Nature & Weather
Words for the natural world, seasons, and weather conditions
Overview
25 words for the natural world and weather. After this lesson, you’ll be able to talk about the weather, seasons, and the environment around you.
Words
weather /ˈweðər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the conditions in the air (temperature, rain, sun, wind, etc.)
Examples:
- What’s the weather like today?
- The weather has been terrible this week.
Collocations: good/bad weather, weather forecast, weather conditions, nice weather
sun /sʌn/
noun — A1
Meaning: the star that gives light and heat to the Earth
Examples:
- The sun is shining brightly today.
- Don’t sit in the sun for too long.
Collocations: in the sun, under the sun, sun shine, sun rise, sun set, sun burn
Word Family: sun (n.) → sunny (adj.) → sunshine (n.) → sunlight (n.)
rain /reɪn/
noun/verb — A1
Meaning: (n.) water that falls from the sky; (v.) for water to fall from the sky
Examples:
- Take an umbrella — it’s going to rain.
- We had a lot of rain last week.
Collocations: heavy rain, in the rain, rain forest, rain coat
Word Family: rain (n./v.) → rainy (adj.) → rainfall (n.)
snow /snəʊ/
noun/verb — A1
Meaning: (n.) soft white frozen water that falls from the sky; (v.) for snow to fall
Examples:
- The kids love playing in the snow.
- It rarely snows here.
Collocations: heavy snow, in the snow, snow ball, snow man
Word Family: snow (n./v.) → snowy (adj.) → snowfall (n.)
wind /wɪnd/
noun — A1
Meaning: air moving naturally outdoors
Examples:
- A strong wind blew my hat off.
- There’s no wind today — it’s very still.
Collocations: strong wind, cold wind, in the wind, wind farm
Word Family: wind (n.) → windy (adj.)
cloud /klaʊd/
noun — A1
Meaning: a white or grey mass in the sky made of small drops of water
Examples:
- Dark clouds mean it’s going to rain.
- There isn’t a single cloud in the sky.
Collocations: dark cloud, rain cloud, cloud cover, in the clouds
Word Family: cloud (n.) → cloudy (adj.)
warm /wɔːm/
adjective — A1
Meaning: having a comfortable level of heat; not cold but not hot
Examples:
- It’s nice and warm today.
- Put on a warm coat — it’s freezing outside.
Collocations: warm weather, warm up, keep warm, warm welcome
Word Family: warm (adj.) → warmth (n.) → warmly (adv.)
cool /kuːl/
adjective — A1
Meaning: slightly cold in a pleasant way; (informal) impressive or attractive
Examples:
- It gets cool in the evenings here.
- That’s a really cool jacket!
Collocations: cool down, cool air, stay cool, cool off
water /ˈwɔːtər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the clear liquid in rivers, lakes, and the sea
Examples:
- The lake water is very clean.
- We swam in the warm water of the sea.
Collocations: clean/dirty water, water supply, under water, by the water
sea /siː/
noun — A1
Meaning: a large area of salt water
Examples:
- We spent the day at the sea.
- The ship sailed across the sea.
Collocations: by the sea, at sea, sea level, sea food, deep sea
river /ˈrɪvər/
noun — A1
Meaning: a natural flow of water that goes to the sea
Examples:
- The hotel is right by the river.
- We walked along the river bank.
Collocations: river bank, river bed, up/down the river, cross the river
mountain /ˈmaʊntɪn/
noun — A1
Meaning: a very high hill
Examples:
- They climbed to the top of the mountain.
- The mountains look beautiful covered in snow.
Collocations: mountain top, mountain range, climb a mountain, mountain bike
tree /triː/
noun — A1
Meaning: a tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves
Examples:
- There’s a big tree in our garden.
- The trees turn orange and red in autumn.
Collocations: fruit tree, family tree, tree house, under a tree, climb a tree
flower /ˈflaʊər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the colourful part of a plant that produces seeds
Examples:
- He gave her a bunch of flowers.
- The garden is full of beautiful flowers.
Collocations: bunch of flowers, flower garden, flower pot, wild flowers
animal /ˈænɪml/
noun — A1
Meaning: a living creature that is not a plant or human
Examples:
- Dogs are my favourite animals.
- What animals did you see at the zoo?
Collocations: pet animal, wild animal, farm animal, animal rights
dog /dɒɡ/
noun — A1
Meaning: a common pet animal that barks
Examples:
- They have a friendly dog called Max.
- I take the dog for a walk every morning.
Collocations: pet dog, guide dog, hot dog, walk the dog
cat /kæt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a small furry pet animal
Examples:
- The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
- We have two cats and a dog.
bird /bɜːd/
noun — A1
Meaning: an animal with feathers and wings that can usually fly
Examples:
- I can hear the birds singing in the garden.
- A beautiful bird landed on the window sill.
Collocations: bird watching, song bird, a flock of birds, early bird
park /pɑːk/
noun/verb — A1
Meaning: (n.) a public area with grass and trees; (v.) to stop and leave a vehicle
Examples:
- Let’s go to the park for a picnic.
- You can park your car here.
Collocations: car park, theme park, park bench, national park
garden /ˈɡɑːdn/
noun — A1
Meaning: a piece of land next to a house where plants are grown
Examples:
- She grows vegetables in her garden.
- The children are playing in the garden.
Collocations: back garden, garden centre, flower garden, roof garden
Word Family: garden (n.) → gardener (n.) → gardening (n.)
spring /sprɪŋ/
noun — A1
Meaning: the season between winter and summer when plants begin to grow
Examples:
- The flowers bloom in spring.
- We usually go hiking in the spring.
summer /ˈsʌmər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the warmest season of the year
Examples:
- We’re going to Spain this summer.
- The days are longer in summer.
Collocations: summer holiday, last/this/next summer, summer time, in the summer
autumn /ˈɔːtəm/
noun — A1
Meaning: the season between summer and winter when leaves fall
Examples:
- The leaves change colour in autumn.
- Autumn is my favourite season.
winter /ˈwɪntər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the coldest season of the year
Examples:
- It gets very cold here in winter.
- We don’t get much snow in winter.
Collocations: in winter, last/this/next winter, winter coat, winter sports
sky /skaɪ/
noun — A1
Meaning: the space above the Earth where clouds and the sun are
Examples:
- The sky is blue and clear today.
- Stars appeared in the night sky.
Collocations: blue sky, night sky, clear sky, in the sky, sky line
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| weather | n. | air conditions |
| sun | n. | star giving light/heat |
| rain | n./v. | water from the sky |
| snow | n./v. | frozen water from sky |
| wind | n. | moving air |
| cloud | n. | mass of water in sky |
| warm | adj. | comfortably hot |
| cool | adj. | slightly cold / impressive |
| water | n. | clear liquid in nature |
| sea | n. | large salt water area |
| river | n. | natural flow of water |
| mountain | n. | very high hill |
| tree | n. | tall plant with trunk |
| flower | n. | colourful part of plant |
| animal | n. | living creature |
| dog | n. | pet that barks |
| cat | n. | small furry pet |
| bird | n. | animal with feathers |
| park | n./v. | public green area / leave car |
| garden | n. | land for growing plants |
| spring | n. | season after winter |
| summer | n. | warmest season |
| autumn | n. | season of falling leaves |
| winter | n. | coldest season |
| sky | n. | space above Earth |