In this glossary you will find the necessary vocabulary that you can use for the topics

of this curricular unit.

You are also allowed to add words and phrases to the list though they are subject to my approval.

In the Glossary will find:

words with definitions and pronunciation, examples of usages.

useful phrases (literal or idiomatic) appropriate for the topics and subjects being discussed.
other references.

Browse the glossary using this index

Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL


 E
Environment

A and B
acid rain Acid rain is very harmful to the environment.
aerosol, spray Aerosol sprays are the worst cause of pollution in the home.
to affect This area was affected by the flood.
atmosphere The Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth.
to be aware It's important to be aware of the damage one can do to the environment.
balance Nature's balance might be disturbed.
biodegradable All our products are biodegradable.
biodiversity What about an evening stroll to look at the biodiversity in our park?
The biosphere is the part of the earth's atmosphere and surface in which animals and plants can
biosphere
live.
C
carbon Carbon is a chemical substance contained in all plants and animals.
carbon dioxide The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is low.
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide is emitted by cars.
catalytic converter Since 1993 catalytic converters have been compulsory in Britain.
catastrophe A hurricane is an example of a catastrophe
to chop down Poor people often chop down trees for firewood.
climate The Mediterranean climate is good for growing citrus fruits.
coastal waters Many bays and coastal waters have been contaminated with heavy metals.
cooling agent Cooling agents are expensive.
to combat There should be stricter laws to combat air pollution.
to contaminate The soil has been contaminated.
creature There a many wonderful and fascinating sea creatures.
D
death of the forests The death of the forests is a big problem in Europe.
to destroy The house was completely destroyed by fire.
destruction The use of renewable sources could stop the destruction of the rainforests.
detergent Try to use detergents that are perfume free.
to die out Animals are dying out far more often than you might think.
to diminish The people try to diminish the pollution of the water.
dirt The dirt has been removed from the ground.
to disappear Many species disappeared in the last century.
disaster The recent earthquake in India is a disaster.
disposal Unfortunately, less people know of the disposal of hazardous waste.
drought Drought had ruined the crops year after year.
to dry up, to parch During the long time of drought many rivers have dried up/parched.
to dump Old washing machines have been dumped near the beach.
dumping ground City canals are often used as dumping grounds.
dust Do not inhale the dust, it's dangerous.
E
earthquake On April 18, 1906, shortly after 5:00 am, a great earthquake struck San Francisco.
ecology Oil pollution could damage the ecology of the costs.
Jordan appealed for assistance to
ecosystem
help save the ecosystem of the Dead Sea, whose water level is dropping.
emission The organization calls for stricter controls on emissions.
to emit Sulphur gases were emitted by the spewing volcano.
endangered The sea turtle is an endangered species.
energy
Energy conservation is a process of saving energy.
conservation
energy source Space energy is one of the energy sources of the future.
energy-efficient Energy-efficient windows help to lower your heating costs.
environment We must protect the environment.
environmentalist Environmentalists are people who love the natural world.
A and B
to erode It took about 67,000 years to erode the Grand Canyon.
erosion Wind and water are the main agents of soil erosion.
evolution The introduction of cloned plants will effect evolution.
exhaust fumes Over the past month officers have been stopping vehicles in Manchester to test exhaust fumes.
to be exposed to You risk skin cancer if you are often exposed to strong sunlight.
extinct Hawaii is home to a great many extinct species.
F
factory farming Is factory farming a way of animal abuse?
