English for academic research: Vocabulary Exercises
Choose the word that best suits the context.
1.1 Actual, current, topical
1. Their actual / current / topical weight was much higher than their perceived weight.
2. The actual / current / topical financial crisis has focused public attention on the rapid growth
of homelessness. It is difficult to establish the actual / current / topical numbers of homeless
people, as not all homeless people register as being homeless.
3. The role of privately-funded research is very actual / current / topical, with many seemingly
inconsistent findings being published.
4. The nature of such mutations is actual / current / topical and receiving increasing attention in
the literature.
5. Several thousand people have been reported as dying, but the actual / current / topical
number is still not known.
6. Hundreds of people are dying, and the actual / current / topical number of dead stands at 565.
7. I am not the actual / current / topical owner of the patent, I just invented the device.
8. The actual / current / topical value of this approach is less than many people claim.
9. The actual / current / topical value of the euro has been pushed by the fall in the dollar. 10.
We consider an issue that is particularly actual / current / topical in view of the burgeoning
interest in the potential of stem cell therapy, namely the reprogramming of gene expression.
10. We consider an issue that is particularly actual / current / topical in view of the burgeoning
interest in the potential of stem cell therapy, namely the reprogramming of gene expression.
1.2 advisable, convenient, comfortable
1. It is not convenient / advisable / comfortable to do more than one test at a time.
2. Organizing a conference on this topic would be a convenient / advisable / comfortable way
of getting everyone interested together in one room.
3. Holding the conference on a pacific island would be fun but not very convenient / advisable /
comfortable for most attendees.
4. It would be convenient / advisable / comfortable to set up an organizing committee as soon
as possible.
5. The beds in the hotel were particularly convenient / advisable / comfortable.
6. Let me know what time it would be convenient / advisable / comfortable for you to meet.
Put these words in the correct form into the gaps
Research / Economic / Contract / analysis /Factor / Legal / Period / Available / Similar / Indicate
1. _______________ of water is vital to all plant and animal life.
2. We need to find a more _______________ way to manufacture our products because our
profit margin is too low.
3. Warmer than average weather was the deciding _______________ in our decision to
postpone our ski trip. 4. Interest in the planet Mars has greatly increased since _______________
of water raised the possibility that life in some form may have evolved there.
5. Music downloaders are questioning the _______________ of file sharing, claiming the law is
unclear on the matter.
6. Meetings will be held _______________ for the members of the project to discuss their
progress.
7. Jane Goodall's _______________ into chimpanzees has greatly increased our knowledge of
these animals.
8. We are _______________ obliged to deal with this firm.
9. The DNA of chimpanzees shows a remarkable _______________ to that of humans
10. At the end of a research project, the researcher is normally faced with lots of observations
which need to be _______________.
