Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment [ 20 ]

20- ] Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment .

Travel .

A-] Here is some basic travel vocabulary .

1- ] transport type : road

different kinds of vehicle     sports car, estate car , bus , coach tram ,van ,lorry

parts of vehicle :  gears,  steering wheel , brakes , tyres  , boot , engine

people working with it : driver , mechanic

associated facilities : petrol station garage ,service station

2- ] transport type : rail

different kinds of vehicle : passenger train , freight train , local train , express

parts of vehicle : sleeping-car buffet , restaurant-car , compartment

people working with it : engine-driver, ticket collector, guard , porter

associated facilities : waiting-room , ticket office , signal-box

 3- ] transport type  : sea

different kinds of vehicle : fishing boat , rowing-boat , liner , ferry, yacht

parts of vehicle : engine-room , deck , bridge , gangplank

people working with it : captain , purser ,  docker , steward, stewardess

associated facilities : port , buoy , customs , light-house, docks  

 4- ] transport type : air

different kinds of vehicle : aeroplane , jet , helicopter , supersonic aircraft

parts of vehicle : cockpit , nose , tail , wings , aisle , joystick

people working with it : pilot , ground staff , steward , cabin crew , air traffic controller

B-] Words at sea :

- ‘At sea : a bedroom is a ‘cabin’ , a bed is a ‘bunk’ , the kitchen on a ship is a ‘galley’ , right is ‘starboard’ and left is ‘port’ and the group of people who work on the ship is called the ‘crew’ . These terms are also used for an ‘aircraft’ . ‘Sailors’ also refer to their vessels as ‘she’ rather than ‘it’ .

C-] Journey , trip , travel , voyage :

- A ‘trip’ is shorter than a ‘journey’ : What was the journey like ? We had a long journey by coach from the north to the south of the country . We ‘took a trip’ / went on a trip’ to the beach last weekend . [ ‘go on a trip’ suggests an organized short excursion , whereas ‘take a trip’ or ‘have a trip’ could be something you do yourselves in your own car .

- ‘Travel’ is a general word . It is a noun and a verb : ‘Travel’ broadens the mind.

How did you travel round Australia ? We ‘hitch-hiked .

-‘ Voyage’ means a long journey usually by sea , though this use is quite formal . It    is often used in other contexts with discovery .Learning English is a voyage of discovery !

D-] Some words connected with travel :

-Last week he ‘flew’ to New York . It was an early-morning ‘flight’ . The ‘plane’ was to ‘take off’ at 6 a.m. and ‘land’ at 7 a.m. He was ‘stranded’ at the ‘airport’ .

The ‘plane’ was ‘delayed’ by for . ‘Air passengers’ often suffer such delays .

- ‘Trains’ always ‘run on time’ here . You have t o ‘change’ trains at this city .

- We are ‘sailing’ on The Phantom . It ‘sets sail’ at noon . It will ‘dock’ in New York at6 p.m. I hope the sea won’t be ‘rough’ – I might be ‘seasick’ .

- The ‘ship’ was ‘wrecked’ . The passengers were ‘marooned’ on a desert island .

- Our car ‘does 10 km to the liter’ . It goes quite ‘fast’ . We can usually ‘overtake’ other cars .

- The car ‘swerved’ into the middle of the ‘road’ to avoid the ‘cyclist’ .

- He ‘backed / reversed’ the car into the ‘drive’ and ‘parked’ in front of the house .

Holidays .

A-] Places to stay and types of holiday :

- ‘camp-site’ : a place where you can ‘pitch a tent’ or ‘park a caravan’ .

- ‘ self-catering flat’ : a flat which you rent ; you cook for yourself .

- ‘guesthouse’ : accommodation like a hotel but cheaper and with fewer services .

- ‘ youth hostel’ : cheap accommodation , mainly for young people , with perhaps ten or more people sleeping in bunk beds in the room .

- ‘holiday camp’ : a place providing holiday accommodation in little chalets or flats , with restaurants , bars , swimming pools and lots of other facilities and entertainment for when visitors want a break from sun-bathing .

- ‘time-share apartment’ : accommodation of which you share ownership with a number of people , for example you own a twelfth of the apartment so you have the right to stay there for one month every year .

- ‘package holiday’ : a holiday in which you pay for travel , accommodation and food [even occasionally excursions ] in advance .

- ‘cruise’ : a holiday spent touring on a boat , stopping off to go sight-seeing at different ports .

B-] The language of ‘holiday brochures’ is often quite exaggerated . Here are some typical adjectives with nouns that they collocate with .