famine The Irish Famine of 1846-50 took as many as a million lives from hunger and disease.
fertile Fertile land is land where things grow easily.
fertilizer Fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth.
Fischdampfer Trawlers, are not permitted on the lake.
fume Workers are exposed to fumes from asphalt.
fumes The lava gives off clouds of toxic fumes as it flows into the Pacific Ocean.
G
geothermal The first geothermal power station was built in Landrella, Italy.
global warming They started a campaign to slow down the process of global warming.
greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature caused by gases in the atmosphere.
H
hardest hit Our town was hardest hit by last year's earthquake.
to harm Pollution can harm animals and the environment.
to be harmful Air pollution is harmful to everyone.
heat wave Slow down and avoid strenuous activity if a heat wave is happening.
heavy metal Less heavy metal has been introduced by air into the Baltic Sea since the 1990s.
hydrocarbon Various hydrocarbons have been found in Jupiter's atmosphere.
I
industrial waste Industrial waste can contain small amounts of radioactive materials.
insulation Often glass fibre is used as roof insulation.
L
to leak Oil leaked out of the tank.
to load The owners of the local factories are loaded with new environmental laws.
M
marine life Around the islands marine life is seriously threatened by oil slick.
to menace Hurricane Hugo menaced the US coast for seven days.
N
natural gas 61 percent of US households used natural gas for heating in 2002.
O
oil slick Large oil slicks were found near the coast.
overfertilization Overfertilization is a common problem.
oxygen The cells need oxygen to survive.
ozone layer The ozone layer screens out the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.
P
poison The cat was killed by rat poison.
poisonous She has lots of poisonous plants in her garden.
the polar ice caps If the polar ice caps melt, the ocean levels rise.
to pollute Please do not pollute the air.
pollution Air pollution is a problem for all of us.
power station Power stations are only about 40 per cent efficient.
precipitation Rain, snow, hail and sleet are types of precipitation.
preservation He is interested in historic preservation.
prevention The prevention of litter is very important.
to protect Russia wants to protect the environment in the Baltic region.
to purify You can purify water with two chemicals: chlorine bleach and iodine.
R
radiation Radiation is used for medical reasons.
rainforest Tropical rainforests are the Earth's oldest living ecosystems.
to recycle This carton is made from recycled paper.
remedial action The Great Lakes Remedial Action Plan Program was created in 1987.
A and B
A renewable energy system converts the energy found in sunlight, wind, falling water, waves,
renewable
geothermal heat, or biomass.
reusable There are two kinds of plastic bottles: reusable bottles and single-service bottles.
S
sea level Death Valley lies 86 metres (282 feet) below sea level.
sewage Sewage, used water, comes from factories and households.
sewage plant The city needs to have a sewage plant.
sludge Sludge is often used on agricultural land.
soil Soil is the top layer of the earth in which trees, plant etc. grow.
solvent Benzene and turpentine are solvents.
starvation Starvation is the most severe form of malnutrition.
stratosphere The ozone layer is within the stratosphere.
surface About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water.
T
to threaten Toxic chemical substances threaten sea turtles.
tide The tide is in/out.
timber Timber is wood for building ships and houses.
toxic waste A ship with toxic waste sank.
toxic waste dump The toxic waste dump was built.
U
unleaded Unleaded petrol is less harmful to the environment.
untreated Coastal cities often dump their untreatened wastes into the sea.
urbanization The urabanization is a world-wide trend.
W
waste heat The use of waste heat will reduce electricity consumption.
waste paper Recycling waste paper is a favourable method.
waste separation Do you know how to do waste separation?
wind energy Wind energy is widely used in South Africa for water pumping.
windpark/windfarm Offshore windfarms have been built.


