I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and spending the morning with you ... showing you parts of the City of London as well as listening to your English (which is a very good standard!!).
Here is the vocabulary from the walk. If I've missed anything, please do add it yourselves.
I wish you all the very best when you return to your countries but hope to see you again when you return to London!
Best Wishes
Gail
The vocabulary:
A skyscraper (noun): A very tall building that has several floors. It looks as if it’s reaching up to the sky.
To scrape (verb): To drag a hard or sharp implement (e.g. knife) across a surface to remove dirt or something else. E.g. After he walked in the muddy fields, he scraped his boots with a stick to remove the mud.
Rope (noun): A long piece of cord. The cord is made by twisting strands of fibres from plants (traditionally hemp) together.
To climb (verb): To go up, ascend something that is high or goes upwards e.g. a hill, a mountain, stairs, an escalator etc. E.g. he climbed the mountain using rope to help him.
An abattoir (noun): A place where animals are slaughtered.
Poultry (noun): A generic name for animals such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and guinea fowl. Another generic name for these animals is ‘fowl’. E.g. In the 1840s Leadenhall Market sold poultry.
A crane (noun): a) A tall machine made of metal that is used for moving heavy objects. We saws lots of cranes while walking through the City.
b) a type of long-necked and long-legged bird.
A terminus (noun): The end of a transport route, usually railway. E.g. We walked through Liverpool Street station. This is a terminus because all the trains have to stop there and can’t go any further. It is the ‘end of the line’.
A pawnbroker (noun): A person who lends money on security of an article. E.g. She took her gold watch to the pawnbroker and he gave her money for it. When she could pay it back, she collected the watch again.
A beggar (noun): A person who asks for money so that they can live. E.g. when we were at The George Inn at the end, a man asked us to give him money.
A gherkin (noun): a) A small cucumber that is used for pickling (kept in vinegar).
b) The Gherkin = the Swiss Re building we walked past. It is commonly called the Gherkin because it looks like a cucumber shape!
A penthouse (noun): An apartment on the top floor of a tall building. It is usually luxurious and has lovely views from the window. E.g. We looked up at The Shard and talked about the apartments at the top. We said that they would be very, very expensive penthouses!
Classmates (noun): Another member of a class at school or college.
Fellow students (noun): The same as ‘classmates’.
Mate or matey (noun): An informal word we use for a friend or companion for someone we want to be friendly with. E.g. We can say, ‘Thanks mate’ to someone. Or, ‘Hey matey, you coming to the pub this evening?’
Traveller v traveller = ‘traveller’ is British English (‘traveler’ is US English).
Raisin (noun): A partially dried grape used in cakes, biscuits and other foods.
Currants (noun): A small dried fruit made from a small seedless grape. We use these in cooking.
Sultanas (noun): A small, light brown seedless raisin used in cooking e.g. cakes and puddings
Pudding (noun): a) A cooked sweet dish eaten after the main course. A dessert.
b) A sweet or savoury dish made with suet and flour. E.g. Steak and kidney pudding
To slam the door in someone’s face (verb / expression): a) Close the door very forcefully so that is nearly hits a person in the face.
b) E.g. a person looking for work might feel that employers have slammed the door in their face when they cannot find work.
To hang up (verb / expression): When you talk to someone on the phone and cut them off suddenly, possibly in anger. We also can say: ‘She slammed the phone down on me’