English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 57: Possession and giving
| 1 A millionaire | inherited | his entire library to the school. |
| 2 The director was | supported _____ | the best parking place. |
| 3 My mother's cousin | me £5,000 in her will. | |
| 4 A farmer nearby | catered _____ | us with logs for the fire. |
| 5 When I retired they | left _____ | me with a camcorder. |
| 6 The restaurant | allocated _____ | for vegetarians. |
| 7 My parents | presented _____ | me when I was out of work. |
| 8 The oldest son | supplied _____ | the old house when his father died. |
Think of something that …
All his possessions were destroyed in the terrible fire. [ everything he owned]
Don't leave any of your belongings here; we've had a few thefts recently. [smaller things, e.g. bag, camera, coat; always plural]
Estate in the singular can mean a big area of private land and the buildings on it, or all of someone's wealth upon death.
They live on a housing estate / an estate. [area containing a large number of houses or apartments built close together at the same time]
She owns a huge estate in Scotland. [land, etc.]
After his death, his estate was calculated at 10 million euros. [all his wealth]
Property (uncountable) is used in a general sense for houses, land, etc. He's only 14; he's too young to own property. A property (countable) is a building (e.g. house, office block) or land. She owns some valuable properties in the town centre.
The proprietor /prəˈpraɪətə/ of this restaurant is a friend of mine. (used for shops, businesses, etc.; fml; owner is less formal)
The landlord/landlady has put the rent up. [owner of rented property]
Do you own this house? No, we're just tenants. [we rent it]
He inherited a big house in the country when his parents died. [became the owner after someone's death]
The river provides the village with water / provides water for the village. (or supplies)
Jakes Ltd supplies our school with paper and other items. (often for 'selling' contexts)
It gives me pleasure to present you with this gift from us all.
His parents supported him while he was at college but now he's independent.
The school restaurant caters for 500 people every day. [looks after the needs of]
That uncle of mine that died left £3,000 to an animal shelter.
When she died she donated all her books to the library. (for large gifts to institutions)
I'm running a marathon next week for a cancer charity. Will you sponsor me? [give money if I complete the race]
When I left the job I had to hand over the keys to my office to the new person.
I didn't really want to let go of my bike but I had no money so I had to sell it.
The people from the charity handed out / gave out stickers for everyone to wear. [distributed]
I had a banjo once, but I gave it away. [gave it free to someone]
This vase has been handed down from generation to generation in my family.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for pre-intermediate and intermediate level (B1) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for advanced level (C1 to C2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.