Animals
treat an animal (well, badly)
Some of the animals in the zoo were badly treated.
kill an animal
Many people believe that killing animals for sport is wrong.
be cruel to animals
I think that hunting is cruel to animals and that it should be banned.
test (drugs) on animals
None of our company's products has been tested on animals.
hunt an animal
My father used to take me into the forest to hunt wild animals.
an animal lover
Martin's got three dogs and two cats. He's a real animal lover.
Bird and fish
birds lay eggs
If most birds lay their eggs in spring, how do we get hens to do this all year round?
birds build nests
A bird has built its nest in our garage! Come and have a look.
catch fish
I didn't catch any fish today. They weren't biting.
birds migrate
Many different species of birds migrate from Europe to Africa for the winter.
we feed the birds
We always feed the birds when the ground is covered by snow.
fish swim
I could see lots of different kinds of colorful fish swimming under the boat.
birds fly
As we got closer, the bird spread its wings and flew away. I'm not sure what kind it was.
Note
Note these noun expressions:
-
The bird watchers were hoping to spot some woodpeckers in the forest.
-
A lot of the fish we buy today is produced in fish farms.
Pet
(cats) make good pets
Believe it or not, rats make very good pets. They sell them in the pet shop.
look after your pet
It is important that you teach your children how to look after their pets.
keep pets
One of the conditions of living in this flat is that we can't keep pets.
feed your pet
You can only have a pet if you agree now that you will feed it yourself!
Cat and dog
look after a dog
I'm looking after my neighbor’s dog while she's away on holiday.
dogs bite
I was bitten by a dog and had to go to my doctor to get a tetanus injection.
feed the dog
Have you fed the dog yet? There's a tin of dog food in the cupboard.
dogs attack (people, sheep)
The dog next door keeps trying to attack my cat, but it never manages to catch it!
dogs foul the streets
Dog owners will be fined if they don't clean up when their dogs foul the streets.
dogs bark
I'm fed up with the dog next door barking day and night! We're moving!
keep your dog on a lead
Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times while you are in the park.
set your dog on someone
If you don't leave now, I'll set my dog on you.
a breed of dog
That's a strange-looking dog. What breed is it?
beware of the dog!
The sign on the gate said, 'Beware of the Dog’.
take the dog for a walk
Will you take the dog for a walk, please?
feed a cat
My brother says he’ll feed the cat while we're away.
cats have kittens
I came home from work to find that my cat had had six kittens!
cats catch (mice)
The cat caught another mouse last night. That's why it was purring so loudly!
put the cat out
I usually put the cat out just before I go to bed.
cats scratch
Don't worry, Clio's very tame. She won't bite or scratch you.
Note
Farmers use sheepdogs. Blind people use guide dogs, which have been specially trained.
Plant
a plant is used (in cooking)
Did you know that a large number of common plants are used to make medicines?
a plant grows
Garlic is one plant that grows well in a warm climate.
a plant produces (flowers, fruit)
It's an attractive plant that grows small red berries throughout the autumn.
water a plant
We're going abroad for two weeks. Do you think you could water our plants while we're away in China?
a pot plant
If there's one kind of pot plant I hate, it's geraniums.
a climbing plant
Climbing plants like ivy may look very nice, but they can do a lot of damage to buildings.
a poisonous plant
Some plants from which we get medicines are very poisonous.
Crop
(the weather) ruins crops
Unfortunately, 10 days of heavy rain have totally ruined the crops.
spray crops
Did you know that most farmers spray their crops with harmful pesticides?
grow crops
Most of our land is used for growing cash crops, like tobacco. cotton and tea.
harvest crops
We need to employ extra workers at the beginning of the growing season when we plant the crops, and at the end of the season when we harvest them.
Notes
Genetically-modified crops are commonly known as GM crops:
-
There's an anti-GM-crop demonstration at Hill Farm tomorrow.
In example 3, cash crops are crops that are grown in order to make money.
Crops grow in 'soil ':
-
Carrots grow well in sandy soil.
Notice this example:
-
We got 0 good crops of strawberries this year. It was a good year for them.
Flower
grow flowers
I'm going to grow more flowers in my garden this year.
water flowers
Don't forget to water the flowers while I'm away.
pick flowers
My boyfriend bent down and picked a flower, then put it in my hair.
arrange flowers (in a vase)
Inside the church, women were arranging flowers in large vases.
send flowers
I must remember to send my mother some flowers for her birthday.
fresh flowers
If I had the money, I'd have fresh flowers on my desk every day.
wild flowers
It's best to visit the island in spring when the fields are full of wild flowers.
artificial flowers
From a distance, the y looked like real flowers. It was only once you touched them that you realized they were artificial.
the smell of flowers
I love the smell of freshly cut flowers.
a bunch of flowers
We'd better get a bunch of flowers or your mother.
a bouquet of flowers
The singer was presented with a huge bouquet of flowers at the end.
a flower bed
The gardens of the palace have the most beautiful flower beds.
