POINT looks like a word you learnt years ago. Then someone asks you to get to the point, complains that you’ve missed the point, or says there’s no point carrying on. Same word, rather different jobs. This wordspot explores expressions with POINT and gives you practice using them for C1 Advanced.
Contents
Why common words matter at C1
Advanced vocabulary includes plenty of familiar words. The challenge is knowing what happens when you put them together. You might know what a point on a map is, but that won’t necessarily help when someone tells you that your argument is beside the point.
Compare these three expressions:
- You’ve missed the point. You haven’t understood the main idea.
- That’s beside the point. It isn’t relevant to what we’re discussing.
- Could you get to the point? Please stop giving us all the details and tell us the main thing.
There’s an idea running through all three, but you can’t swap one expression for another. Learning the whole phrase helps you connect the meaning with the words you need to express it. We take the same approach in our BACK wordspot.
Getting your point across
Getting to the point and getting your point across are easy to confuse. The first is about reaching your main message without taking too long. The second is about making that message understood. You can be brief and still leave everyone wondering what you mean.
The surrounding grammar matters too. If you make a point of doing something, you deliberately make sure you do it. For example, you might make a point of switching your phone off before a meeting. Notice the -ing form after of. Recording the expression with an example gives you something you can actually use when you meet it again in a transformation task.
The materials
Start by identifying the missing word and discussing its different meanings. Then sort the expressions into groups and practise them in context before tackling six key word transformations with POINT as the key word. When checking, look at the whole completed sentence to make sure both the meaning and grammar work.
SKILLS: Vocabulary and Use of English
LEVEL: C1
TOPIC: Expressions and collocations with POINT
TIME: 25-35 minutes
PREPARATION: One worksheet per student
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