If you ‘accumulate’ things, you collect them. It can be accidental or deliberate. You accumulate wrinkles when you get older. You accumulate experience. You can accumulate degrees and qualifications. You can accumulate wealth.

When you learn new vocab, make sure that you note collocations too. For this group of words some collocations are:
an accompaniment, to accompany, accompanied by
accumulation of
ambiguity in, ambiguous statement
an appendage, append to, appended to, appended by

Check the meanings of the words if you don’t already know them. Check the meanings of the various forms as sometimes they are different. You can check them at Time4english by clicking the words (http://www.time4english.com/aamain/lounge/awl.asp).

Vocabulary for IELTS – Academic Word List 85

Complete the sentences. Choose the correct word and then use the correct form of the word.

1. The instructions were ______________ ; it was very clear what you were supposed to do. (ambiguous, accumulate)
2. It wasn’t one incident that caused him to resign, it was an ______________ of issues.(accumulate, append)
3. It is unusual in a western wedding for a woman to arrive _______________. (abandon, accompany)
4. Many pets are _______________ during the holiday season. (abandon, ambiguous)
5. She ______________ a number of documents to her report.  (accompany, append)

Answers (in the wrong order)
5. appended 3. unaccompanied  2. accumulation 1. unambiguous     4. abandoned