Practice
English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with C
Sign in to saveA new word becomes useful when you can recognize it, say it, and put it into a situation you know. This set of C words appears in plans, work, travel, and ordinary conversations.
Understand and use six useful B1 words beginning with C in everyday English sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
compare the two plans carefully /kəmˈpeə ðə tuː plænz ˈkeəfəli/
The short answer
Learn each C word with a short meaning, a common phrase, and a complete example. Use calm for a peaceful state, careful for attention to possible problems, cancel for ending a plan, capable for having an ability, compare for examining differences or similarities, and complain for saying that something is wrong.
Please be careful when you carry the glass box.
Why it works: Careful describes the attention needed to avoid an accident.
6 more examples
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Rina stayed calm during the delayed flight.
Calm describes Rina's controlled, peaceful reaction while she waited.
Not this:Rina
felt nervousduring the delayed flight. What changes: Nervous describes worry, while calm describes the absence of that worry. -
Be careful with the hot pan on the stove.
Use careful with before a thing that needs attention.
Not this:Be
carelesswith the hot pan on the stove. What changes: Careless means not giving enough attention, so it gives the opposite advice. -
The clinic had to cancel my afternoon appointment.
Cancel means that the planned appointment will not happen at that time.
Not this:The clinic had to
reschedulemy afternoon appointment. What changes: Reschedule keeps the appointment but moves it to another time. -
Sam is capable of fixing the loose shelf.
Capable of introduces an ability. The next verb uses the -ing form.
Not this:Sam is
willing to fixthe loose shelf. What changes: Willing shows that Sam wants to help. Capable shows that Sam has the ability. -
Compare the two phone plans before you choose one.
Compare asks you to examine the plans so that you can make a choice.
Not this:
Choose one phone planbefore you leave the store. What changes: Choose is the final decision. Compare is the earlier step of looking at the options. -
Several guests complained about the noisy room.
Complain about introduces the problem that made the guests unhappy.
Not this:Several guests
asked aboutthe quiet room. What changes: Ask about requests information. Complain about expresses dissatisfaction with a problem.
Read the full guide
Work with a small set of words at one time. Say each example aloud, cover the target word, and try to recall it from the meaning. Then make one sentence about a plan, a task, or a recent experience from your own life.
Learn the word with a situation
A list of translations can help at first, but a situation shows you how a word behaves. Read the whole sentence before you decide what the C word means. Ask who is acting, what happened, and why the word fits.
The customer compared three prices before buying the jacket.
The customer is looking at several prices. That situation tells you that compare means examine options together.
Which word fits when you look at two hotel rooms to see their differences?
Use compare: Compare the two hotel rooms before you book.
Use calm for a peaceful reaction
Calm can describe a person, a place, or a feeling. Use it when there is little worry, noise, or excitement. Stay calm is a common phrase when a person needs to think clearly in a difficult moment.
The receptionist remained calm while she solved the problem.
Remaining calm helped the receptionist deal with the problem without panic.
We chose a calm street away from the traffic.
Your friend is worried before an exam. What short advice can you give?
Say Stay calm. It asks your friend to avoid panic and think clearly.
Use careful when attention matters
Careful is an adjective. It often comes after be, as in be careful, or before a noun, as in a careful check. Use careful with a thing and careful about a possible problem or decision.
Please be careful with the address when you fill in the form.
The address needs attention because a small mistake can send the form to the wrong place.
He gave the contract a careful read before signing it.
Which word describes a person who checks details before sending an email?
Use careful: She is careful about the details in her emails.
Cancel a plan and describe ability
Cancel is a verb for ending a planned event, booking, order, or meeting. Capable is an adjective for ability. Keep the patterns separate: cancel something, but be capable of doing something.
They canceled the outdoor class because of heavy rain.
The class was planned, but it will not happen because of the weather.
Our new colleague is capable of leading the workshop.
Capable of leading says that the colleague has the ability needed for the workshop.
Complete the sentence: Mia is capable of ___ the report by Friday.
Use finishing: Mia is capable of finishing the report by Friday.
Compare choices before you decide
Compare is useful when you have more than one option. You can compare prices, sizes, services, or two versions of a document. The word often leads to a better decision because it asks you to look for both similarities and differences.
I compared the train times with the bus timetable.
The speaker examined two travel options to find the more suitable journey.
Compare the labels to check which product contains less sugar.
Which word fits before prices when you want to find the cheaper option?
Use compare: Compare prices before you buy.
Complain about a real problem
Complain means say that something is wrong or unsatisfactory. It is usually followed by about plus the problem. You can complain to a company, a manager, or a service provider, but explain the problem clearly and politely.
I called the company to complain about the incorrect bill.
The caller is unhappy because the bill has an error and wants the company to address it.
The passengers complained about the long delay.
Complete the phrase: complain ___ a damaged delivery.
Use about: complain about a damaged delivery.
Before you go
Remember this
Use these C words with their usual patterns: stay calm, be careful with something, cancel a plan, be capable of doing something, compare options, and complain about a problem. A short sentence for each phrase will help you remember how the word works.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with C"
How can I remember new English words beginning with C?
Keep each word with a short sentence and a useful phrase. For example, write stay calm, be careful with, and cancel a meeting. Return to the notes later and try to say the phrase before you look at the answer.
Rina stayed calm during the delayed flight.
What is the difference between calm and careful?
Calm describes a peaceful feeling or situation. Careful describes attention to possible danger or mistakes. A person can stay calm during a problem and still be careful with the details needed to solve it.
Rina felt nervous during the delayed flight.
Does cancel mean the same as reschedule?
No. Cancel means that a planned event will not happen. Reschedule means that the event will happen at another time. Check the situation before you choose the verb, especially for appointments and meetings.
Be careful with the hot pan on the stove.
What comes after capable?
Capable is commonly followed by of and an -ing form: capable of fixing, capable of leading, or capable of finishing. This pattern describes a person's ability to complete an action.
Be careless with the hot pan on the stove.
How do I use compare and complain in a sentence?
Use compare when you examine options, often with with or before an object: compare two prices. Use complain when you say that there is a problem, often with about: complain about an incorrect bill.
The clinic had to cancel my afternoon appointment.