 H
Health and Illness - idiomatic expressions

Idioms and useful expressions:

Alive and kicking

(to be well and healthy)

Under the weather

(to be or feel sick)

As pale as a ghost

(to be very white/pale)

back on my/his/her feet

(to be healthy and active again)

to black out

(to lose consciousness)

to break out in cold sweat

(to start sweating or perspiring because of a fever)

bring (someone) around

(to restore consciousness to someone)

burn oneself out

(to exhaust oneself or be extremely tired form work or other activity)

a check-up

(to go to the doctor to see if you are in good health)

to draw blood

(to take blood for a test)

to fall ill

(to get sick)

go under the knife

(to be operated or have surgery)

have/get a physical

(to have a health check)

a splitting headache

(a very strong headache)

call in sick

(to miss work because of an illness)


 I
Illness

Different ways to say that you are feeling well:

Sick /Ill/ unwell (adjectives)

I feel sick/ill/unwell

I am sick/ill/unwell

Are you sick/ill/unwell?

In British English to be sick means to vomit

Sickness/illness/disease/infection (nouns)

The common cold is a sickness

The flu is an illness

Cancer and diabetes are diseases (can be genetic or by contagion)

(diseases can cause illness)

I have a bad infection (caused by bacteria)

Under the weather

I am feeling under the weather

Ache, pain and sore - when a part of your body or organ hurts

Headache (pronounced: ake)

Stomach ache

Toothache

earache

A pain in my... leg, back, arm, etc

My leg/back/head/hand/stomach, etc is sore

Other health problems:

asthma

cough (silent 'g')

fever

rash

heartburn
allergy

pneumonia (silent 'p')

sinus

dizziness

to feel faint or to faint

diarrhea (silent 'h')

broken bones

bruise (silent 'i')

epidemic (an illness or diseases that spreads through a group of people on one specific region)

pandemic (an illness or disease that spreads through groups of people on different regions of the world simultaneously)


 M
Music

Instruments:

percurssion

piano

drums

wind

trumpet

trombone

saxophone

flute

recorder

oboe

clarinet

harmonica

string

violim

viola

cello

guitar

bass (pronounced: base)

double bass

harp

hapsichord

Music gernes:

Folk

rock

pop

country

hard rock

heavy metal

punk

goth

industrial
reggae

dub

ska

jazz

soul

motown

funk

rap

hip hop

techno

acid

trance

world

classical

chill out

ambience

blues

gospel

glam

grunge

Others:

beat

accoustic

rhythm

catchy - that's a catchy tune.

chorus

solo

lead

riff

chord

note

scale

deaftone

off beat/off key

lyrics

amplifier

pedal
remix

cover

sample

disk jockey

(the list goes on...)

and some more:

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/musical-terms/

music-crossword-puzzle-student-version (1) (1).pdf

music-crossword-puzzle-answer-key (1) (1).pdf

N
Natural disasters

avalanche

blizzard

bushfire

cyclone

drought

earthquake

flood

hurricane

landslide, mudflow

tornado

tsunami, tidal wave

volcano, volcanic eruption


Nature - landscapes

Landscape: "an area of land that is beautiful to look at or that has a particular type of appearance" (Macmillan
dictionary)

Examples of landscapes:

Woods

Forest

Field

Mountain

Lowland

Highland

Dunes

Beach

Coast

Desert

Glacier

Fjords

Valley

Cliff


Nature word list

A) Autumn, Animals, Amphibians, Apes

B) Barren, Bees, Biodegradable, Brook
C) Cliff, Climate, Clouds, Coastal
D) Desert
E) Eclipse, Ecological, Endangered, Environment, Erosion,
F) Fall, Farming, Fertile, Foliage, Forest, Fish, Flora, Fauna
G) Glacier, Grassland, Gravity
H) Habitat, Hibernate, Horizon
I) Iceberg, Indigenous, Innate, Intense, Insects
L) Land, Land form, Leaves
M) Marine, Meteor, Migratory, Moon, Mountains, Mushroom, Mammals, Marsupials
N) Nascent, Native, Natural, Nature
O) Organism, Organic
P) Parasite, Peaks, Pinnacle, Planet, Pollutant, Predator, Preservation
S) Season, Sediment, Shelter, Shore, Snow, Solar, Soluble, Spring
R) Range, Renewable, Reproductive, Reserve, Resources, Rock, Rotting, Reptiles
T) Temperate, Terrain, Toxic, Tropical,
U) Uproot
V) Variety, Volcano
W) Weather, Wildlife, Winter


 S
Starting Over

Similar expressions:

back to square one

start anew

start from scratch

start from zero

make a fresh start

back to the drawing board

get back

go back to

do over

Useful words and expression

There are many words that begin with re or have the prefix re- that have a similar meaning to start over:

(re)new

(re)launch

release

rerun

refresh

recover

Untitled-663a3be8d3295a7bf3cb95da.wav

 T
Technology

Application (App)
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Blog

Blogger

Bot

Cell phone

Chat

Chat GPT

Code

Cyber (adjective)

Device

Earphones

Fake news

Font

Gadget

Hack(er)

Instant message (SMS)

Keyboard

Laptop

Memes

Mobile phone

Monitor

Mouse

Mouse pad

Network

Refresh

Resource

Scan

Screen

Signal

Social Media

Social Network

Stalk

Tablet

Text (message)

Tool
Viral

Virtual reality

Voice message

Wifi

World wide web (WWW)

New verbs:

to google (look something up on google)

to tweet (to post something on twitter)

to post (to publish something online)