Module code: 872

๐Ÿ“š Vocabulary Deep Dive

A2 – Torre Dei Conti Collapse – A2

15 key termsJournalistic articleA2

๐ŸŽฏ Learning Priorities

Focus on these words based on their importance for understanding the text:

โญ Essential to understand the main event – the tower collapsing. This is the central action of the entire article.
fall downphrasal verbneutral

to collapse completely to the ground from a standing position

๐Ÿ“ “A very old tower fell down in Rome in November.”

Goes with: building falls down, wall falls down, tower falls down
Family: verb: fall | past: fell | past_participle: fallen
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Not 'cadere giรน' (fall down from height) but 'crollare' (complete structural collapse)
โญ Key noun describing the disaster. Used multiple times to describe both collapses. Students cannot follow the story without this.
collapsenounneutral

when a building suddenly falls down completely

๐Ÿ“ “This was the first collapse.”

Goes with: building collapse, sudden collapse, total collapse
Family: noun: collapse | verb: collapse | adjective: collapsed
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Same as Italian 'crollo' but pronunciation differs (/kษ™หˆlรฆps/)
โญ Critical for understanding the tower's condition before and after earthquakes. Appears in multiple contexts throughout.
damagedadjectiveneutral

broken or harmed badly

๐Ÿ“ “These earthquakes damaged the tower more.”

Goes with: badly damaged, seriously damaged, damaged building
Family: noun: damage | verb: damage | adjective: damaged
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Can be verb or adjective in English, unlike Italian 'danneggiato' (only adjective)
โญ Essential to understand why the tower was weak. The article discusses centuries of earthquakes affecting the structure.
earthquakenounneutral

when the ground shakes strongly and can damage buildings

๐Ÿ“ “The tower survived many earthquakes.”

Goes with: strong earthquake, earthquake hits, survive earthquake
Family: noun: earthquake | adjective: seismic
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น One word in English, two in Italian (terremoto)
โญ Key verb showing how the tower lasted 800 years. Central to understanding the timeline and the tower's strength.
surviveverbneutral

to continue to exist after danger or difficult conditions

๐Ÿ“ “The tower survived many earthquakes.”

Goes with: survive earthquake, survive attack, survive centuries
Family: verb: survive | noun: survival, survivor | adjective: surviving
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น False friend: means 'sopravvivere' not 'sorvegliare' (to watch)
โญ Important for understanding who is examining the collapse and why. Helps students follow the investigation section.
investigatornounformal

a person who tries to find answers about what happened

๐Ÿ“ “Now investigators are looking at the tower.”

Goes with: investigators examine, investigators study, investigators find
Family: noun: investigator, investigation | verb: investigate | adjective: investigative
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น False friend: not 'investigatore' (detective) but technical expert who examines causes
โญ Important collocation explaining what workers were doing when the collapse happened. Key to understanding the timeline.
do repairscollocationneutral

to fix things that are broken

๐Ÿ“ “Workers were doing repairs inside the tower.”

Goes with: do repairs, do maintenance, do work
Family: noun: repair | verb: repair | adjective: repaired
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Use 'do' not 'make' with repairs (fare riparazioni)
โญ Needed to understand the 800-year timeline and historical context. Used multiple times in the article.
centurynounneutral

a period of 100 years

๐Ÿ“ “It survived for many centuries.”

Goes with: many centuries, several centuries, half a century
Family: noun: century, centuries
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Same as Italian 'secolo'
โญ Important for understanding one possible cause of collapse. Technical but explained in text.
foundationsnounformal

the bottom parts of a building that hold it up

๐Ÿ“ “This water could have damaged the foundations.”

Goes with: strong foundations, weak foundations, building foundations
Family: noun: foundation | verb: found | adjective: foundational
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Usually plural in construction context, like Italian 'fondamenta'
โญ Useful for understanding neglect as a possible cause. Common phrasal verb worth learning actively.
take care ofphrasal verbneutral

to look after something or someone properly

๐Ÿ“ “During this time, nobody took care of it.”

