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C1 English Verbs: Growth, Change & Governance

This list continues our C1 verbs with a focus on dynamic processes and formal actions. You will find vocabulary for Increase, Growth & Strengthening like flourish and heighten, verbs for Transformation & Modification such as dissolve and shrink, words related to Governance, Administration & Compliance like enact and authorise, and verbs for Cooperation & Collaboration such as collaborate and merge.

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Increase, Growth & Strengthening

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
to accelerate The new software has accelerated the pace of development considerably. /əkˈseləreɪt/
to accumulate Dust had accumulated on the shelves. /əˈkjuːmjəleɪt/
to consolidate The company is consolidating its position in the market.
Word Partners: consolidate power, consolidate one's position
/kənˈsɒlɪdeɪt/
to elevate The promotion elevated him to senior manager. /ˈelɪveɪt/
to empower The training empowers employees to make decisions. /ɪmˈpaʊə(r)/
to enrich The guest lectures are intended to enrich the student experience. /ɪnˈrɪtʃ/
to escalate The minor disagreement quickly escalated into a full-blown crisis. /ˈeskəleɪt/
to flourish Children flourish in environments where creativity is encouraged. /ˈflʌrɪʃ/
to heighten The music heightened the tension. /ˈhaɪtn/
to intensify The conflict intensified. /ɪnˈtensɪfaɪ/
to maximise We aim to maximise profits. /ˈmæksɪmaɪz/
to spark The incident sparked a debate about safety.
Word Partners: spark a debate, spark controversy
/spɑːk/
to stir Don't stir up trouble.
Word Partners: stir up trouble/controversy
/stɜː(r)/
to surge Support for the party has surged in recent weeks. /sɜːdʒ/
to thrive Some species thrive in harsh conditions. /θraɪv/
to tighten The government has tightened security. /ˈtaɪtn/
to trigger The attack triggered a wave of protests. /ˈtrɪɡə(r)/
to widen The investigation has been widened to include financial records. /ˈwaɪdn/
to yield The research has yielded some fascinating results.
Word Partners: yield results/dividends
/jiːld/

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Transformation & Modification

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
to amend The committee voted to amend the constitution. /əˈmend/
to blend The new architecture does not blend in with its historic surroundings.
Word Partners: blend in/into
/blend/
to characterise The debate was characterised by fierce arguments. /ˈkærəktəraɪz/
to compute The system can compute complex calculations in seconds. /kəmˈpjuːt/
to deteriorate His health has deteriorated rapidly. /dɪˈtɪəriəreɪt/
to devastate The earthquake devastated the region. /ˈdevəsteɪt/
to diminish Our resources are diminishing rapidly. /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/
to dissolve The partnership dissolved after years of disagreement. /dɪˈzɒlv/
to distort The newspaper distorted the facts. /dɪˈstɔːt/
to ease The medication will ease the pain.
Word Partners: ease the pain, ease tension
/iːz/
to fade All hope of finding survivors is beginning to fade. /feɪd/
to filter The news slowly filtered through to the staff.
Word Partners: filter through
/ˈfɪltə(r)/
to induce The drug can induce sleep. /ɪnˈdjuːs/
to infect His enthusiasm infected the whole team. /ɪnˈfekt/
to inflict The sanctions are intended to inflict maximum damage on the country's economy. /ɪnˈflɪkt/
to manifest His nervousness manifested itself in sweaty palms.
Word Partners: manifest itself
/ˈmænɪfest/
to manipulate The opposition claimed the election results had been manipulated. /məˈnɪpjuleɪt/
to merge The two organisations merged to form a single entity. /mɜːdʒ/
to minimise We need to minimise the risk of data loss. /ˈmɪnɪmaɪz/
to overturn The Supreme Court is expected to overturn the previous ruling. /ˌəʊvəˈtɜːn/
to resume Diplomatic relations between the two countries are set to resume after a five-year hiatus. /rɪˈzjuːm/
to reverse The court is expected to reverse its earlier decision. /rɪˈvɜːs/
to revive They managed to revive the economy. /rɪˈvaɪv/
to rotate The team members rotate the leadership role annually. /rəʊˈteɪt/
to stabilise The government tried to stabilise the economy. /ˈsteɪbəlaɪz/
to steer She steered the company through difficult times.
Word Partners: steer a company/organisation through
/stɪə(r)/
to stem The staffing problems stem from poor management.
Word Partners: stem from
/stem/
to sustain The economy cannot sustain this level of growth.
Word Partners: sustain growth, sustain injuries
/səˈsteɪn/
to twist She knows how to twist the facts to suit her argument.
Word Partners: twist the facts
/twɪst/
to unify The treaty unified the country. /ˈjuːnɪfaɪ/
to upgrade We need to upgrade our computer systems. /ˌʌpˈɡreɪd/
to vanish All hope of a peaceful solution has now vanished. /ˈvænɪʃ/
to weaken The scandal weakened his position within the party. /ˈwiːkən/
to weave The author skilfully weaves historical fact into her fictional narrative. /wiːv/

