Everyday English (Vocabulary Building)
Topic: Animals & Insects
We will learn and practise vocabulary related to various types of wild and domesticated animals.
Lesson Notes June 23, 2026 (Vocabulary Building)
Words & Phrases
A few people I know have been feeling under the weather. (= feeling slightly sick, tired, or unwell (usually with a cold, flu, or headache)
I caught a cold bug and ended up with a high fever.
I also had a (bad sore throat / sharp pain in my throat).
My family doctor retired and closed his clinic. (We rarely use the term “home doctor”)
My neighbour’s cat had surgery to get fixed, so she can’t have babies.
From the roof of my hotel I could see the stadium and hear the cheering.
Pronunciation
Measles (Noun) ˈmiːzəlz / MEE-zulz
Shingles (Noun, plural) ˈʃɪŋɡəlz / SHING-gulz (NOT ˈsɪŋɡəlz / SING-gulz )
If you have trouble pronouncing, you can try this trick
Say a word you know with “sh-“ sound, like “shoot” several times, and then say “shingles”
Appropriate Language
Hoarse (Adjective) = Describing a person's voice when it sounds rough, raspy, strained, or unusually low in pitch, typically caused by a sore throat, a cold, or excessive shouting.
The football coach's voice was completely hoarse on Monday morning after shouting instructions from the sidelines all weekend.
"I think I'm coming down with a cold," she said in a hoarse whisper.
His throat felt dry, and he sounded incredibly hoarse after singing for three hours straight.
Animals & Insects
Warm-up
4 No, they do not rhyme. The “O” in donkey is pronounced as “ɒ”, while the “O” in money is pronounced as “ʌ”
Donkey ˈdɒŋki / DONG-kee
Monkey ˈmʌŋki / MUNG-kee
6 The “OI” letter combination is pronounced as “ə”. This is the same sound as the following words.
Tortoise tɔːrtəs / TOR-tuhs
Porpoise ˈpɔːrpəs / POR-puhs
Connoisseur ˌkɒnəˈsɜːr / kon-uh-SUR
Next Lesson
June 30, 2026
Lesson 15 - Animals - page 7 (LinguaHouse) Section 2 vocabulary
First we will review any materials students have questions about
