Vanessa: Do you want to
speak English fluently? I bet you do. Today, I'm here to help you level up your vocabulary so that
you can fluently talk about nature in English. Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com, and
today you're going to learn 50 important nature expressions in English. To help you remember all
of these important expressions, I've created a free PDF worksheet for you. With all of today's
expressions, definitions, sample sentences, and at the bottom of the free worksheet, you can answer
Vanessa's challenge questions so that you never forget what you've learned. You can click on the
link in the description to download that free PPDF worksheet today. All right, let's get started with
our first category of nature expressions. The first category is big features of
nature, the forest. The trees in the forest were so tall that I couldn't see the sky.
Jungle. On our trip to Costa Rica, we went on some hikes in the jungle.
Fjord. When our kids get older, I would love to take them on a trip to see the fjords of Norway.
Canyon. I've never visited the Grand Canyon, but I've heard it's huge.
River, stream, creek. We have a creek in our local park, and my kids love to splash around in it.
Lake. Over the summer, we like to go to the lake and paddleboard.
Ocean. The ocean is so large that we haven't even explored all of it yet.
Mountains. I love living in the mountains and going on vacation to visit other mountains, too.
The beach. When you go to the beach, make sure your pronunciation is clear for this
beach. When you go to the beach, make sure you bring a towel and sunscreen.
Desert. Something I want to experience is riding a camel across the desert. Have you ever done this?
Our second category are words to describe beautiful nature.
Breathtaking. The view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking.
Refreshing. When I need to take a break from work, I go outside to get some fresh
air because it's so refreshing. Flourish. I love to see how some
wildlife flourishes after a wildfire. Evergreen. I love to take a hike in an
evergreen forest because it's great to see the greenness in the winter.
Verdant. The valley looked so verdant in the spring. How refreshing after a cold, bleak winter.
Crisp. After a hot summer, a crisp, dry fall is a refreshing thing.
Wow. We're using the word refreshing a lot. Pristine. I love to go camping in the middle
of the woods because it's so pristine. There's no litter, but unfortunately,
there's a mountaintop near me that has recently been blocked for camping because so many people
were camping there that the nature turned from being pristine to being full of litter and trash,
and it wasn't good for the environment. So this area is not pristine anymore,
but hopefully it will be regenerated soon. Lush. The jungle in Costa Rica was so lush
that you couldn't see much ahead of you because the leaves were so thick and lush.
Majestic. The view of the ocean from the top of the mountains was majestic.
Sweeping. From where I stand on the top of the mountain, I have a sweeping view of the valley.
Our next category of nature words are words to describe problems with nature.
Environmental issues. I'm concerned about environmental issues like
climate change and pollution. Flood. In the spring, sometimes
there's heavy rains that lead to flooding. Drought. The farmers lost almost all of their
crops because there was a drought. It didn't rain for over two months.
Pollution. To cut back on pollution, we try to walk or ride our bikes as much
as possible. What about you? Do you have any ways that you try to reduce pollution?
Endangered and extinct. Many animals are endangered and will become extinct if we
don't do something to try to save them. Habitat loss. Tigers and elephants are
two animals that are affected by habitat loss. Loss of biodiversity. Overfishing and pollution
are two big factors when it comes to a loss of biodiversity in the oceans.
Invasive. Feral hogs are invasive in the US and cause a lot of destruction.
Erosion. Cutting down trees can lead to erosion because the roots hold the soil in place.
Wildfires. A recent wildfire in Canada was so large that we could see the
smoke from where I live in the south of the US. Our next category are verbs to describe nature.
To plant. My family loves planting trees, and we try to plant at least one tree each year.
To grow. Every year, we try to take a picture with a tree in our yard so that we can see how the tree
has grown and how our family has grown, too. To rot. Mushrooms like to grow on
logs that are rotting. To hibernate. Usually,
bears hibernate in the winter, but where I live, the bears don't completely hibernate. They wander
around and try to dig in your trash, eat the berries on the bushes. They don't completely
hibernate, so you have to watch out. To flower. Notice that this is a verb.
This is a flower, but what does a flower do? It flowers. The tulips flower in the spring.
To pollinate. Birds, bees, and other insects help to pollinate the flowers.
To forage. Where I live, we have to be really careful with our trash because raccoons and
bears like to forage in the trash, and it's not good for wildlife to do this.
To regenerate. If you cut off a section of some plants,
it can regenerate into a completely new plant. To babble. I like the sound of a babbling stream.
Listen to this. Just a little note. The verb to babble is also the word that we use for babies
before they learn to speak. So you might say, "The baby is babbling when it says,
'A-du-dab-du-dab-du-da.'" It's not language, but they're trying to speak. So maybe for you,
if you're having a hard time speaking in English, you might say, "I feel like I'm just babbling." It
doesn't make sense. But hopefully, after this lesson, you won't need to babble about nature
in English because you'll have the vocabulary you need. All right, let's go to the next expression.
To blow in the breeze. We recently put up some wind chimes on our deck because
they sound great blowing in the breeze. Our final category of nature, words are
words to describe small features in nature. Petal. Notice that in American English,
this T changes to a D sound, petal, petal. In the US, we have a wedding tradition where a small
child called a flower girl scatters petals down the aisle before the bride walks down the aisle.
A stem. Roses are beautiful, but watch out for the stem because they have thorns.
The trunk. The trunk of the tree was so large that I couldn't wrap my arms around it.
Bark. This is not talking about the sound that a dog makes, "Woof, woof, bark, bark."
This is talking about the side of a tree. You can usually tell the type
of tree by its bark. Is it rough? Is it smooth? What's the texture of the bark?
Branch. My kids love to climb trees, and sometimes they make it to the tippy top of the branches.
Leaves and needles. In the fall, leaves turn red, yellow, and orange,
but usually needles stay green. Acorns, pinecones. We went out
into the woods to collect some acorns and pinecones for an art project.
Blades of grass. My son likes to look at bugs crawling through the blades of grass.
Moss. I love walking on moss with bare feet because it's so soft and comforting.
Boulders, rocks, stones, and pebbles. My kids love collecting rocks because they come in all
sorts of fun shapes and colors, and it's amazing. They've come from the center of the earth and been
around for a long time. They're pretty cool. Congratulations on expanding your vocabulary
so that you can speak fluently in English. Don't forget to download the free PDF worksheet with all
of today's 50 nature expressions, definitions, multiple sample sentences. In the bottom,
you can answer Vanessa's challenge question so that you never forget what you've learned.
You can click on the link in the description to download that free PDF worksheet today.
Now, I have a question for you. Let me know in the comments, where is your favorite place
to go in nature? Do you like the mountains, the beach, a local park? Let me know in the comments,
and I can't wait to learn what you have to say. Thank you so much for learning English with me,
and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye.
But wait, do you want more? I recommend watching this video, where you will join
me as I fill up my car with gas. Yes, going in a car is the opposite of nature,
but it is part of our daily lives. So join me in this video to find out how to
talk about a gas station and this important vocabulary in English. I'll see you there.