The Natural World collocations
Weather
Dress for the weather
You’re not properly dressed for this sort of weather. Put a coat on!
The weather holds
If the fine weather holds until the weekend, we’ll go camping.
The weather turns hot or cold
After a cool bright day, the weather turned warm and thundery last night.
The weather changes
There’s a chill in the air. It looks like the weather is changing for the worse.
The cold weather sets in
We’ll need to paint the outside of the house before the cold weather sets in.
(boiling) hot weather
It’s 35°C today. We don’t usually have such boiling hot weather in Britain, but the summers have become warmer in recent years.
(bitterly) cold weather
Bring plenty of warm clothes with you. In January the weather is bitterly cold.
Wet weather
Be careful. The path down to the beach can be quite slippery in wet weather.
Dry weather
Exceptionally dry weather over the past year has led to a shortage of water.
Glorious weather
My parents had two weeks of glorious weather, but it rained all the time here.
Unpredictable weather
Scotland is a beautiful country, but it has notoriously unpredictable weather. It can be pouring with rain one minute and brilliant sunshine the next!
A sudden change in the weather
A lot of us were caught out by the sudden change in weather. Few of us had bothered to bring an umbrella.
A pleasant spell of weather
It’s been an unusually long period of dry and settled weather. We haven’t had such a pleasant spell of weather for a long time.
The best of the weather
I think we got the best of the weather in the north today. London certainly seems to have got the worst of the weather, with rain all day.
A break in the weather
We’re hoping for a break in the weather. We won’t be able to take the boat out if this wind continues.
Notes
Note these expressions:
After a good start, we ran into some bad weather and had to travel more slowly.
We’ll have your birthday party outside, weather permitting. (if the weather is suitable)
He goes out jogging in all weathers. (even when it is raining, snowing, etc.)
The ‘weather forecast’ is a statement of what the weather is likely to be:
The weather forecast said it would rain all day tomorrow.
Temperature and heat
The … falls/drops
The temperature will drop sharply tonight. It is expected to drop/fall to minus 10.
The temperature rises/increase
Tomorrow the temperature will rise/increase steadily to a maximum of about 22°C.
Take somebody’s temperature
When I was in hospital, a nurse took my temperature every two hours.
Temperatures reach 40°C
In some areas temperatures can reach 40°C in the summer.
Control the temperature
You can control the temperature in this room by adjusting the thermostat on the radiators.
Freezing temperatures
Freezing temperatures have turned the lake into a skating rink.
A constant temperature
The art gallery’s heating system maintains a constant/even temperature to protect the paintings.
A high temperature
Make sure you heat the food to a high temperature to kill any harmful bacteria.
The average temperature
What’s the average temperature in Cairo in July?
Feel the heat
I could feel the heat of the sun on my back as I walked through the park.
Generate heat
Rubbing your hands together will generate heat and keep them warm.
Lose heat
Houses lose a lot of heat through their windows.
Escape from the heat
In summer, we leave the city for the seaside to escape from the oppressive heat.
Withstand heat
The Space Shuttle uses special tiles to help it withstand the extreme heat of re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Notes
Note the following expressions with ‘temperature’:
Red wine is best served at room temperature.
Temperature soared into the 40s.
On holiday it took me a few days to get used to the change in temperature.
Note the adjectives we use to describe extreme heat:
The bonfire gave out a fierce heat and I had to move away.
The firefighters were driven back by the intense heat of the burning car.
Note the following ways of describing high temperature:
Only tourists are silly enough to wander about in the heat of the day!
I don’t know how they manage to work in this heat without air conditioning.
Air
Need air
I’m going outside for a moment – I feel a little sick. I need some air.
Gasp for air
After two minutes underwater, he came to the surface, gasping for air.
Breathe air
The quality of the air we breathe is not as good as it was a hundred years ago.
Put air into a tyre
You should put some air into your tyres – they look flat to me.
Pollute the air
Smokers pollute the air for other people, and that’s why I think smoking should be banned in public places such as restaurants and pubs.
