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C1 Vocabulary • 20 Mins Unit: Infrastructure & Construction

Infrastructure, megaprojects and delays

Master key expressions for planning, managing bottlenecks, and opening major public works.

💡 How to use this lesson

For the Teacher

• Guide students through the 10 core words in 20 minutes using the themed tables and clear memory tips.

• Check exercise answers together in class and use the shadowing section for immediate pronunciation feedback.

For the Learner

• Read through the word table first, paying close attention to the memory tips and example sentences.

• Complete the 16 practice tasks next, then record yourself repeating the shadowing sentences out loud.

Word table

10 C1 Words

1. Making the plan

Word	Meaning	Common collocations	Word forms	Example sentence	Memory tip
blueprint	A detailed technical plan or outline for a project	draft a blueprint, clear blueprint	–	Architects prepared a complete blueprint for the new airport terminal.	Think of classic blue architectural prints on paper.
feasibility	How possible and practical it is to do something	feasibility study, assess feasibility	feasible (adj)	The city council commissioned a feasibility study before building the bridge.	"Feas-" sounds like "easy" — is the plan easy to do?
groundwork	Preliminary work done to prepare for a future project	lay the groundwork, essential groundwork	–	Engineers laid the groundwork by clearing the access road and the power lines.	Ground + work = doing work on the ground before building high.
milestone	An important event or stage in the progress of a development	reach a milestone, key milestone	–	Finishing the underground railway tunnel was a major milestone for the crew.	Mile + stone = stone markers along a road tracking distance.

2. Trouble on the way

Word	Meaning	Common collocations	Word forms	Example sentence	Memory tip
overrun	An instance of exceeding an expected budget or timeframe	cost overrun, suffer an overrun	–	Unexpected soil conditions led to a massive cost overrun on the highway project.	Over + run = spending ran over the original budget limit.
bottleneck	A narrow point that slows down the whole process	cause a bottleneck, major bottleneck	–	Steel supply shortages created a severe bottleneck in the construction schedule.	Picture a narrow bottle neck where liquids flow very slowly.
obstruct	To block, delay, or prevent progress or movement	obstruct progress, obstruct traffic	obstruction (n)	Heavy equipment failures continue to obstruct work on the central bypass.	Ob- (against) + struct (build) = standing against building progress.

3. Finishing or not

Word	Meaning	Common collocations	Word forms	Example sentence	Memory tip
postpone	To cause something to take place at a later time than scheduled	postpone the opening, decide to postpone	postponement (n)	Bad weather forced officials to postpone the official opening ceremony.	Post- means after/later — pushing an event into later dates.
inaugurate	To formally open or initiate a new public facility or project	inaugurate a line, officially inaugurate	inauguration (n)	The prime minister arrived to inaugurate the nation's first high-speed rail.	"Inaugurate" is for a big opening ceremony: the first official use of a new building or road.
shelve	To decide not to proceed with a project or plan indefinitely	shelve plans, shelve a project	–	Rising material costs forced the council to shelve the seaport expansion.	Putting project papers onto a high shelf to sit unused.

Practice

16 Interactive Items

Task 1: Collocation Matrix (Items 1–4)

Choose the word that usually goes with each verb.

Verb

project

bottleneck

groundwork

feasibility

1. lay

____project ____bottleneck ____groundwork ____feasibility

2. assess the technical

____project ____bottleneck ____groundwork ____feasibility

3. cause a

____project ____bottleneck ____groundwork ____feasibility

4. shelve a

____project ____bottleneck ____groundwork ____feasibility

Task 2: Sentence Gap-Fills (Items 5–8)

Complete each sentence using the exact word from the word bank below.

Word Bank: overrun blueprint shelve milestone

5. The lead architect presented a detailed ____ showing the layout of the proposed rail junction.

6. Reaching the halfway mark of the bridge construction was celebrated as an important ____ by the engineers.

7. Inflation and supply delays created a 20% budget ____ on the new stadium.

8. Due to lack of public funding, the ministry decided to ____ the tram expansion proposal.

Task 3: Choose the Word (Items 9–12)

Select the single word that fits the context of the sentence best.

9. Environmental protests threaten to _____ the expansion of the airport runway.

____ a. blueprint ____ b. obstruct ____ c. milestone

10. Heavy snow forced the council to _____ the start of tunnel excavations until spring.

____ a. postpone ____ b. bottleneck ____ c. groundwork

11. The transport minister will _____ the new high-speed railway line this Friday.

____ a. inaugurate ____ b. blueprint ____ c. overrun

12. Before digging begins, engineers must test the _____ of building an underwater tunnel.

____ a. feasibility ____ b. milestone ____ c. overrun

Task 4: Word-Formation (Items 13–16)

Complete the sentence using the correct word form derived from the target root word.

Use one word only. Change the form of the root word in brackets.

13. [Root: feasibility] Building a five-mile bridge over the bay is technically ____ under current engineering standards.

14. [Root: obstruct] The fallen crane caused a major ____ across all four lanes of the highway.

15. [Root: postpone] Organizers announced a two-week ____ of the stadium opening due to power grid tests.

16. [Root: inaugurate] Dignitaries from five nations gathered for the official ____ of the cross-border bridge.

Shadowing

Listen to the audio model, then record yourself repeating clearly.

12 Audio Prompts

Group 1: Collocations

1. Collocation

lay the groundwork

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

2. Collocation

assess the feasibility

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

3. Collocation

cause a bottleneck

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

4. Collocation

shelve the project

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 2: Short Sentences

5. Sentence

We must lay the groundwork before starting construction.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

6. Sentence

The team will assess the feasibility of the new route.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

7. Sentence

Budget overruns delayed the completion of the main bridge.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

8. Sentence

Officials decided to postpone the opening ceremony until next month.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 3: Full Context Sentences

9. Sentence

The mayor will officially inaugurate the new train station tomorrow.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

10. Sentence

Protests continue to obstruct traffic near the port expansion project.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 4: Focus Words

11. Focus Word

bottleneck

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

12. Focus Word

feasibility

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

C1 Vocabulary: Infrastructure, Megaprojects and Delays

Infrastructure, megaprojects and delays

💡 How to use this lesson

Word table

1. Making the plan

2. Trouble on the way

3. Finishing or not

Practice

Task 1: Collocation Matrix (Items 1–4)

Task 2: Sentence Gap-Fills (Items 5–8)

Task 3: Choose the Word (Items 9–12)

Task 4: Word-Formation (Items 13–16)

Shadowing

Group 1: Collocations

Group 2: Short Sentences

Group 3: Full Context Sentences

Group 4: Focus Words

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