1. PAYMENT

premium ▪ contribution ▪ subscription ▪ repayment ▪ deposit ▪ installment

These are all words for an amount of money that you pay or are expected to pay, or for the act of paying.

payment an amount of money that you pay or are expected to pay; the act of paying:

ten monthly payments of $50

payment in advance

premium an amount of money that you pay once or regularly for an insurance policy; an extra payment added to the basic rate; a higher amount of money than usual:

an insurance premium

a premium for express delivery

contribution a sum of money that you pay regularly to your employer or the government in order to pay for benefits such as health insurance, a pension, etc:

You can increase your monthly contributions to the pension plan.

subscription an amount of money you pay in advance to receive a service:

a subscription to Netflix

repayment (British English) an amount of money that you pay regularly to a bank, etc. until you have returned all the money that you owe; the act of paying this money:

the repayments on the loan

deposit an amount of money that you pay as the first part of a larger payment:

We've put down a 5 per cent deposit on the house.

installment one of a number of payments that you make regularly over a period of time until you have paid for something:

We paid for the car by/​in installments.

Patterns

(a/​an) annual/​monthly/​regular payment/​premium/​contributions/​subscription/​repayment/​deposit/​instalment

payment/​repayment in full

to pay a(n) premium/​contribution/​subscription/​deposit/​instalment

to make a payment/​repayment/​deposit

to meet/​keep up (with) (the) payment(s)/the premiums/(the) repayment(s)/the instalments

2. EXCITING

dramatic ▪ heady ▪ thrilling ▪ exhilarating

These words all describe an event, experience or feeling that causes excitement.

exciting causing great interest or excitement:

This is one of the most exciting developments in biology in recent years.

dramatic (of events or scenes) exciting and impressive:

They watched dramatic pictures of the police raid on TV.

heady having a strong effect on your senses; making you feel excited and full of hope:

the heady days of youth

thrilling exciting and a lot of fun:

Don’t miss next week’s thrilling episode!

exhilarating very exciting and great fun:

My first parachute jump was an exhilarating experience.

exciting, thrilling or exhilarating? Exhilarating is the strongest of these words and exciting the least strong. Exciting is the most general and can be used to talk about any activity, experience, feeling or event that excites you. Thrilling is used especially for contests and stories where the ending is uncertain. Exhilarating is used especially for physical activities that involve speed and/​or danger.

*Patterns

a(n) exciting/​dramatic/​heady/​thrilling/​exhilarating experience/​moment

a(n) exciting/​dramatic/​heady atmosphere

a(n) exciting/​dramatic/​thrilling finish/​finale/​victory/​win