Fresh air
It’s stuffy in here. We need some fresh air, so let’s open the windows.
Polluted air
We often go into the countryside to escape from the polluted air of the city.
Thin air
At high altitudes it is difficult to breathe because of the thin air.
Stale air
The windows had been shut all week, so the air was rather stale.
Still air
Nothing moved in the still air. There wasn’t a breath of wind.
Cold air
I felt an icy blast of cold air against my legs when she opened the door.
Into the air
The delighted fans threw their hats high into the air.
Through the air
I love to watch birds flying through the air.
By air
Our goods are sent all over Europe by air.
On air
This programme first went on air 20 years ago. (on radio or TV)
Notes
Note the following expressions:
For a week after the fire at the tyre factory, the smell of burning rubber filled the air.
She seems to have vanished into thin air. I can’t find her anywhere.
The air was thick with smoke. Almost everybody in the bar was smoking.
The expression ‘open air’ means outside:
The farmers’ market is held in the open air in the town centre. (outside)
We ate in an open-air restaurant / swam in an open-air pool / went to an open-air concert.
Light
Block out the light
I pulled the blinds down to block out the light so I could watch television.
Get light
I’m afraid it’s a north-facing room, so it doesn’t get much light.
Need light
Put the plant near a window. It needs a lot of light.
Let in the light
I opened the curtains to let in the light.
Light fades
The light was fading, so we had to stop playing. It was difficult to see the ball.
A bright light
The light was so bright that I had to cover my eyes with my hands.
Artificial light
Modern farmers use both natural and artificial light to grow tomatoes – especially in the winter.
A soft light
The harsh light emitted by fluorescent tubes hurts my eyes. I much prefer the softer light of a light bulb.
Poor light
Reading in poor light can strain your eyes, and could even damage them.
The fading light
It was difficult to read the signposts in the fading light.
A source of light
A tiny window was the only source of light in the prison cell.
A glimmer of light
We saw a glimmer of light in the distance, and hoped it was our hotel.
A flash of light
A witness said there was a blinding flash of light, followed by an explosion.
By the light of
When I’m camping I like to read by the light of a candle.
In my light
Move to the side – you’re in my light and I can’t see what I’m doing.
Up to the light
The shop assistant held the banknote up to the light to see if it was genuine.
Note
Note these expressions:
When we left the building we were momentarily blinded by the sunlight.
Light from the street lamps outside was shining through a small gap in the curtains.
The light reflecting off the surface of the water dazzled me, and I had to put on my sunglasses.
There’s light coming from under the door so somebody must be in
The light wasn’t good enough to take photographs.
In the failing light, I could just make out the figure of John in front of me.
In summer, the days are very long in Scandinavia. It is light all night in the far north.
Fire
Catch fire
The car caught fire in the crash, but the driver managed to get out safely.
Cause a fire
Police believe that the fire at the castle was caused by an electrical fault.
Fight a fire, put out a fire
50 firemen fought the fire at the factory. It took 3 hours to put it out.
Light a fire
It’s very cold in here. Shall I light the fire?
Start a fire
We are treating the fire as suspicious. We believe it was started deliberately.
A fire destroys
The cinema was destroyed by fire. The whole building was completely gutted.
A fire breaks out
Fire broke out during the night, but all the hotel guests managed to escape.
A fire spreads
The fire swept through the museum, then spread rapidly to adjoining buildings.
A fire burns
When we arrived at the hotel, a coal fire was burning brightly in the fireplace.
A fire goes out
Remember to put some logs on the fire. Don’t let the fire go out!
A fire risk
Smouldering cigarettes are dangerous and are a well-known fire risk.
A fire alarm
When you hear the fire alarm, make for the nearest exit.
A fire escape
We climbed out of the window and used the fire escape to leave the building.
A fire extinguisher
The kitchen is on fire! Where’s the fire extinguisher?
A fire drill
We have regular fire drills so staff know how to leave the building safely.
