English Vocabulary in Use Advanced » Unit 40: The haves and the have-nots

Word List
  • absolute poverty
  • affluence
  • affluent
  • breadline
  • class
  • context
  • denial
  • deprivation
  • deprived
  • destitute
  • destitution
  • dignity
  • extreme poverty
  • fundamentally
  • human poverty
  • illiterate
  • impoverished
  • income bracket
  • income equality
  • literacy
  • live from hand to mouth
  • make ends meet
  • malnourished
  • malnourishment
  • malnutrition
  • nutrition
  • penury
  • the poor
  • poverty
  • poverty line
  • poverty-stricken
  • relative poverty
  • the rich
  • sanitation
  • shelter
  • social context
  • super-rich
  • tight
  • tighten your belt
  • violation
Exercises

40.1 ‣ Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one.

  1. The number of deprived children is increasing.
    The number of children facing _____ is increasing.
  2. There is much less illiteracy in the world than there used to be.
    There are far fewer _____ people in the world than there used to be.
  3. Our family enjoyed relative affluence at that time.
    Our family enjoyed a relatively _____ lifestyle at that time.
  4. It is wrong to deny people their basic human freedoms.
    _____ of people’s basic human freedoms is wrong.
  5. There are more destitute people in the city than before.
    The problem of _____ in the city is increasing.
  6. Poverty could be said to violate human dignity.
    Poverty could be said to be a _____ of human dignity.

40.2 ‣ Choose one of the words in the box to complete each of the sentences below.

  1. absolute
  2. impoverished
  3. line
  4. relative
  5. fundamental
  6. shelter
  7. super

  1. Some people in a middle income bracket claim that they are living in _____ poverty simply because they have fewer material possessions than their neighbours.
  2. Millions of people still live below the poverty _____.
  3. Food and _____ are two of the most important human needs.
  4. There is a _____ difference between not having a lot of money and being destitute.
  5. It is not very meaningful to talk in terms of _____ poverty when you compare people who live in very different contexts.
  6. His family were once quite affluent, but in the last few years they have become increasingly _____.
  7. The _____-rich control much of the world's wealth.

40.3 ‣ Complete the sentences.

  1. An increasingly large number of families are living on the bread _____.
  2. Most of the people who live in this street are in a higher income _____.
  3. It all depends on your social _____ whether you feel poor or not because you don’t own a car.
  4. It can be hard for students to make _____ meet.
  5. If we all tighten our _____, we should be able to manage all right.
  6. I was surprised how poverty-_____ the villages looked given the richness of the surrounding farmland.

40.4 ‣ Choose the best word to complete each of these sentences.

  1. A person who sleeps in a cardboard box on the street and begs for money can best be described as _____.
    • impoverished
    • destitute
  2. Without my husband’s income, we were very much living from hand to _____.
    • mouth
    • foot
  3. When we were children, money was always _____.
    • small
    • tight
  4. Even children with rich parents can be _____ in terms of love and affection.
    • deprived
    • destitute
  5. An increasing number of people live below the _____.
    • penury
    • poverty line
  6. The table shows the proportion of people in each income _____.
    • section
    • bracket
  7. Many of the children here are _____ as living in poverty.
    • classed
    • grouped
  8. The country has great extremes of poverty and _____.
    • influence
    • affluence
  9. Children who don’t get enough food will suffer ill health as a result of _____.
    • nutrition
    • malnourishment
  10. Inadequate _____ can have serious health consequences.
    • sanitation
    • deprivation
Answer Key
A ‣ Definitions of poverty

United Nations definition: ‘Fundamentally1, poverty is a denial2 of choices and opportunities, a violation3 of human dignity4…’

1 in a basic and important way
2 not allowing people to have
3 act that spoils or destroys something
4 worth

type and aspect of povertydefinitioncomments
absolute povertybeing poor according to a fixed minimum standard; sometimes called the poverty lineIn 2015, people with less than $1.90 to live on a day were defined as being below the poverty line. This sum does, of course, regularly change.
relative povertybeing poor in relation to others around youThis kind of poverty depends on a person’s social context1. It takes into account that there is no income equality between countries.
extreme povertyliving below the poverty linePeople living in extreme poverty will be lacking in material possessions and money. Another word for extreme poverty is penury.
human povertybeing poor in a range of ways, not only financialThis kind of poverty takes into account such social factors as shelter2, nutrition3 (people living in poverty are more likely to be malnourished4), literacy5 levels (people living in poverty are more likely to be illiterate), sanitation6, access to education and healthcare. People lacking these basic aspects of life are said to be deprived7.

1 situation
2 having a place to live that is protected from the weather
3 food that people take into their body
4 suffering from ill health because of poor food (noun = malnourishment/malnutrition)
5 ability to read and write
6 systems for taking dirty water and waste from homes to ensure good hygiene
7 noun = deprivation [lacking in things considered necessary for a pleasant life]

B ‣ Other expressions relating to wealth and poverty

Most of the world’s population can be classed as poor. [categorised]

Only a small minority of people in the world enjoy affluence / are affluent. [wealth; wealthy]

The super-rich are people who are exceptionally rich.

It’s a very poor country – over 60% of the population live on or below the breadline. [having the level of income of an extremely poor person]

When your income is low, it is hard to make ends meet. [have enough money to buy all you need]

Many people left the poverty-stricken countryside to go to the city. [affected by poverty]

The charity’s main aim is to improve healthcare in impoverished areas of the world. [poor, without much money to live on]

Everywhere in the city you see destitute people living in shop doorways or under bridges. [without money, food, home or possessions; noun = destitution]

When we were first married, we were living from hand to mouth, so it’s nice to be able to spend a bit more now. [having just enough money to live without suffering]

Ever since I lost my job, money has been tight. [there has not been much money]

We’ll have to tighten our belts now that Mum has lost her job. [spend less than before]

Many of the people in this area are in the lowest income bracket. [range of income with upper and lower levels]

Common mistakes

We say the rich and the poor, meaning rich people and poor people (NOT the riches and the poors).

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