Wordsmith collection

Intermediate English Learner

by Wordsmith @wordsmith

180 core B1-B2 words every intermediate learner needs: the connectors, verbs and adjectives that unlock fluent, natural English.

• accomplish To finish something successfully, or carry it out in full.
• accordingly In a way that suits or matches what has just been said.
• account for To explain by relating circumstances; to show that some one, thing or members of a group are present or have been processed.
• achieve To succeed in doing or getting something, usually through effort.
• adapt To change yourself so you are comfortable with something new.
• additionally As well as what has already been said or done.
• adequate Enough or good enough for what is needed.
• adjust To change something a little so it works better or fits.
• advantage Something that puts you in a better position to succeed.
• affect To influence or change someone or something.
• affordable Cheap enough that you can pay for it.
• aim A goal or intention, the thing someone is trying to achieve.
• allow To give someone permission to do something, or not stop it from happening.
• alternative One of several things you can choose instead of the others.
• although Even though, used to add a fact that does not fit what was said.
• analyze To examine something closely by separating it into its parts.
• approach A way of making a policy or solving a problem.
• appropriate Suitable or right for a particular situation.
• approximately Close to a number or amount, but not exact.
• as a result Consequently; thus; therefore; hence.
• aspect One particular feature, part or element of something.
• assist To help someone or something.
• avoid To keep away from someone or something.
• barely Almost not at all, by the smallest amount.
• basic Simple and fundamental, doing the job with nothing extra.
• because For the reason that something happened or is true.
• beforehand At an earlier time, before something else happens.
• benefit An advantage or help that you get from something.
• besides In addition to someone or something, or other than them.
• broaden To make something wider, or to become wider.
• case A particular event or situation that actually happens or is true.
• cause To make something happen or bring it about.
• circumstance The facts and conditions that surround an event and affect it.
• compare To look at two or more things to see how they are alike or different.
• condition The state that something or someone is in.
• consequence A result or effect that follows from something, often an unwanted one.
• consider To think about something seriously and carefully.
• considerable Large in amount, or important enough to be worth thinking about.
• consist A set of railway cars joined together as one unit.
• contain To have or hold something inside as a part.
• contemplate To think about something carefully and for a long time.
• contrast A clear difference between two things, people or ideas.
• contribute To give something that becomes part of a larger whole.
• conventional Following the methods and behaviour that most people accept as normal.
• conversely With a reversed relationship.
• creative Able to make new things, often in a fresh and original way.
• critical Tending to find fault with people or things.
• crucial Extremely important because it decides how something turns out.
• current Happening or existing now.
• decide To choose or make up your mind about something, often after thinking.
• decrease To become or make smaller, or the drop in amount itself.
• demand To ask for something forcefully, often as a right.
• despite In spite of something, without being stopped by it.
• determine To find something out for certain by analyzing, calculating or investigating.
• develop To grow or change over time, moving through one stage after another.
• disadvantage A weak point or setback that leaves you in a worse position.
• diverse Made up of many different kinds of people or things.
• drawback A bad point that spoils something otherwise good.
• due to Caused by; resulting from; because of.
• effect The result or outcome that a cause produces.
• effective Having the power to produce the result that is needed.
• efficient Working well without wasting time, energy or other resources.
• emphasize To give extra weight or force to something you say or show.
• enable To give someone the ability or the means to do something.
• enhance To make something better or greater, often by adding to it.
• ensure To make certain that something happens.
• especially More than usual, or above all others.
• essential Necessary or very important.
• evaluate To study something carefully and judge its quality or worth.
• eventual Happening at the end of a process or after some time has passed.
• eventually In the end, after a long time or many delays.
• evident Clearly true or easy to see just by looking.
• examine To look at someone or something carefully to learn about them.
• exceed To be greater than something, or to go beyond a limit.
• exemplify To be an example of something, or to show it by giving an example.
• expand To grow larger, or make something larger, in size, number or scope.
• expensive Costing a lot of money.
• extend To make something bigger or longer, or to grow that way.
• extremely To a very great degree, far more than usual.
• factor One of the things that helps to produce a result.
• figurative Used as a metaphor or simile and not in the literal meaning.
• flexible Able to change or adapt to suit new conditions or situations.
• frequently Often, many times at short intervals.
• fundamental Forming the base of something, and so extremely important.
• furthermore Also, in addition to what was just said.