Goes with: take care of building, take care of problem, take good care
Family: noun: care | verb: care | adjective: careful
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Three-word phrase, not separable like Italian 'prendersi cura'
โญ Adds cultural context about Roman history. Useful for describing old buildings but not essential for main story.
ruinsnounneutral

old buildings that are broken or destroyed

๐Ÿ“ “They are now ruins.”

Goes with: ancient ruins, Roman ruins, in ruins
Family: noun: ruins | verb: ruin | adjective: ruined
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Always plural in this context, like Italian 'rovine'
โญ Provides historical detail about the tower's original purpose. Enriches understanding but not critical.
fortnounneutral

a strong building designed to protect people

๐Ÿ“ “It was also a fort.”

Goes with: old fort, military fort, stone fort
Family: noun: fort, fortress | verb: fortify | adjective: fortified
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Similar to Italian 'forte' but different pronunciation (/fษ”หrt/)
โญ Useful for discussing one theory about the collapse. Good vocabulary for construction contexts.
equipmentnounneutral

machines and tools used for work

๐Ÿ“ “The construction equipment might have caused problems too.”

Goes with: construction equipment, heavy equipment, modern equipment
Family: noun: equipment | verb: equip | adjective: equipped
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Uncountable noun, no plural form (like Italian 'attrezzatura')
โญ Natural collocation worth learning. Helps in discussing investigations and problem-solving.
find answerscollocationneutral

to discover solutions to questions or problems

๐Ÿ“ “Investigators are people who try to find answers.”

Goes with: find answers, find solutions, find reasons
Family: verb: find | past: found | noun: findings
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Use 'find' not 'search' with answers (trovare risposte)
โญ Common phrasal verb for describing injuries. Useful in many contexts beyond this article.
get hurtphrasal verbneutral

to become injured or damaged physically

๐Ÿ“ “Another worker was hurt.”

Goes with: get hurt badly, get hurt in accident, someone gets hurt
Family: verb: hurt | adjective: hurt, hurtful
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Reflexive in Italian (farsi male) but not in English

๐Ÿ“– Complete Vocabulary Reference

All vocabulary items organized by theme:

Building Collapse Vocabulary

Core vocabulary to understand the tower collapse event and structural failure

fall downphrasal verbneutral

to collapse completely to the ground from a standing position

๐Ÿ“ “A very old tower fell down in Rome in November.”

Goes with: building falls down, wall falls down, tower falls down
Family: verb: fall | past: fell | past_participle: fallen
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Not 'cadere giรน' (fall down from height) but 'crollare' (complete structural collapse)
collapsenounneutral

when a building suddenly falls down completely

๐Ÿ“ “This was the first collapse.”

Goes with: building collapse, sudden collapse, total collapse
Family: noun: collapse | verb: collapse | adjective: collapsed
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Same as Italian 'crollo' but pronunciation differs (/kษ™หˆlรฆps/)
damagedadjectiveneutral

broken or harmed badly

๐Ÿ“ “These earthquakes damaged the tower more.”

Goes with: badly damaged, seriously damaged, damaged building
Family: noun: damage | verb: damage | adjective: damaged
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Can be verb or adjective in English, unlike Italian 'danneggiato' (only adjective)
foundationsnounformal

the bottom parts of a building that hold it up

๐Ÿ“ “This water could have damaged the foundations.”

Goes with: strong foundations, weak foundations, building foundations
Family: noun: foundation | verb: found | adjective: foundational
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Usually plural in construction context, like Italian 'fondamenta'
ruinsnounneutral

old buildings that are broken or destroyed

๐Ÿ“ “They are now ruins.”

Goes with: ancient ruins, Roman ruins, in ruins
Family: noun: ruins | verb: ruin | adjective: ruined
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Always plural in this context, like Italian 'rovine'

Investigation and Repair Vocabulary

Words related to examining causes and fixing problems

investigatornounformal

a person who tries to find answers about what happened

๐Ÿ“ “Now investigators are looking at the tower.”

