English Vocabulary in Use: Advanced Book with Answers and Enhanced eBook Vocabulary Reference and Practice 3rd Edition

Language
 
help
Research into language learning shows that words are better remembered if you have personal 
associations in mind as you learn them. Remember to think about what your associations with a word 
are as you learn it.
A
B
H O M E
C U L T U R E
S C I E N C E
B U S I N E S S
L A N G U A G E
We often 
associate words [make connections] with something that is not 
obvious from the literal meaning of the word. The dove, for example, is a white 
bird that has associations with peace. So if a journalist calls a politician a 
dove, they are suggesting that he or she is a peacemaker. Similarly, they might 
call a more aggressive, hard-line politician a 
hawk, a bird which hunts its prey. 
Some associations like those of dove and hawk will be shared by most speakers 
of English and they may even be included in a good dictionary for learners.
Sometimes associations are not the same for all native speakers of the same 
language, but may vary from one geographical area to another. 
Black cats, for 
example, have associations with 
good luck
 in Britain but with 
bad luck
in the 
USA.
Many associations are purely personal. Someone who had a bad experience of 
dogs in childhood may think of a dog as being fi erce and frightening, whereas 
for others dogs may represent loyalty and friendship. The most commonly 
shared association of the word 
dog
in English is ‘faithfulness’. However, the 
phrase 
a dog’s life is used to refer to a very unhappy and unpleasant life.

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Exercises
199
English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
Answer these questions about the associations discussed on the opposite page.
1 Would you recommend a cowboy plumber to a friend?
2 Would a politician be more likely to be called a dove if they were a peacemaker or if they argued 
for military action?
3 What is more likely to be a scar on the landscape – a waterfall or a factory chimney?
4 Would you be pleased to be called a diamond?
5 Would you be pleased to be called a hawk?
6 In Britain would you be likely to see a black cat on a good luck card or not?
7 What characteristic is a dog most typically said to have in English?
8 Would you be likely to call a business Supersharks?