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Governance, Administration & Compliance

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
to adhere All members must strictly adhere to the club's code of conduct.
Word Partners: adhere to rules/principles/a code of conduct
/ədˈhɪə(r)/
to administer The paramedics were able to administer first aid immediately. /ədˈmɪnɪstə(r)/
to appoint She was appointed as the new CEO of the company. /əˈpɔɪnt/
to audit External accountants will audit the company's finances. /ˈɔːdɪt/
to authorise Only senior management can authorise expenditure over £5,000. /ˈɔːθəraɪz/
to comply Businesses that fail to comply with the new regulations will face heavy fines.
Word Partners: comply with rules/regulations
/kəmˈplaɪ/
to designate This area of the park has been designated for public use. /ˈdezɪɡneɪt/
to instruct The teacher instructed the students to open their books. /ɪnˈstrʌkt/
to nominate She was nominated for the award by her colleagues.
Word Partners: nominate for an award
/ˈnɒmɪneɪt/
to oblige The law obliges employers to provide a safe working environment. /əˈblaɪdʒ/
to oversee She has been appointed to oversee the project. /ˌəʊvəˈsiː/
to patrol Armed police patrol the streets. /pəˈtrəʊl/
to plead He pleaded guilty to the charges.
Word Partners: plead guilty, plead innocent
/pliːd/
to pledge The government pledged its full support for the new initiative. /pledʒ/
to postpone They had to postpone the launch due to technical difficulties. /pəʊstˈpəʊn/
to precede Negotiations immediately preceded the formal announcement.
Word Partners: immediately precede
/prɪˈsiːd/
to prescribe The guidelines prescribe strict protocols for data protection. /prɪˈskraɪb/
to preside The judge will preside over the hearing. /prɪˈzaɪd/
to prosecute The company was prosecuted for breaching health and safety laws. /ˈprɒsɪkjuːt/
to reform The government has promised to reform the education system. /rɪˈfɔːm/
to sue He is threatening to sue for unfair dismissal.
Word Partners: sue for [something] (e.g. damages, dismissal)
/suː/
to supervise A qualified instructor will supervise all practical sessions. /ˈsuːpəvaɪz/
to terminate The company has decided to terminate the contract. /ˈtɜːmɪneɪt/
to uphold The court is expected to uphold the original verdict. /ʌpˈhəʊld/
to utilise We must utilise our resources effectively. /ˈjuːtɪlaɪz/
to verify Independent auditors were brought in to verify the financial statements. /ˈverɪfaɪ/
to warrant The situation warrants further investigation. /ˈwɒrənt/

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Cooperation, Collaboration & Coordination

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
to align We need to align our goals with the new strategy. /əˈlaɪn/
to assemble The team assembled evidence from multiple sources. /əˈsembl/
to attribute He attributes his success to his supportive family. /əˈtrɪbjuːt/
to cater The course is designed to cater to a wide range of abilities. /ˈkeɪtə(r)/
to coincide The publication of his book was timed to coincide with the film's release. /ˌkəʊɪnˈsaɪd/
to collaborate The two artists collaborated on the project. /kəˈlæbəreɪt/
to compensate The company agreed to compensate workers for their loss of earnings. /ˈkɒmpenseɪt/
to complement The practical workshops complement the theoretical lectures perfectly. /ˈkɒmplɪment/
to comprise The committee is comprised of industry representatives. /kəmˈpraɪz/
to compromise Both sides will need to compromise if we are to reach an agreement. /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/
to confer The managers conferred with their colleagues before making a decision. /kənˈfɜː(r)/
to consent She consented to the operation. /kənˈsent/
to conserve The new policy aims to conserve the region's natural habitats. /kənˈsɜːv/
to cooperate The two countries have agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism operations. /kəʊˈɒpəreɪt/
to coordinate She coordinates all the training programmes. /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪt/
to correlate High income usually correlates with higher education. /ˈkɒrəleɪt/
to facilitate Technology can facilitate learning. /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/

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