Advanced

Vocabulary
Flash Cards
for B2 First, C1 Advanced & C2 Proficiency
Cambridge English Exam Preparation
Advanced English Vocabulary Flash Cards
for B2 First, C1 Advanced & C2 Proficiency
Cambridge English Exam Preparation
Over the years, I have taught hundreds of advanced words in
videos on my YouTube channel "To the Point English with Ben" to help
students who are preparing for the Cambridge English Exams.
Those videos are extremely useful, but you need to practise using the
vocabulary to internalise and understand the words effectively.

With that in mind, I've created these bespoke flash cards which
contain the most useful words and phrases from my videos so you can
focus on what's really important... using the words in context!
Ben
 how to use the flash cards:
There are many ways you can use flash cards to learn vocabulary -
test your memory, match the words to the meaning, practise spaced
repetition etc. It's also important to think of your own examples.
These flash cards contain a lot of information:
Part of speech Definition

Example
Word/phrase sentence

Phonetic transcription

Key: Adj = Adjective

N = Noun Adv = Adverb
V = Verb PV = Phrasal Verb
 Adv + Adj
(two or more things) closely
Inextricably connected, cant be
linked considered separately.

/ˌɪn.ɪkˈstrɪk.ə.bli ˈlɪŋkt / "The crime rate is inextricably

linked to education."

V+N
to praise the positive
aspects/features of someone
Extol virtues or something.

/ɪkˈstəʊl ˈvɜː.tʃuːz / "Nutritionists extol the virtues of

eating fruit and vegetables every day."
 V+N
to cause strong, positive
Rekindle feelings for someone or
something again.
passion/love "The enthusiastic teacher rekindled
/ˌriːˈkɪn.dəl ˈpæʃ.ən / lʌv / the student's passion for English."

V + Adj
to greatly surprise someone
render (positively or negatively).

speechless "She was rendered speechless when

he proposed to her in London.
/ˈren.dər ˈspiːtʃ.ləs/
He was rendered speechless when
she said no."
 Adv + Adj
not knowing about somthing
Blissfully unpleasant and therefore not
affected by it emotionally.
unaware "Most people are blissfully unaware
/ˈblɪs.fəl.i ˌʌn.əˈweər/
of how the products they consume
are produced."

Adv + V

to enthusiastically support
Wholeheartedly something (totally agree).

agree "I wholeheartedly agree with your

views on mobile phone use in
/ˌhəʊlˈhɑː.tɪd.li əˈɡriː/
schools."
 Adj

very important.
Paramount "It is paramount/of paramount
(importance) importance that you expand your
vocabulary before the exam."
/ˈpær.ə.maʊnt ɪmˈpɔː.təns /

Adj
unimportant/trivial.
"On the grand scale of things, the
trifling president's diet is a trifling issue."
(often used in the negative)
/ˈtraɪ.flɪŋ/
"Climate change is no trifling matter."
 Adj
difficult to understand.
very confusing
baffling "The exam format can be baffling
/ˈbæf.lɪŋ/ at first, but over time you'll start
to feel more confident."

Adj
Easy to understand, not
complicated
Straightforward "The application process should be
/ˌstreɪtˈfɔː.wəd/ more straightforward, it's very
confusing!"
 Adj

Large, considerable amount.

(often money)
Sizeable "The celebrity made a sizeable
/ˈsaɪ.zə.bəl/ donation to charity, and told
everyone about it on social media."

Adj
very small amount
(often money)
paltry "Despite all their hard work during
/ˈpɔːl.tri/ the changes, the teachers received
a paltry pay rise."
 Adj

charming/pretty in an
old-fashioned way
quaint "I was born in a lovely quiant village
/kweɪnt/ in the countryside but we moved to
an industrial town when I was 6."

Adj
Having no interesting or
distinctive features.
nondescript "To be honest, the neighbourhood in
/ˈnɒn.dɪ.skrɪpt/ which I grew up was quite nondescript.
I had lots of friends there, though."
 Adj

expensive, stylish, classy.

(ostentatious)
swanky "If I won the lottery, I'd buy a huge
/ˈswæŋ.ki/ house in a swanky neighbourhood
of Paris or London."

Adj
Having strong, friendly
connections/bonds.
(Communities & families)
tightly-knit "The best thing about the place I grew
/ˌtaɪtli ˈnɪt/ up was the tightly-knit community.
Everyone knew each other and helped
out when necessary"
 Adj

boring. with little colour.

"I would like to move out of the
drab drab town where I live."
/dræb/
"The teacher always wears such
drab clothes."

Adj

relating to the countryside.

bucolic "I would love to live in a bucolic region,

but it must have a good internet
/bjuˈkɒl.ɪk/
connection!"
 Adv

without embarrassment/shame.
unapologetically.
unabashedly "In the interview, she spoke
/ˌʌn.əˈbæʃt.li/
unabashedly about her struggles
with learning English."

Adv

certainly, without a doubt.

Undoubtedly "It's undoubtedly true that music was

better in the past, but there are some
/ʌnˈdaʊ.tɪd.li/
good artists around now, too. "
 Adv

with affection
fondly "I fondly remember my time at school.
/ˈfɒnd.li/ Especially breaktime, lunchtime and
home time!"

