English Vocabulary Masterclass - Hobbies

Words used to express liking or enjoyment of something, like 'enjoy', 'love', 'adore'.

The "-ing" form of a verb used as a noun, like 'reading', 'taking pictures'.

Activities people enjoy doing in their free time.

An activity enjoyed for leisure; similar to a hobby.

Time not spent working or doing other necessary tasks.

Time devoted to relaxation and enjoyment.

Using a noun to express preference, like 'photography', 'sports'.

More complex English phrases commonly used in formal conversation.

Someone who loves cycling very much.

To have strong feelings about something, (a noun or gerund).

To dedicate time to a place or activity.

To start doing a new hobby or activity.

To enjoy an activity or thing.

Someone who loves and supports something very much.

To live for a specific activity, prioritizing it above all else.

Structure for verbs describing movement, such as 'go hiking'.

Use adjectives to describe how you experience a hobby.

A sentence using a gerund (verb + -ing) as the subject or object.

Phrases to inquire about someone's hobbies, passions and free time activities.

Expressing interest in hobbies if circumstances were different.

To relax and destress.

Begin doing a hobby or activity.

The conjugation rule: 'go' will be the conjugated/tensed verb, whereas the second verb follows a gerund form.

Words that describe how often something happens.

The most common greeting used in casual social situations, especially when you don't know the person well.

A more casual version of "hello", often used in stores or casual settings.

Greetings that depend on the time of day.

The appropriate greeting to use between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

A casual way to greet someone in the morning.

Adding a brief explanation after greeting someone to indicate why you are there.

A common phrase used to add politeness to requests.

A phrase used to politely gain someone's attention.

Another phrase used to gain someone's attention, although less common in North America.

A common phrase used when you didn't hear or understand something.

A friendly way to tell someone that English is not your native language.

Clearly asking someone to repeat themselves.

Common phrase indicating that you're confused or unsure about something.

The most common method used for paying in stores and restaurants.

A common phrase for inquiring about the price of an item.

In North America, you usually ask for a bag after paying, and it's polite to put 'please' at the end of your request.

Instead of asking for a receipt automatically, some stores ask you if you need one. You can politely say 'no, thanks' or 'yes, please'.

Stores might offer donations, memberships, or credit cards. If you're unsure, simply say 'no, thanks' to politely decline.

When entering a store, you can greet the staff and ask if you're looking for something specific. Use 'I'm just looking' or 'I'm just browsing'.

If you need help finding something specific, ask 'Where can I find...' or 'Do you carry...'.

Ask 'Where can I try this on?' or 'Where are the fitting rooms?' to locate the area for trying on clothes.

Ask 'What's your return policy?' to understand if you can return or exchange the item.

To make a reservation, say 'Can we make a reservation?' and provide the date, time, and number of people.

You can ask for a table outside (on the patio), by the window, or in a booth.

Feel free to modify your order by asking 'Can you make it...?' or 'Can you add...?' to adjust the food to your liking.

Ask for water in a restaurant by saying 'Can you bring us some water please?' and specify 'tap water' if you don't want to pay for bottled water.

Use 'Where are the bathrooms?' or 'Where are the restrooms?' to find the restroom in a restaurant.

If you didn't finish your meal, ask 'Can I have a to-go box please?' to pack the leftovers.

When you're ready to pay, say 'Just the check please' or 'Where do I pay?'

To experience a significant success or gain, often referring to unexpected good fortune.

To attract someone's attention or be noticed.

To describe something precisely and accurately, especially a cause or solution.

To damage relationships or opportunities by acting in a negative or unprofessional way.

To join a popular activity or trend.

To make a difficult decision or face a challenge.

To face the same challenges or be in a similar situation.

Neat, tidy, and clean.

To be very expensive.

To be very expensive.

Very cheap or inexpensive.

A copy or imitation of a product, often of lower quality.

To begin a journey or leave a place.

To exert physical effort, leading to sweating.

To be or feel sick.