Notes
A shop that sells flowers is called a florist's. We also use a flower shop.
The difference between a bunch of flowers and a bouquet of flowers is that a bouquet is more formal, elaborate, and more expensive.
grass
cut / mow the grass
The grass is getting too long. It's time it was cut.
keep off the grass
Keep off the grass! You're not allowed to walk or lie on it.
lie on the grass
We lay on the grass all afternoon, reading and sunbathing.
Note
The area of grass around a house is called a lawn. You cut it with a lawnmower.
-
Dad's very proud of his lawn.
Tree
plant a tree
We had to dig quite a big hole before we were able to plant the apple tree.
climb a tree
As a kid, I loved climbing trees. Luckily, I never fell out of one.
trees grow
Some of these trees can grow up to 30 meters in height.
trees are blown down
Thousands of trees were blown down in the great storm last month.
cut down a tree
I don't know why they cut down so many trees in the park. There's hardly any left.
(leaves) fall off a tree
By the end of November, all the leaves had fallen off the trees.
(the street) is lined with trees
Many of the famous streets in Paris are lined with trees.
crash into a tree
The bus left the road and crashed into a tree.
take cover under/beneath a tree
When the rain started, we took cover under a huge oak tree.
Notes
Note these adjective collocations:
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A fallen tree blocked the path and we had to climb over it.
-
The car was crushed by a falling tree.
A 'Christmas tree' is a real or artificial tree people have in their house at Christmas:
-
We haven't decorated our Christmas tree yet.
We use the verb 'shed' to describe a tree losing its leaves:
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In autumn many trees shed their leaves.
Trees are either deciduous (oak, birch. elm, etc) or coniferous (pine, spruce. larch).
Garden
work in the garden
My mother gets a lot of satisfaction from working in the garden.
a tidy garden
It should be a tidy garden! He spends most of his life in it. I never see him!
dig the garden
Digging the garden is hard work, but it's also good exercise.
an overgrown garden
The garden has been neglected all year and it's now overgrown. The grass actually comes up to your waist!
Note
If you 'do' the garden, you work in it:
-
Do you do the garden yourself or do you get someone to do it for you?
Fence
climb over a fence
The neighbor’s son often climbs over the fence into our garden to get his ball back.
put up a fence
It took me two days to put up a new fence in the back garden after it fell down in the high winds last week.
mend a fence
I've got to mend our fence this weekend. I hit it with my car!
a barbed-wire fence
We put up a barbed-wire fence to stop sheep from getting into our garden.
a high /low fence
Our garden fence is too high, for children to climb over.
the garden fence
Our garden fence needs a new coat of paint.
an electrified fence
The field next to us has an electrified fence to keep the cows from escaping.
Gate
the school gates
The school gates open at 7.30 every morning, but most children don't arrive tillS.30.
leave the gate (wide) open
Someone had left the gate wide open and the sheep had managed to get out onto the main road.
open / shut a gate
While walking in the countryside, please remember to shut all gates behind you.
the factory gates
When the workers turned up this morning, the factory gates were closed.
the garden gate
Our garden gate leads out onto the open fields at the back of our house.
I can't understand people who treat animals badly.
Most birds lay their eggs in spring.
Rabbits make good pets.
I was bitten on the leg when I was attacked by a large dog.
Our cat had four kittens last week.
It's a climbing plant that produces large red flowers.
I'll just go into the garden and pick some flowers.
The leaves are beginning to fall off the trees.
The grass is getting long. We'll need to cut it this weekend.
The landlord says we're not allowed to keep any kind of pet in the flat.
Keep your dog on a lead so that it doesn't chase the sheep.
A large bird flew out of the tree as I walked towards it.
I'm a vegetarian because I feel it is wrong to kill animals.
I bought my wife a large bunch of flowers on her birthday.
The garden at the back of the house is overgrown.
Someone's left the garden gate wide open again!
No, I won't pick up your cat. It scratched me the last time I tried!
My son loves climbing trees. just hope he doesn't fall out of one of them.
I don't think I can climb over that fence. It's too high.
I think that testing drugs on animals is cruel and should be banned.
Please keep away off the grass.
Farmers spray their crops with pesticides to stop insects from eating them.
I'll set my dog on you if you come any closer.
The main streets of the city are lined with trees.