Adv
deliberately. gladly.
(of one's free will)

willingly "Many people willingly give their time

and money in order to help others who
/ˈwɪl.ɪŋ.li/
are in need."
 V

avoid or neglect
(Usually responsibilities/duties)
shirk "If the president were to shirk his
/ʃɜːk/ responsibilities, it would have serious
consequences internationally."

V
to make something difficult
to obstruct/be an obstacle to
hinder "Nerves can help you to focus your
studies and prepare effectively.
/ˈhɪn.də/ However, excessive nerves can hinder
your performance on exam day."
 V

to fear/worry about something

that is going to happen
dread "I'm dreading the Speaking part of
/dred/ the exam, but I've prepared well so I
should be ok."

V
to grow/develop strongly.
To flourish. be successful.
thrive "Although many businesses struggled
/θraɪv/
during the pandemic, others thrived
and are now in an even better
situation than before."
 V

to have a strong desire for

something.
crave "Many soical media users crave the
/kreɪv/ attention of others so they post silly
videos to get more views."

V
to feel great affection for.
to hold dear.
cherish "I cherish the memories of my
childhood summer holidays in England
/ˈtʃer.ɪʃ/
with my family."
 PV

to increase the amount / extent/

intensity of something.
ramp up "The local council is ramping up
/ræmp ʌp/ efforts to reduce traffic congestion
in the city centre."

PV
to take strong action to stop
or limit an activity/behaviour.
clamp down on "The examination board is clamping
down on cheating."
/klæmp daʊn ɒn/
"Schools must clamp down on mobile
phone use in classes."
 PV

to be caused by /
to originate from.
stem from "Many issues in later life stem from
/stem frɒm/ some kind of childhood trauma."

PV
to resolve difficulties
or problems.
iron out "Before we move forward with the
project, we need to iron out the issues
/aɪən aʊt/ with the catering service: I prefer
chocolate biscuits to plain!"
 PV

to give one's opinion during an

argument/discussion.
weigh in "You both make excellent points but,
/weɪ ɪn/ if you don't mind me weighing in, I
think you're both wrong."

PV
to prove to be / to have a
particular (unexpected) result.
turn out "I was sure I would struggle with the
/tɜːn aʊt/ speaking paper, but it turned out to
be my best part of the exam, "
 PV

to appear to be a certain way.

to give a particular impression.
come across "Sometimes, my uncle comes across
/kʌm əˈkrɒs/ as a bit grumpy, but actually he's
very cheerful and friendly."

PV
to be unable to speak due to
being nervous or embarrassed.
clam up "I'm worried that I'll clam up in the
/klæm ʌp/ speaking paper of the exam, but my
teacher told me to take deep breaths
and stay focused."
 PV

to start working or studying

hard/seriously.
knuckle down "You need to knuckle down and revise
/ˈnʌk.əl daʊn/ the grammar. Your exam is in just
two weeks!"

PV

to appear/occur unexpectedly.

crop up "I always plan to study in the

evenings but something inevitably
/krɒp ʌp/ crops up and distracts me."
 PV

to reduce the number of options

or possibilities (often in a list)
narrow down "It's almost impossible to decide with
/ˈnær.əʊ daʊn/ so many options on the table. Let's
narrow them down to our top 3
biscuits!"

PV
to take into account
(especially in calculations).
factor in "When deciding which holiday
/ˈfæk.tər ɪn/ destination we can afford, we need
to factor in insurance costs...
and suntan lotion,"
 PV
to spend a lot of money on
something extravagant.
Splash out "Sometimes, I feel like really splashing
out and buying myself a huge ultra HD
/splæʃ aʊt/
flat-screen TV to watch soap operas."

PV
to spend a lot of money on
something reluctantly/unwillingly.
fork out "Every winter, I have to fork out on a
/fɔːk aʊt/ new pair of slippers because I can't find
my old ones. I suspect Amy eats them."
 PV
to treat a problem, error or
embarrassing situation with less
importance than it deserves.
gloss over "In the meeting, my boss glossed over
/ɡlɒs ˈəʊ.vər/ the poor results this quarter and
instead spoke for half an hour about
the renovations to the canteen."

PV
to spend too much thinking or
talking about something negative.
dwell on "You mustn't dwell on the fact that
/dwel ɒn/ you didn't get the job. Keep trying and
I'm sure you'll be successful soon!"
 N

a strong desire to travel

wanderlust "My wanderlust is always with me
and I have to get on a plane to
/ˈwɒn.də.lʌst/
travel abroad every few months."

Adj
relevant to the matter
under discussion
pertinent "You make a pertinent point, and I
/ˈpɜː.tɪ.nənt/ agree with it to a certain extent"
 V

to trick someone by
confusing them
bamboozle "The scammer bamboozled his victim
/bæmˈbuː.zəl/
with financial jargon in order to get
her bank details."

Adj
having strong feelings.
Passionate.
fervent "I'm a fervent believer that the harder
/ˈfɜː.vənt/ you work, the luckier you get"
 Adj

capricious, playful, not serious

whimsical "The whimsical description of the

/ˈwɪm.zɪ.kəl/
author's childhood makes the book
a joy to read."

Adj
treating a serious topic in an
inappropriately humourous way.
facetious "I don't mean to be facetious, but if
/fəˈsiː.ʃəs/ I were president of the USA, I'd
make everyone travel by bike."