Everyday English (Vocabulary Building)
Topic: The Physical World
We will learn and practise vocabulary related to the physical world.
Lesson Notes February 17, 2026 (Vocabulary Building)
Words & Phrases
I’ve been staying up late watching the Olympics, so I’ve got bags under my eyes.
I really want to watch the events live, not the highlights on the news.
Have you seen the setlist for this performance?
The Physical World
Off the coast (prepositional phrase) = located in the sea near the land; a short distance from the shore.
There’s a small island off the coast of Japan.
The ship sank just off the coast.
The boats are on the river.
We spent the afternoon on the river in a canoe.
The festival takes place on the river every year. (= near or next to)
The fish are swimming in the river.
He fell in the river while fishing.
There are a lot of rocks in the river.
My front door faces northwest.
Winter Olympics
People usually talk about the Winter Olympics in a pretty casual, sport-fan way, not in an official or textbook style.
We usually just say the Winter Olympics or the Winter Games.
People often say events rather than competitions. You’ll hear winter sports as a general term. Common ones people mention are skiing, snowboarding, figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, curling, biathlon and bobsleigh. In conversation, people don’t list full official names.
The word athlete is common, but people also say skater, skier, snowboarder or player for ice hockey. You’ll hear gold medallist, silver medallist, bronze medallist, or more casually she won gold or he took silver.
Very common verbs are win, lose, beat, finish, and qualify. People say things lik “She won gold in the final”, “He didn’t qualify for the final", “They finished fourth, just off the podium”.
For judged sports, people often mention scores, points, penalties, or judging. Casual complaints like “The judging was controversial” or “The scores felt a bit harsh” are very common.
Next Lesson
February 24, 2026 Lesson 13 Review page 1, page 2 do exercises 3.5 & 3.7
