Sublist 1, Group 3 (3)

Contract’ has two meanings that appear to be unrelated. However, if we go back to the origins of the word, we can see the two meanings.

Today ‘contract’ can mean an official document that has legal status and it can also mean to become smaller.

  • We signed the contract for the new house today.
  • Metal contracts in the cold weather.

If we look at the origins of the word ‘contract’ we can see that it comes from middle English (1100 – 1500) and that it meant ‘drawn together’ or ‘tightened.’  And you can see how that has come to mean ‘to become smaller’ and also you can see that in a legal contract all of the relevant information is ‘drawn together.’ So there is a relationship between the two meanings if we look at the history of the word.

constituent part
context of, in context
to sign a contract, contraction of
creator of
database, relevant data


AWL Sublist 1, group 3

Vocabulary for IELTS – Academic Word List 1:3

Complete the sentences . Choose the correct word and then choose the correct form of the word to complete each sentence.

1.Children can sometimes find very _______________ solutions to problems. (context, create)

2.Metal _______________ in cold conditions. (create, contract)

3.The doctor said he has a strong _______________, and could live until he is 100. (constitute, contract)

4.When doing fill-the-gap exercises like this you need to use _______________ clues. (context, data)

5.If you provide the information, I’ll ______________ the website for you. (constitute, create)

Answers (in the wrong order)
4. Contextual   3. constitution   1. creative   5. create   2. contracts