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Episode Nineteen:
Ten Springtime Vocabulary
Ten Springtime Vocabulary
It’s spring in Tennessee and I couldn’t be happier!
Oh my goodness, you guys, I do not like winter. I try to be happy about it because it’s a time to be with family and celebrate Christmas, but as soon as December 26th arrives, I’m ready for spring! In the Northern hemisphere (the half of the world that is north of the equator), we experience spring from March 21 – June 21.
Right now, I’m looking out my window to watch the sun shining and trees blooming with new leaves. It’s the most exciting time of the year!
Because I love spring so much, I thought I would share 10 spring-y words and expressions for you to use. I imagine these words will have you dreaming of birds chirping and the sun shining on your face.
1) Spring fever
You probably know what spring and fever mean separately, but they have a very different meaning when you put them together. A fever is when your body temperature is too high when you are sick. But spring fever is not a sickness at all!
Spring fever is the feeling you have at the end of winter when you suddenly want to be outside. You don’t want to sit still, and you are tired of staying inside buildings.
2) Spring cleaning
When the cold winter is over, many people participate in spring cleaning. It’s a time to put the winter clothes away, open the windows, and clean the entire house.
3) Spring break
In America (and some other countries), schools have vacation in the spring, usually in March or April. It’s usually a week long, and it’s usually a time to enjoy the outdoors or take a trip.
4) Spring forward
Daylight saving time in the United States (and other countries) is the practice of setting the clock forward by one hour during the warmer part of the year, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less.
5) Thaw
Spring brings warm weather and sunshine with it, so the snow from the winter begins to melt. This is called ‘thawing’. It’s a time when snow and ice turn to water as the weather gets warmer.
You can also use the word to talk about anything that gets warmed up after being frozen, like meat that’s been in the freezer.
6) Bloom
There is nothing more magical than watching a tree bloom in spring. For months, the tree looks dead with no leaves. Then all of the sudden on a warm spring day, you can see it: small beginnings of flowers all over the branches of the tree. The tree is blooming.
The verb “bloom” means “to produce flowers”. The noun “bloom” means “a flower”.
7) Bud
A bud is the small beginning of a leaf or flower. You know the blooming process we were just talking about? Well, the first step is a bud. Buds show up very small. They’re almost like baby leaves or baby flowers. Bud can also be used as a verb to describe the process of developing buds on the tree or plant.
8) Spring chicken
This idiom is a hilarious one in my opinion. Think about springtime on a farm. Mother hens (chickens) are laying eggs and little chicks are hatching (or being born). Think about those tiny spring chickens. They are brand new.
Now think about how we might use “spring chicken” as an idiom. “Spring chicken” was created to describe a young person, not actually a chicken. It means a person who is very young.
The most common time we use this idiom is when we want to talk about people who are not young at all. That’s when we say something like, “He’s no spring chicken,” meaning “He’s not young at all. He’s old!”
9) April Fool’s!
April Fool’s Day is celebrated on April 1st. It’s a day to play jokes, tricks, and pranks on people. The idea is to have fun with other people by making up stories that aren’t true to play with people. For example, someone might pretend to win the lottery with his whole family in the room, and then when everyone is excited and screaming, the person would say, “April Fool’s!”
The key to having fun on April Fool’s Day is to make it a prank or trick that would be funny to the people you’re trying to fool.
10) April showers bring May flowers
This English expression is used when talking about spring weather. The idea is that spring is usually rainy, and even though rain can be unpleasant to experience, the positive end result is that after spring is over, flowers and trees will be blooming everywhere. The rain is worth it when there is a beautiful result.
This expression can also be used in a broader sense to talk about how sometimes difficult life experiences can bring positive outcomes.
That’s it! I hope you are springing into spring with me. Comment below with some practice sentences, and I’ll let you know if you’re using the spring vocabulary correctly.
Happy learning!
P.S. If you want to dramatically improve your pronunciation skills, take my latest course Clear English Pronunciation. People are changing their lives by taking this course! The results have been dramatic. Simply visit StudyWithAndrea.com/speak to learn more.
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The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
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Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
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Andrea Giordano is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. Andrea holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Shenandoah University, and is the former Executive Director of TESOL and ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly.
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