B1 English Adjectives: Social, Location & Degree
This list continues our B1 adjectives with more advanced descriptive words. It includes sections on Social, Political & Cultural topics with words like cultural and economic, vocabulary for Location & Geography such as northern and remote, and adjectives for Degree & Intensity like sudden and global.
Jump to a section:
Social, Political & Cultural
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| central | The hotel is in a central location.
Word Partners: central location, central heating
|
/ˈsentrəl/ |
| cultural | We learned about the cultural differences between the countries.
Word Partners: cultural differences
|
/ˈkʌltʃərəl/ |
| current | Who is the current president?
Word Partners: the current situation
|
/ˈkʌrənt/ |
| economic | The country is facing economic problems.
Word Partners: economic problems
|
/ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ |
| educated | He is a well-educated man.
Word Partners: well educated
|
/ˈedʒukeɪtɪd/ |
| educational | There are many educational games for children.
Word Partners: educational games
|
/ˌedʒuˈkeɪʃənl/ |
| engaged | They got engaged to be married.
Word Partners: get engaged
|
/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/ |
| environmental | Pollution is an environmental issue.
Word Partners: environmental issues
|
/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmentl/ |
| equal | All people should have equal rights.
Word Partners: equal rights/opportunities
|
/ˈiːkwəl/ |
| financial | He is having financial problems.
Word Partners: financial problems
|
/faɪˈnænʃl/ |
| global | Climate change is a global problem.
Word Partners: global problem/issue, global warming
|
/ˈɡləʊbl/ |
| historic | It was a historic day for the country.
Word Partners: a historic day
|
/hɪˈstɒrɪk/ |
| historical | I enjoy reading historical novels.
Word Partners: historical novels
|
/hɪˈstɒrɪkl/ |
| illegal | It is illegal to drive without a licence. | /ɪˈliːɡl/ |
| legal | You should seek legal advice.
Word Partners: legal advice
|
/ˈliːɡl/ |
| mental | Exercise is good for your mental health.
Word Partners: mental health, mental illness
|
/ˈmentl/ |
| nuclear | They are building a new nuclear power station.
Word Partners: nuclear power
|
/ˈnjuːkliə(r)/ |
| official | This is the official website for the event.
Word Partners: the official website
|
/əˈfɪʃl/ |
| political | He is a member of a political party.
Word Partners: political party
|
/pəˈlɪtɪkl/ |
| primary | My primary concern is your safety.
Word Partners: primary concern, primary school
|
/ˈpraɪməri/ |
| private | Can I have a private word with you?
Word Partners: a private conversation/word
|
/ˈpraɪvət/ |
| religious | They have strong religious beliefs.
Word Partners: religious beliefs
|
/rɪˈlɪdʒəs/ |
| royal | They visited the royal palace.
Word Partners: royal palace/family
|
/ˈrɔɪəl/ |
| scientific | There is no scientific evidence for this.
Word Partners: scientific evidence, scientific research
|
/ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/ |
| secondary | I go to secondary school.
Word Partners: secondary school
|
/ˈsekəndri/ |
| sexual | The book contains sexual content.
Word Partners: sexual content
|
/ˈsekʃuəl/ |
| technical | We had some technical problems.
Word Partners: technical problems
|
/ˈteknɪkl/ |
| unemployed | He is currently unemployed. | /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ |
Location & Geography
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| eastern | They live in the eastern part of the city. | /ˈiːstən/ |
| indoor | There is an indoor swimming pool.
Word Partners: indoor swimming pool
|
/ˈɪndɔː(r)/ |
| northern | Manchester is in northern England. | /ˈnɔːðən/ |
| outdoor | We enjoy outdoor activities like hiking.
Word Partners: outdoor activities
|
/ˈaʊtdɔː(r)/ |
| southern | They live in southern France on a farm. | /ˈsʌðən/ |
| western | They live in western Australia. | /ˈwestən/ |
Degree & Intensity
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| continuous | There was a continuous noise from the street. | /kənˈtɪnjuəs/ |
| key | Education is a key issue for voters.
Word Partners: a key issue/factor
|
/kiː/ |
| mild | We had a mild winter this year.
Word Partners: mild weather/winter
|
/maɪld/ |
| negative | The test results were negative. | /ˈneɡətɪv/ |
| positive | Try to stay positive about the situation. | /ˈpɒzətɪv/ |
| unable | I was unable to attend the meeting. | /ʌnˈeɪbl/ |
Other Descriptive
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| due | The train is due to arrive at 6pm.
Word Partners: due to arrive/leave
|
/djuː/ |
| imaginary | The child has an imaginary friend. | /ɪˈmædʒɪnəri/ |
| indirect | We took an indirect route to the beach. | /ˌɪndəˈrekt/ |
| old-fashioned | That dress looks a bit old-fashioned.
Word Partners: look old-fashioned, old-fashioned ideas
|
/ˌəʊld ˈfæʃnd/ |
| poisonous | Be careful of poisonous mushrooms in this forest.
Word Partners: poisonous snakes/mushrooms
|
/ˈpɔɪzənəs/ |
| retired | He is a retired teacher and likes walking a lot. | /rɪˈtaɪəd/ |
| silent | The audience fell silent as she began to speak.
Word Partners: fall silent
|
/ˈsaɪlənt/ |
