  • Verb: select
  • Adjective: [selective]

Word 5

  • Noun: [correspondence, corresponded, correspondingly]
  • Verb: correspond
  • Adjective: [correspondence, correspondingly, corresponding]

Answers:

  • Noun: [correspondence]
  • Verb: correspond
  • Adjective: [corresponding]

Word 6

  • Noun: [computable, computer, computational]
  • Verb: [compute, computation, computable]
  • Adjective: computerised

Answers:

  • Noun: [computer]
  • Verb: [compute]
  • Adjective: computerised

Activity 2

Complete the following sentences by identifying the correct word form. Choose the correct noun, verb or adjective from the options inside the square brackets.

1. For example, there has been a slow uptake of the use of degradable plastic bags [derived, derive, derivative] from plants such as corn.

Answer: derived

2. This assignment requires a methodical [approaching, approachable, approach].

Answer: approach

3. Opportunities for [export, exporter, exported] to Asia will also be discussed in light of the new trade agreements.

Answer: export

4. The [contract, contractor, contracted] between the two companies was shown to be unlawful.

Answer: contract

5. Many experts predict that the full [economical, economy, economic] impact will not be felt for at least a year.

Answer: economic


Choose the best word in each sentence from the options inside the square brackets.

1. Researchers have described three [major/appropriate] effects on the development of brain function.

Answer: major

2. Seminar sessions led by the course coordinator will [achieve/occur] several times over the eleven-week program.

Answer: occur

3. Indeed, the [role/range] of the father within the family unit has undergone considerable change since the early twentieth century.

Answer: role

4. These learning activities are designed to enable the [injuries/acquisition] of knowledge and practical skills.

Answer: acquisition
1. Researchers have described three [major/appropriate] effects on the development of brain function.

Answer: major

2. Seminar sessions led by the course coordinator will [achieve/occur] several times over the eleven-week program.

Answer: occur

3. Indeed, the [role/range] of the father within the family unit has undergone considerable change since the early twentieth century.

Answer: role

4. These learning activities are designed to enable the [injuries/acquisition] of knowledge and practical skills.

Answer: acquisition


Guess the word that matches the list of synonyms. The number of letters is given as a clue.

1. Synonyms: agreement, commitment, arrangement, settlement

Hint: 8 letters

Answer: contract

2. Synonyms: idea, notion, conception, abstraction
Hint: 7 letters

Answer: concept


Choose the best word in each sentence from the options inside the square brackets.

1.Ensure the evidence was [obtaining, obtain, obtained] lawfully, as any suspected failure to follow regulations may endanger the prosecution’s case.

Answer: obtained

2. Of the many [issues, aspects] facing young people today, the social pressure to conform to a ‘perfect’ body type is among the most difficult.

Answer: issues

3. How much a child allows peer pressure to [transfer, affect] his or her decision-making process depends largely on family background and education.

Answer: affect

4. The [conceptual, concept, conceptualise] for the project was conceived during the riots, as a response to prevailing attitudes towards those involved in the unrest.

Answer: concept

5. It is anticipated that the results will be [consistent, restricted] with Langham (2007), indicating a cyclical pattern of behaviour in this species.

Answer: consistent

6. The [majority, majorities, major] obstacle to a change of policy is the belief that companies should be free to set executive pay levels.

Answer: major

7. Understanding the [potential, available] pitfalls of the restaurant industry and how to avoid them will help to ensure your venture’s success.

Answer: potential

8. The text “Aspects of War: representations of conflict in contemporary American cinema” is [requiring, required, requirement] reading for this course.

Answer: required

9. The first stage of the plan is to [estimation, estimate, estimated] the likely flood peak, using the available water catchment figures.

Answer: estimate

10. Many physicists [sought, occurred] to explain the atom, but it was Bohr’s concept of electrons that paved the way for quantum physics as we know it today

Answer: sought

11. Viewed in the [contextualise, contextual, context] of the anxiety of post-WW2 Europe, it is easy to see why authorities decided the film was too frightening for audiences.

Answer: context

12. The potential risk of an investment can be [evaluated, evaluation, evaluating] using several methods.

Answer: evaluated

13. The project is a [formula, response] to Dunbar’s number, the theory that there are a finite number of meaningful relationships that a person can maintain.

Answer: response

14.The most impressive of the new technology’s [features, credits] is its ability to allow real-time audience interaction with a live broadcast.

Answer: features

15. This course focuses not only on the theory of urban design, but also on students’ [acquiring, acquisition, acquires] of practical skills in CAD and project management.

Answer: acquisition

Keywords