Requesting someone to repeat or explain what they said because you didn't understand.

Checking if you and the other person are on the same page about something.

A common phrase used to confirm shared understanding or agreement.

Finding a time that works for both parties to schedule a meeting.

Asking someone to adjust their speaking volume or speed for better understanding.

Expressing your concurrence or shared understanding.

Saying 'Yes' in a more formal and nuanced way.

In North America, tipping is customary and expected, but not mandatory, in restaurants and other service industries. A 10-20% tip is typically given, depending on the service's quality and the establishment's formality.

To annoy someone unintentionally, often due to personality clashes or differing opinions.

You can ask establishments for Wi-Fi access by saying "Do you have Wi-Fi?" or "Is there Wi-Fi here?" You can then ask for the password by stating "What's the Wi-Fi password?"

To have a strong feeling or intuition about something, even without concrete evidence.

While using GPS on your phone is convenient, you can also ask for directions politely by saying "Excuse me, do you know how to get to..." or "Excuse me, which way is..."

When requesting someone to take your photo, use the polite phrase "Excuse me, do you mind taking our picture?" or "Could you please take our picture?"

To wish someone good luck, especially before a performance or important event.

North America is diverse, and you'll encounter many non-native English speakers in daily life. Be open and accepting of their accents and communication styles.

To reveal a secret or give away information that was meant to be kept hidden.

Fast English refers to the natural, rapid pace at which native speakers communicate. It often involves contractions, reduced sounds, and connected speech.

Contractions, like "she's" (she is) and "you're" (you are), help create natural-sounding fast English. They are commonly used by native speakers.

Sounds are often reduced in fast English. For example, "for" can become "fer" and "your" can become "yer." This reduces the duration of speaking.

When referring to a hunch in the past, use the past simple tense 'had'.

When predicting something based on a hunch, use 'will' or 'shall' for the future simple tense.

In connected speech, sounds at the end of one word can connect to the beginning of the next word. This creates a smoother, faster flow of speech.

'Hunch' is the noun for a feeling or prediction based on intuition.

Phrasal verbs, which combine a verb with a preposition or adverb, are often pronounced as a single unit in fast English. For example, "rub off" is often spoken as "ruboff."

Beginner students often mistakenly say "thanks you" instead of "thank you" or "thanks." Remember that "thanks" is already an expression of gratitude.

The verb form of 'have a hunch' is used to express the action of having a feeling or prediction.

'Would' is the past tense form of 'will', often used after 'had a hunch' to express a past prediction.

After the preposition "for," you can use the gerund form of a verb (the "ing" form), like "helping." You can say "thanks for helping me", but not "thanks for your help me."

In casual settings, "You rock" is a common way to express appreciation or admiration. It's playful and enthusiastic.

Using 'would' after 'had a hunch' is optional, you can simply say 'I had a hunch he quit'.

This phrase emphasizes that a prediction is based purely on intuition, not concrete evidence.

The phrasal verb "rub off on" means someone's behavior or personality influences another person positively. It reflects positive traits.

To influence someone's behavior or personality over time, usually in a positive way.

The past tense of "rub off on" is "rubbed off on." Remember that the past tense is used to describe something that happened in the past.

The contracted form of 'He would quit', usually used for a fast and informal way to talk.

You can specify the specific trait that "rubbed off." For example, "Janice's helpfulness rubbed off on Fernando" means Fernando became more helpful like Janice.

A casual greeting used to ask how someone is doing.

An expression used when you haven't seen someone in a while.

A question asking someone about their recent activities.

A common response to "How's it going?"

A typical reply to "What have you been up to lately?"

A polite way to express gratitude.

A casual way to say "you're welcome."

A common way to say goodbye.

A polite way to decline an offer.

A polite way to ask for help.

A way to offer help to someone.

A way to ask someone about their weekend plans.

A way to suggest spending time with someone.

A common way to suggest meeting for a coffee.

A way to say goodbye to someone driving a car.