Notes
Note that we use ‘start a fire’ to describe somebody who wishes to cause damage, whereas we use ‘light a fire’ to describe making a fire for comfort. We also use ‘set fire’ to describe starting a fire:
The young boy was playing with matches and he accidentally set his bed on fire/ set fire to his bed.
Note that we talk about ‘electric, gas, coal, and log fires’.
We’ve got an old electric fire in the bedroom, which doesn’t give out much heat.
Sometimes we refer to a coal or log fire as an ‘open fire’.
We don’t have an open fire any more. It just made too much mess.
Water
Drink water
You’ll get dehydrated quickly in this heat if you don’t drink lots of water.
Boil water
Make sure you boil the water before adding the pasta to the pot.
Spill water
I accidentally knocked the glass over and spilled/spilt water all over my book.
Pour water
After washing the dishes, he poured the dirty water down the sink.
Water drips
There’s water dripping onto the floor. There must be a leak in a pipe somewhere.
Water flows
In a central heating system, hot water flows from the boiler, through the pipes to the radiators.
Drinking water
Bacteria in drinking water is a major cause of disease in poor countries.
Boiling water
While making tea he dropped a kettle of boiling water and scalded his leg.
Freshwater
The water was dirty, so we drained the pond and filled it with fresh water.
Mineral water
Would you like some mineral water? Still or sparkling?
Float on water
I thought the box would float on water, but it sank to the bottom of the pond.
Wade through water
The fisherman waded through the water to reach his boat.
Splash with water
I splashed my face with cold water in order to wake myself up.
Dilute with water
Dilute the juice with plenty of water.
Dive into water
The policeman dived fully clothed into the water to rescue the drowning boy.
Fill with water
He filled the basin with hot water and washed himself with a cloth.
A supply of water
Nuclear power stations are usually situated near a good supply of water.
A shortage of water
We drank bottled water when there was a shortage of drinking water.
A drop of water
I always have a drop of water in my whisky.
Note
Note these expressions:
Water boils at a temperature of 100°C and freezes at a temperature of 0°C.
Water gushed out of the broken pipe and flooded the road.
Due to the long spell of dry weather, water supplies are dangerously low.
Noise and silence
Make a noise
Keep the noise down. I can’t work when you’re making so much noise.
Shut out noise
I tried unsuccessfully to shut out the noise of the roadworks outside my house. In the end, I had to turn up my hi-fi to drown it out.
Can’t stand the noise
I can’t stand the noise of a door banging. It drives me up the wall.
Sleep through noise
I just don’t know how the baby manages to sleep through all that noise.
A funny noise
The engine’s making a funny noise. I need to get the garage to look at it. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to cost me a lot of money!
A deafening noise
The noise of the disco was deafening. I had a headache after an hour.
Background noise
I can’t make out what he’s saying on the tape. There’s too much background noise.
A squeaking noise
On wheel on the trolley is making a horrible squeaking noise. It needs some oil.
An awful noise
Will you stop that awful noise this instant! I can’t hear myself think.
A piercing noise
The fire alarm gave out a piercing noise which made me jump out of my skin.
A long silence
After eight months a letter arrived from her daughter, ending her long silence.
An awkward silence
I wasn’t relaxed, so our conversation was full of awkward silences.
A stunned silence
When they told us we had won a million pounds in the prize draw, we just sat there in stunned silence. We just couldn’t believe it.
Complete/total silence
I’ve been getting nuisance phone calls recently. Every time I answer the phone there is complete silence. Nobody speaks, but I know someone is there.
Note
Note these expressions with ‘noise’:
We had to shout above the noise of the traffic to hear each other.
It’s absolutely impossible to work with all this noise going on!
I’m a very light sleeper. The slightest noise wakes me up.
We’re finding it difficult to get used to the constant noise of the traffic.
Note the kind of things we do ‘in silence’:
They drove home in silence. (they didn’t talk)
If you’re not happy, you should complain. Don’t just suffer in silence.
It’s quite common nowadays to ‘observe a minute’s silence’ as a mark of respect after some terrible disaster.