• general Involving or common to all or most members of a group.
• goal A result that someone is trying to achieve.
• hence In the future, counting forward from now.
• however In spite of what was just said.
• illustrate To make something clear by giving an example or comparison.
• impact The striking of one object against another, or the force of that blow.
• improve To make something better, or to become better.
• include To have something as one part of a whole.
• increase To become larger or greater, or to make something larger.
• inefficient Not producing the wanted result, and wasting effort or resources.
• initially At the beginning, at first.
• innovative Bringing in new ideas, or thinking ahead of others.
• instead In the place of something else, as a substitute or alternative.
• intensify To make something stronger, or to become stronger and more intense.
• involve To have something as a part or include it.
• issue A question or problem that people are discussing and that needs to be settled.
• lack The state of not having something, or not having enough of it.
• largely Mostly or mainly, for the most part.
• literal Meaning exactly what the words say, with nothing figurative.
• mainly For the most part, or more than anything else.
• maintain To keep something going at the same level or in the same state.
• major Greater in importance, size or effect than others.
• manage To succeed in doing something even though it is difficult.
• matter A subject or situation, especially one that causes concern or is a problem.
• maximize To make something as big or as great as possible.
• meanwhile During the time that something else is happening.
• method A way of doing something or getting a task done.
• minimize To make something smaller or as small as possible.
• minor Smaller or less important, serious or significant than something else.
• moreover In addition to what has been said.
• mostly Mainly, for the most part, or usually.
• nevertheless In spite of what preceded; yet.
• nonetheless Nevertheless.
• numerous Many, or large in number.
• objective A goal that someone works hard to reach.
• obvious Easy to see, find or understand.
• occasionally Sometimes, but not often.
• offer To hold something out for someone to take or turn down.
• opportunity A good chance to do something or to get ahead.
• option One of a set of choices that can be made.
• otherwise In a different way, or different from what was said or expected.
• outcome What happens as a result of an event or process.
• overall Taking everything into account, or including all of something.
• partially Only in part, not completely.
• particularly Especially, or more than usual.
• permanent Lasting for a very long time or forever, without ending.
• permit To let something happen or let someone do something.
• plan A set of actions you intend to take to reach a goal.
• preference A liking for one thing or person over the others.
• prevent To stop something from happening or someone from doing something.
• previously At an earlier time, before now.
• primarily Mainly, or more than anything else.
• priority A goal that a person or an organisation puts ahead of other things.
• productive Able to make something, often in large amounts.
• progress Growth or development toward a better or more advanced state.
• proper Right or suitable for the purpose or the situation.
• propose To suggest a plan or a course of action.
• pros and cons The positive and negative attributes of arguments.
• provide To give someone what they need or want.
• recommend To suggest someone or something as a good choice.
• reduce To make something smaller or lower in size, amount, value or strength.
• reinforce To make something stronger, whether an object, an idea or a habit.
• relate To have a connection with something or be relevant to it.
• related Connected in some way with something else.
• relatively When compared with other things, or fairly but not very.
• relevant Connected to what is being discussed or dealt with.
• reliable Able to be trusted and depended on.
• represent To act in the place of someone or on their behalf.
• require To need something because it is necessary.
• result What a course of events or a process leads to in the end.
• scarce Hard to find, and not enough to meet the need.
• seldom Not often, rarely.
• significant Having a noticeable or major effect.
• situation The set of circumstances at a given moment.
• slightly A little, or to a small degree.
• solution A way to solve a problem, or the answer to one.
• specific Clear, exact and definite.
• strategy A plan of action for reaching a specific goal.
• subsequently Afterwards, following something else in time or place.
• succeed To manage to do what you set out to do.
• sufficient Enough, or as much as is needed.
• suggest To put forward an idea for others to consider.
• support To back or favor a cause or a party.
• temporary Lasting only for a limited time, not permanent.
• tendency A likelihood of behaving in a certain way or going in a certain direction.
• therefore Consequently, by or in consequence of that or this cause; referring to something previously stated.
• thus A formal way of saying in this way or like this.
• trend A general tendency for things to move or change in one direction.
• ultimately In the end, after a long process or series of events.
• underline To draw a line under something, especially to add emphasis.
• unless Except if, or if not.
• valid Well grounded and fair, with good reasons behind it.
• various More than one, and of different kinds.
• virtually Almost, but not quite.
• whereas Used to compare two facts and show how they differ.

Definitions from Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0) and Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).