Advanced adjective and noun collocations (C1 Vocabulary)
In news and formal writing, use sweeping, pivotal and mounting with their usual nouns to show scale, importance or growing strain.
Talking about scale and impact
Not "The council faced sweeping pressure to act." — say "The council faced mounting pressure to act.". Pressure that builds over time is mounting, not sweeping.
Try it: Diego: What did the new mayor do first? Mei: She made ___ changes across every bus route in Haffenville. Choose the word for the blank. (sweeping / scathing / resounding) Answer: sweeping — Changes that reach every part of a system are sweeping changes.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
sweeping changes
/ˈswipɪŋ ˈtʃeɪndʒɪz/
After the audit, the charity introduced sweeping changes to its spending rules.
pivotal role
/ˈpɪvətəl roʊl/
The mediator played a pivotal role in reaching the final agreement.
mounting pressure
/ˈmaʊntɪŋ ˈprɛʃər/
The minister faced mounting pressure to release the safety report.
Judgment, success, and proof
Use scathing for very harsh criticism, resounding for a success nobody can miss, and tangible for evidence you can point to.
Try it: Mei: Did the critic like the new novel? Diego: Not at all. His review was full of ___ criticism. Choose the word for the blank. (scathing / mounting / pivotal) Answer: scathing — Very harsh criticism in a review is scathing criticism.
Try it: Mei: Why does everyone thank the stage manager at the end? Diego: The whole show depended on her. She played a ___ role. Choose the word for the blank. (pivotal / sweeping / scathing) Answer: pivotal — A part that everything else depends on is a pivotal role.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
scathing criticism
/ˈskeɪðɪŋ ˈkrɪtɪsɪzəm/
The watchdog issued scathing criticism of the agency's slow response.
resounding success
/rɪˈzaʊndɪŋ səkˈsɛs/
The literacy campaign was a resounding success, with enrollment doubling in one year.
tangible evidence
/ˈtændʒəbəl ˈɛvədəns/
The emails provided tangible evidence that the figures had been altered.