Goes with: investigators examine, investigators study, investigators find
Family: noun: investigator, investigation | verb: investigate | adjective: investigative
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น False friend: not 'investigatore' (detective) but technical expert who examines causes
do repairscollocationneutral

to fix things that are broken

๐Ÿ“ “Workers were doing repairs inside the tower.”

Goes with: do repairs, do maintenance, do work
Family: noun: repair | verb: repair | adjective: repaired
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Use 'do' not 'make' with repairs (fare riparazioni)
find answerscollocationneutral

to discover solutions to questions or problems

๐Ÿ“ “Investigators are people who try to find answers.”

Goes with: find answers, find solutions, find reasons
Family: verb: find | past: found | noun: findings
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Use 'find' not 'search' with answers (trovare risposte)
take care ofphrasal verbneutral

to look after something or someone properly

๐Ÿ“ “During this time, nobody took care of it.”

Goes with: take care of building, take care of problem, take good care
Family: noun: care | verb: care | adjective: careful
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Three-word phrase, not separable like Italian 'prendersi cura'
equipmentnounneutral

machines and tools used for work

๐Ÿ“ “The construction equipment might have caused problems too.”

Goes with: construction equipment, heavy equipment, modern equipment
Family: noun: equipment | verb: equip | adjective: equipped
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Uncountable noun, no plural form (like Italian 'attrezzatura')

Historical and Time Vocabulary

Words describing long periods of time and survival through history

centurynounneutral

a period of 100 years

๐Ÿ“ “It survived for many centuries.”

Goes with: many centuries, several centuries, half a century
Family: noun: century, centuries
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Same as Italian 'secolo'
surviveverbneutral

to continue to exist after danger or difficult conditions

๐Ÿ“ “The tower survived many earthquakes.”

Goes with: survive earthquake, survive attack, survive centuries
Family: verb: survive | noun: survival, survivor | adjective: surviving
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น False friend: means 'sopravvivere' not 'sorvegliare' (to watch)
fortnounneutral

a strong building designed to protect people

๐Ÿ“ “It was also a fort.”

Goes with: old fort, military fort, stone fort
Family: noun: fort, fortress | verb: fortify | adjective: fortified
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Similar to Italian 'forte' but different pronunciation (/fษ”หrt/)

Natural Disasters and Injuries

Vocabulary for describing dangerous events and physical harm

earthquakenounneutral

when the ground shakes strongly and can damage buildings

๐Ÿ“ “The tower survived many earthquakes.”

Goes with: strong earthquake, earthquake hits, survive earthquake
Family: noun: earthquake | adjective: seismic
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น One word in English, two in Italian (terremoto)
get hurtphrasal verbneutral

to become injured or damaged physically

๐Ÿ“ “Another worker was hurt.”

Goes with: get hurt badly, get hurt in accident, someone gets hurt
Family: verb: hurt | adjective: hurt, hurtful
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Reflexive in Italian (farsi male) but not in English

๐ŸŽฎ Practice Activities

Collocation Matching

Match the verbs on the left with the correct noun phrases on the right

fall
do
take care
find
survive
get
hurt
earthquakes
of buildings
answers
repairs
down

Gap Fill

Complete the sentences with the correct word from the box: damaged, collapse, survive, foundations, equipment

The old bridge was badly _____ in the storm last week.

Engineers are worried the building might _____ if there's another earthquake.

The tower managed to _____ for 800 years despite many natural disasters.

Water under the ground can weaken the _____ of old buildings.

Heavy construction _____ was being used when the accident happened.

Word Formation

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets

The _____ (investigate) are still trying to understand what happened.

Many Roman buildings are now in _____ (ruin).

The tower _____ (collapse) completely on November 5th.

Nobody knows if the building can _____ (survival) another earthquake.

The _____ (damage) to the foundations was very serious.

Gap Fill

Choose the correct verb: do or make

Workers were _____ repairs when the tower fell down.

The investigators need to _____ more tests on the foundations.

The collapse _____ a lot of noise when it happened.

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