Theme
Groups and collections: synonyms worth the distinction
English has an odd affection for collective nouns, and half of them are metaphors that hardened. A branch is a subdivision, the brass is an administration, and a breed is a stock. Good shelf for anyone reading company reports.
Start hereOne per tier, easiest first
ballnounbaseballa ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine playersFoothills2 sensesHas a reason lineagedadjective, nounolderadvanced in yearsTreeline2 sensesHas a reason linebreednoun, verbstocka special variety of domesticated animals within a speciesTreeline2 sensesHas a reason line
The whole shelfGrouped by difficulty tier
FoothillsTier 1 · everyday words · 27 words
Words you already use, paired with a synonym you probably also know.
- ballnounbaseball
- classnoundivision
- clubnounnine
- countrynounland
- couplenounmatch
- creamnounpick
- crowdnounbunch
- currentnounflow
- datenounappointment
- frontnounmovement
- handnoundeal
- housenounfirm
- lawnounpolice
- lotnounset
- massnounpeople
- officenounauthority
- packnounring
- partynouncompany
- postnounmail
- publicnounworld
- secretadjectivemysterious
- sectionnoundepartment
- societynouncompany
- statenouncountry
- unionnounjoin
- yearnounclass
- youthnounyoung
TreelineTier 2 · one step up · 24 words
Familiar words, with a synonym that sits slightly outside daily speech.
- administrationnounbrass
- agedadjectiveolder
- ballnounbaseball
- breednounstock
- bunchnouncluster
- caravannountrain
- citynounmetropolis
- clubnounnine
- colonynounsettlement
- companynouncaller
- currentnounflow
- disablednounhandicapped
- familynounfolk
- fraternitynounbrotherhood
- massnounpeople
- membershipnounrank
- networknounweb
- rashadjectivereckless
- religiousadjectivespiritual
- staffnounfaculty
- streaknounrun
- systemnounarrangement
- troopnounflock
- varietynounchange
RidgelineTier 3 · solid vocabulary · 25 words
The middle of the bank, where the near misses start to bite.
- administrationnounbrass
- breednounstock
- chunkyadjectivelumpy
- cloudnounswarm
- companynouncaller
- corenounnucleus
- couplenounmatch
- creamnounpick
- educatedadjectiveenlightened
- electadjectiveelite
- familynounfolk
- initiatenounenlightened
- layadjectivesecular
- lineagenounblood
- mixedadjectiveassorted
- packnounring
- plaguenouninfestation
- posteritynoundescendants
- quartetnounfoursome
- rashadjectivereckless
- schoolnounshoal
- seancenounsitting
- symphonynounphilharmonic
- timidnouncautious
- unionnounjoin
High CampTier 4 · testing · 7 words
Words that turn up in serious reading rather than in conversation.
SummitTier 5 · rare and formal · 2 words
The rare register: literary, legal and technical English.
Groups and collections is one shelf of many
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