- ‘breath-taking’ views / scenery / pistes ( French ) [ ski slopes ] [ breath-taking [ like stunning ] suggests that something is so magnificent that it takes your breath away ]

- ‘exclusive’ access / club / shops [ only the most special people can use the facilities ]

- ‘exhilarating’ feeling / ride / moment [ makes you feel excited and full of energy ]

- ‘exotic’ beauty / charm / location [ unusual and much more exciting than one’s everyday reality ]

-‘glamorous’ surroundings / five-star hotel [ especially exciting and attractive ]

- ‘intoxicating’ views / air / fragrance [ makes you feel excited and emotional ]

- ‘legendary’ : hospitality / figure / status [ so special that it has been famous for some time ]

-‘luxurious’ : cruise ship / accommodation / lifestyle [ provides great comfort ]

- ‘mighty’ : river / cathedral / oak [ large and powerful ]

- ‘picturesque’ : streets / villages / cottage [ as pretty as a picture ]

- ‘sublime’ : pleasure / simplicity / skill [ heavenly or divine ]

- ‘unsurpassed’ : opportunity / beauty / quality [ nothing better exists ]

- ‘unspoilt’ charm / village / woodland [ still in a beautiful and natural state ]

At home .

A-] Places in the house :

Here are some less common names of rooms and locations in a typical house .

-‘master’ /’main’ bedroom : the largest , most important bedroom

- ‘spare’ bedroom / guest [bed] room : not used every day ; visitors can stay there.

-‘utility’ room : usually just for washing machine , freezer , etc.

- ‘shed’ : small building separated from the house usually for storing garden tools.

- ‘attic / loft : space in the roof of a house used for storing things ; it can also be converted into an extra living space with stairs leading up to it [loft /attic conversion ]

-‘cellar’ : room below ground level , no windows , used for storing things .

- ‘basement’ : room below ground level , windows , for living / working .

- ‘study’ : a room for reading / writing / studying in .

- ‘landing’ : flat area at the top of a staircase .

- ‘hall / hallway’ : open area as you come into a house .

- ‘porch’ : covered area before an entrance-door .

- ‘pantry’ or ‘larder’ : large cupboard [usually big enough to walk into] for storing food .

- ‘terrace’ or ‘patio’ : paved area between house and garden for sitting and eating , etc.

- ‘drive’ : short road leading from the street to the house or garage ; you can drive / park on it .

B-] Small objects in the house :

- ‘remote control’ , ‘power point and plug’ , ‘table-mat’ , ‘coaster’ , ‘corkscrew’

‘tea-towel’ , ‘washing-up liquid’ , ‘grater’ , ‘ironing board’ , ‘dust-pan and brush’

‘bin-liners’ , ‘chopping board’ .

C-] Types of houses / places people live :

-‘detached house’ : not joined to any other house .

- ‘semi-detached house’ [informal : semi-] : joined to one other house .

- ‘self-contained flat’ : does not share facilities with any other .

- ‘terraced house’ : joined to several houses to form a row .

- ‘cottage’ : small house in the country or in a village .

- ‘bungalow’ : house with only one storey [ no upstairs ] .

- ‘bedsit’ : bedroom and living room all in one .

- ‘villa’ : large house with gardens or a rented house in a holiday resort / tourist area .

- ‘time-share’ : holiday flat or house where you have the right to live one of two weeks a year .

Everyday problems .

A-] Things that go wrong in houses and flats :

- The lights are not ‘working’ ; there must be a ‘power cut’ .

- Oh no ! The bathroom’s ‘flooded’ ! Get a mop , quick !

- The door handle’s ‘come off’ .

- The batteries ‘have a run out / are dead’ . I’ll have to get some more .

- The washing machine ‘broke down’ the other day . I’ll have to do the laundry by hand .

- Oh dear ! This chair’s ‘broken’ . I wonder how that happened .

- This pipe’s ‘leaking’ .

- I’m sorry , your cup’s ‘chipped’ .

B-] Everyday minor injuries :

- She ‘twisted’ her ankle coming down the stairs .

- I’ve cut’ my finger , while I was slicing potatoes . [ broken skin with blood coming out ]

- I ‘bumped / banged’ my head on the cupboard door and got a ‘bruise’ .

- Halla ‘fell down’ and ‘grazed’ her knee this morning . [ red with broken skin , but no blood ]. ‘Graze’ , ‘cut’ and ‘bruise’ can be used as verbs or as countable nouns .

C-] Other everyday problems :

- I’ve ‘mislaid’ my father’s letter . Have you seen it anywhere ? [ put it somewhere and can’t find it ]

- She ‘spilt’ some coffee on the carpet . I hope it doesn’t ‘stain’ . [ leave a permanent mark ]

- The sink is ‘blocked’ . Have you been throwing the tea-leaves in there again ?

[ the water will not drain away ]

- I’m afraid I’ve ‘dented’ your car . I’m really sorry . I’ll pay for the repairs .

[ bent the metal a little bit by hitting something ]

- I’ve ‘locked myself out’ . Can I use your phone to ring my wife ?

- The car ‘won’t start’ . I hope it’s nothing serious . Perhaps the battery’s ‘flat’ .

- The kitchen clock’s ‘slow’ / ‘fast’ / ‘stopped’ . What time do you make it ?