Boost Your Lexical Resource – Keyword: Rule

Lexical Resource

Keyword:Rule

1. Verb+Rules

Use the correct form of these verbs:

1. There is no point in having rules unless they are ______.
2. In the UK school rules often ______ that no pupil is allowed out of school during school hours.
3. The new rules for handling meat products ______ from Monday next week.
4. The proposal to ______ the rules was narrowly defeated by 403 votes to 401. Things will remain as they were.

2. Noun+of+Rules

Complete the sentences with these nouns:

1. When our daughter started at her new school, she had to learn a whole new ______ of rules.
2. The investigation showed that the pilot of the crashed plane had not broken any rules or regulations. In particular, there had been no ______ of air safety rules.
3. There are always ______ to grammar rules, but maybe that means there’s something wrong with the rules!
4. The new manager’s strict ______ to the rules made him unpopular. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little!

3. Obeying and Disobeying Rules

Underline the 10 verbs that collocate with rules:

1. There are stiff fines for breaking the rules.
2. If competitors do not follow the rules, their team will lose points.
3. Safety rules are routinely flouted on the building site. It’s dangerous to disregard them.
4. I’m sorry, madam, but we have to go by the rules. I can’t change them just for you.
5. Staff must abide by the new rules. Those who refuse to comply with them will be dismissed.
6. Do we have to stick rigidly to the rules? Can’t you bend them just a little?

Now divide the above verbs into two groups:

1. obey:    _________________________________
2. disobey: ________________________________

4. Common Adjective Collocations

Use these words to complete the sentences:

1. Before we can even begin to settle this dispute, we need to agree the ______rules first. Without these basic rules in place, we’ll get nowhere!
2. Under the _____ rules, you can bring 1,000 cigarettes into the country. A few years ago you were only allowed 200.
3. There are rules which are not official, but which people accept and obey. For example, you can wear what you like to my work. There’s no ______ rule that says you can’t wear jeans. It’s just that most people don’t.
4. Orthodox Jews will only eat kosher food which has been prepared according to very ______ rules.
5. The students complain that they are subjected to too many ______ rules. For example, many think that having to walk up steps one at a time is mad!
6. The ______ rule of good management is – learn to delegate!

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1. enforced

2. stipulate

3. come into effect

4.   change

Exercise 2:

l. set

2. violation

3. exceptions

4. adherence

Exercise 3:

a) follow, go by, abide by, comply with, stick to

b) break, flout, disregard, change, bend

Exercise 4:

1. ground

2. present

3. hard and fast

4. strict

5. petty

6. first

See also:

• IELTS Vocabulary books
• IELTS Vocabulary
• Sports Vocabulary IELTS
• English Pronunciation in use Intermediate pdf
• Work Vocabulary IELTS
• Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS