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Vocabulary: Richmond-upon-Thames Saturday 22nd February 2014

26/2/2014

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Dear all
It was the first time that we've had all Spanish people on a walk! I thoroughly enjoyed being with you ... You all provided such thorough history research and spoke English very well.

I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Best Wishes
Gail

Vocabulary: Richmond upon Thames: River Views and Royal Connections 22nd February 2014

A caravan (noun): a large vehicle that is pulled by a car or a horse. You can eat, sleep, etc in a caravan when you travel or are on holiday.

A camper van (noun): a motor vehicle in which you can sleep, cook etc when you are on holiday.

An open-top car (noun): a car that can remove the roof. E.g. an open-top car drove past us when we were discussing them!

To stray (verb): to go away from the place where you should be. E.g. The sheep strayed onto the road.

To rid (yourself of something) (verb): We usually say ‘to get rid of something/somebody’. To make yourself free from somebody or something that is unpleasant or not wanted. E.g. I got rid of that old carpet. E.g. He took English lessons for fifty years but he couldn’t get rid of his Spanish accent! E.g. She paid someone to get rid of her husband (have him killed)!

A bench (noun): a long wooden or metal seat for two or more people. Often outdoors in a park (i.e. a park bench)

To flow (verb): to move in a smooth and continuous way (like water). E.g. On Saturday the Thames in Richmond was flowing very fast.

To go with the flow (expression): to do what other people are doing. Or to agree with other people because it is the easiest thing to do. E.g. Relax … just go with the flow! E.g. I wasn’t happy with the decision, but it was easier to go with the flow.

To go against the flow (expression): to do or say the opposite of what most other people are doing or saying. E.g. The Prime Minister went against the flow and declared that the population could have a 50% increase in their salaries!

A cottage (noun): a small house very often found in the countryside (rural areas). We saw some cottages just after we left Richmond Palace and walked toward the river.

A bungalow (noun): a low house that usually only has one floor.

Blossom (noun): a flower, or mass of flowers, particularly on a fruit tree. Note: We say that the trees are in blossom.

Free-range eggs (adjective + noun): the eggs from chickens where the chickens can move around freely.

Battery eggs (adjective + noun): the eggs from chickens which are kept in very small cages.

Batter (noun): a mixture of flour, eggs and milk used to cover food such as fish and vegetables before frying them. Also used for making pancakes, Yorkshire Puddings etc.

To batter (verb): to hit somebody/something hard, many times. E.g. the wind battered the windows. E.g. He battered the door down.

Battered women = women who have been hit badly and regularly by their husbands or partners.

A shoal (noun): a large group of fish that feed and swim together.

A vineyard (noun): a piece of land where grapes are grown in order to produce wine.

A vine (noun): the climbing plant that grapes grow on.

Street musicians: musicians who play outside, either on the street, under railway arches etc. E.g. We saw some street musicians on the embankment, under the bridge.

A greenhouse (noun): a small building made of glass in which plants are grown.

A fishmonger (noun): a person whose job is to sell fish.

A fishmonger’s (noun): a shop that sells fish.

Actually (adverb):

a) really, in fact

E.g. You don’t actually believe her, do you?

E.g. I can’t believe that I’m actually going to Spain.

b) although it may seem strange

E.g. He actually expected me to cook his meal for him!

c) Actually is often used in conversation to get somebody’s attention or to correct somebody politely.

E.g. Actually, I wanted to show you something. Have you got a minute?

E.g. We aren’t married, actually.

E.g. I don’t agree about the book. I think it’s pretty awful, actually.

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Vocabulary: Richmond-upon-Thames Saturday 17th August 2013

18/8/2013

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Hello to all of you
I enjoyed meeting you all yesterday and listening to the history that you researched. You all worked so hard! We were very lucky that it didn't rain until we were in the cafe at the end!

Below is some of the vocabulary from yesterday. I hope it helps and that you're able to use it while you're still in London.

I look forward to seeing you all again.
Best Wishes
Gail

Vocabulary: Richmond upon Thames: River Views and Royal Connections 17th August 2013

a rowing boat (noun):  A small boat that you move through water using oars (noun). Often, several people row together, as team and have races.

oars (noun): the long thin piece of wood with flat parts at the end.

to row (verb): to move a boat through water using oars. E.g. The team rowed their boat from London Bridge to Richmond.

to row (verb): a) to move a boat through the water using oars

b) to carry somebody (or something) in a boat that you rowed. E.g. he rowed the two boys across the river.

a canoe (noun): A light, narrow boat for one or two people that you can move through the water using a paddle (noun).

a paddle (noun): a flat piece of wood.

a paddle (verb): to walk in water that is not very deep. E.g. the children paddled in the sea.

a hassle (noun): when something is annoying to do, we might say that ‘it’s a hassle’, too much bother. E.g. It’s a real hassle having to research about Richmond Park!

a barge (noun): A long narrow boat with a flat bottom that is used for carrying goods or people on a canal (there are lots on the River Thames too!).

a houseboat (noun): a boat on a river, canal etc where somebody lives and which usually stays in one place.

a towpath (noun): A path beside a river or canal, originally used as a pathway for horses towing (pulling) barges.

to tow (verb): To pull a car or boat behind another vehicle, using a rope or chains. E.g. My car was towed away by the police. E.g. We threw some rope in the water and towed him out.

humid (adjective): (used to describe the air or climate) – Warm and feeling slightly wet. E.g. It was really humid when the temperature reached 32˚C in London last week.

damp (adjective): A little wet. E.g. When I got home after walking in the rain, my clothes were damp.

damp (noun): E.g. She hated the damp and cold climate in England.

to dump (verb): To get rid of something that you don’t want, especially in a place that is not suitable. E.g. Nuclear waste shouldn’t be dumped at sea.

a dump (noun): A place where rubbish or waste material from factories etc is left. E.g. a rubbish dump.

a squeak (noun): A short high noise that is not very loud. E.g. The squeak of a mouse.

to squeak (verb): E.g. His shoes squeaked every time he walked.

squeaky (adjective): E.g. a squeaky floorboard or door.  

to starve (verb): To suffer or die because you don’t have enough food to eat.

I’m starving (informal): We say this when we’re very hungry (although we’re not actually ‘starving’ / about to die.

hungry (adjective): Want to eat. E.g. I’m hungry. E.g. I feel hungry (we can’t say ‘I feel starving’ because ‘to starve’ is a verb whereas ‘hungry’ is an adjective).

a mayor (noun): A person who is elected to be the leader of a group of people who manage the affairs of a town or city. E.g. The Mayor of London is Boris Johnson.

major (adjective): Very large, important or serious. E.g. There haven’t been any major problems on the roads today. E.g. The patient needs major heart surgery. E.g. It’s of major importance …

minor (adjective) (the opposite to ‘major’): Not very big or serious. E.g. It’s only a minor problem.   

A major (noun): an officer of a middle level in the army.

massive (adjective): Very big. E.g. A massive increase in prices. E.g. Richmond Park is the largest of the Royal Parks. It’s massive!

huge (adjective): Very big (a huge amount / quantity / sum / number). E.g. A huge building. E.g. The film was a huge success. E.g. This is a huge problem for us.

to look down at (something): When you’re high up (e.g. on a hill), you can ‘look down at’ the things below you. E.g. We looked down at the villages below.

to look down on (somebody): To think that you are better than somebody. E.g. The neighbour looked down on us because she had a bigger house.

to look across (at or to something): When you look at something that is either near or far away from you. E.g. She looked across the room and saw her mother. E.g. I looked across the road and saw my neighbours cleaning their windows. E.g. When we got to the top of the hill, we looked across and saw the beautiful views.

to look through (something): E.g. She looked through the trees to see if her dog was there.

to look up to (somebody): To admire somebody and think a lot of them.

Grade I listed and Grade II listed: A listed building in the UK is a building that has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural interest. They are protected by law. Some open land in the UK is also listed and, therefore, protected. Often, we just say that a place is ‘listed’ rather than specifically ‘Grade I or II’.

climate /klaɪmət/ (noun): The normal weather conditions of a particular region or country (e.g. dry / humid / tropical etc). E.g. Climate change is altering our weather patterns. We used to have four seasons, but now there are only two.

fund (noun): a sum of money that is collected for a particular purpose. E.g. I gave £50 to the disaster relief fund.

fund (verb): To provide a project, school, charity etc with money. E.g. The Channel Tunnel is not funded by government money.

to fundraise (verb): To actively find the money to provide money for a project, charity etc.

a fundraiser (noun): A person whose job is to find ways of collecting money for a charity or organisation.

Pronunciation:

Dates: e.g. 1900 is said as ‘nineteen hundred’.

1500 is said as ‘fifteen hundred.’

1901 is said as ‘nineteen / əʊ/ one’

(River) Thames = / tems/

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Vocabulary: Richmond upon Thames - River views & Royal Connections, 16th February 2013

25/2/2013

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Hello to all of you
Thank you for joining the English Conversation Walk around Richmond on Saturday 16th February. We were so lucky to have a dry and sunny day, even though it was very cold! And thank you too for all the work that you did e.g. the worksheets, the research and the vocabulary work at the end.

I enjoyed walking with you all and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Best Wishes
Gail

sleet (noun): Rain that has ice in it too, when it falls.

to sleet (verb): as above. E.g. It was sleeting when we walked across Richmond Green.

hail (noun): Small ice stones that fall like heavy rain. E.g. hail stones fell on the ground

to hail (verb): as above. E.g. It hailed after lunch.

a canoe (noun): A long narrow boat with pointed ends. The person has to use a paddle or paddles (noun) to steer it.

a rowing boat (noun):  A small boat that is steered by using oars (noun) instead of paddles. Usually, several people row together, as team.  

to row (verb): to propel (make the boat move forward) by using oars. E.g. The team rowed their boat from London Bridge to Richmond.

a hassle (noun): when something is annoying to do, we might say that ‘it’s a hassle’, too much bother. E.g. It’s a real hassle having to research about Richmond Park!

to tease (verb): To make fun of someone (or animal) in a playful way; to joke about a person. Often, ‘to tease’ can result in the other person or animal becoming upset, angry or embarrassed.

artichoke (noun): a plant that comes from the thistle family. We eat the ‘artichoke hearts’ – the centre of the plant.

an oak tree (noun): A large tree that is often used for its wood (timber) to make furniture and other goods.

acorn (noun): the seed of the oak

an alleyway (noun): Also called ‘an alley’: A narrow pathway (passageway) between buildings for behind them. E.g. We walked through the alleyway when we left Richmond Green.

a passageway (noun): A long, narrow path which usually has walls on both sides. It gives access between buildings or between different rooms inside a buildings. E.g. I looked for his office and eventually found it at the end of a long passageway behind the supermarket.

a lane (noun): a) A narrow road, which often only allows for one car at a time – there are lots of these in the countryside and rural areas. E.g. Our car got stuck in the lane when the farm tractor tried to pass us.

b)We also use ‘lane’ for road names E.g. Park Lane.

c) ‘lanes’ on a motorway or wider road. Roads are divided into ‘lanes’ with painted lines to separate fast or slower cars or to create single lines of traffic. E.g. He drove in the fast lane of the motorway all the way from London.

a cottage (noun): a small house very often found in the countryside (rural areas). We saw some cottages just after we left Richmond Palace and walked toward the river.

a mansion (noun): a very large and very impressive house. We saw Ham House in the distance when we stood looking at the view across the Thames. 

to do something thoroughly / to be very thorough (adjective): To complete a task and make sure that you haven’t missed any detail at all. E.g. The Doctor examined her thoroughly to make sure that no other bones were broken.

Fillers are words that we use to give us time to think what we want to say next. Here are some examples:
Basically
You know
Er ...
Erm ...
Well, let’s see ...
To be honest ...
Like ...
Well, right ...

Pronunciation:

‘deer’ and ‘dear’ – these two words are pronounced in exactly the same way in English.

deer (noun – plural and singular): Male deer have antlers.

dear (adjective): a) We often use ‘dear’ to begin a letter politely. E.g. Dear Gail, I really enjoyed the English Conversation Walk in Richmond!

b) If we really like a person and have strong affections for them, we say that they are ‘a dear friend’ or they are ‘dear to me’.

dear (noun): Sometimes used as an affectionate and friendly way to address someone – though this has become a little old-fashioned. E.g. Don’t worry dear.

1½ hours = we say ‘one and a half hours’ though it sounds more like ‘one anna half hours’

Recommended Dictionaries:

Oxford Word Power English Dictionary for Learners of English

MacMillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners

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Vocabulary: Richmond walk on Sunday 16 September 2012

18/9/2012

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Dear all
Thank you so much for making this walk so enjoyable! We had so many laughs along the way ... I hope you all enjoyed it too. Richmond-upon-Thames is such a pretty area and I hope that you are able to return to explore is some more.

Here is the vocabulary from the walk. If I have missed anything, please add it.

I look forward to seeing you again.
Best Wishes
Gail


The layout (noun): The way in which the different parts of something are arranged. E.g. we talked about the way Henry VII rebuilt the palace of Shene (later to be renamed Richmond Palace) and the ‘layout’ of the buildings.

To locate (verb): To discover the exact place where something is.

Location (noun): The exact place or position where something is. E.g. We can find the exact location of Richmond Palace on the map.

A speedboat (noun):  A small, fast boat with a powerful engine.

A barge (noun): A long, flat-bottomed boat used to carry freight. In the past, freight included sugar, spices, timber, wool, livestock (live animals) etc. Today, freight on the Thames includes sugar, cement, fertilisers, animal feedstuffs, chemicals, crude oil etc.

 A toll (noun): When you have to pay to walk or drive over a bridge or on a road. E.g. We walked over Richmond Lock and Footbridge and we heard how it was a ‘toll bridge’ when it opened in 1894. People had to pay 1d (an old English penny) to walk across it to the other side. If they wanted to walk onto the bridge, enjoy the pretty views of the Thames and then walk back again, they had to pay 2d!

A hobby (noun): An activity that you enjoy in your free time. E.g. We talked about walking as a hobby as well as reading, painting, gardening and one of you studies insects! Plural = hobbies.

The tide (noun): When the sea rises and falls because of the influence of the moon. This is twice a day. The sea comes in and then goes out. The River Thames is a ‘tidal’ river i.e. it has a tide.

The embankment (noun): The wall that is built next to a river to stop floods. We often call the area that we walk along by a river ‘the embankment.’

‘No mooring’ (verb): The sign next to the riverbank said ‘No mooring’. To moor is when a boat stops and ties the rope onto the land so that it can stay there. This sign is telling boats that they cannot stay there!

To distract (verb): To take someone’s attention away from what they are doing. E.g. I was distracted by the man who thought he had caught a fish and I forgot to tell you which way to go next!

A tunnel (noun): An underground passage that has been constructed by people. Tunnels can be built through hills, under buildings or roads and even under a river. E.g. we saw the entrances to the tunnel that was constructed under the Thames at Richmond in 1769.

Odd (adjective): a) unusual, strange, different. E.g. My new manager is odd. She never sits down to do her work.

b) odd numbers = numbers that cannot be divided exactly by two e.g.1,3,5,7,9,11 etc. (the opposite of even numbers – 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 etc).

c) an oddball (adjective): the same as describing someone as odd. E.g. He’s an oddball.

Weird (adjective): Unusual or strange. E.g. I had a really weird dream.

Hardship (noun): Something that makes your life difficult, especially not having enough money. E.g. We talked about Richmond as a prosperous area but, after some discussion, we decided that there must be people suffering from hardship here too!

Bustling (adjective): A bustling place is full of noisy activity. E.g. the little ancient side-streets in Richmond were bustling with people when we walked through them.

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