1 Hour English Vocabulary Course: Learn 250+ Important English Vocabulary Words (with Pictures)

- Hello, lovely students,

and welcome back to English with Lucy.

I have the mother of all vocabulary videos for you today.

When we say the mother of something,

it means the biggest or the best example of something,

the most important.

In this video, you are going to learn

250 advanced new vocabulary words with pictures.

So this is going to be amazing if you are a visual learner.

I'm a visual learner.

I like seeing things and knowing the words,

making the connection in my brain.

What is more,

I have created an ebook for you to have

as part of this lesson.

It's going to contain all of the pictures,

all 250 words with 250 examples,

and extra exercise questions.

You might be able to tell

that I'm pretty excited about this.

For now, I have made the decision

to offer this ebook for free,

so you can download it today for free,

and use it to study with whilst watching this video,

but this is subject to change.

Subject to change means this could be changed.

So, I highly recommend you download your copy now.

If you would like to download this free ebook,

all you've got to do

is click on the link in the description box.

You enter your name and your email address,

you sign up to my mailing list,

and the ebook will then arrive directly in your inbox,

and you will join the PDF club.

This is a free service and you can unsubscribe at any time,

but you will automatically receive

my free weekly lesson PDFs going forward

along with all of my news, course offers, and updates.

This is probably one of the longest

vocabulary videos I've ever done.

It contains so much information.

I've included the pronunciation information,

examples in context, I explain the meaning further as well.

It's really going to help you to expand your vocabulary.

If that is something that you are looking to do,

I know a lot of you are,

looking to expand your vocabulary

to take what you already know,

and make it bigger and better,

to make yourself feel and sound more intelligent

by using a wider vocabulary.

I do have a special offer on at the moment.

I run a 30-day course

called The Vocabulary Expansion Challenge.

I won't explain too much about it now, but it's amazing,

and my students have had phenomenal results.

I'm offering it with a special price at the moment.

Click on the link in the description box.

You'll see the special price and the code you can use.

There, you can see the course,

our method for expanding your vocabulary,

and just all the amazing videos,

and audios, and mind maps that it contains.

It's one of my favourite courses,

because of the results that it gives so quickly.

Hurry as it's going away pretty soon.

I'm going to break this video into categories.

I'm going to show you a picture,

and we're going to discuss three synonyms

for what is shown in that picture.

Let's start with category number one, emotions,

something we all have, unless a robot is watching this,

which, I mean, it's possible.

So we're going to look at the photo.

We're going to think of the word

that describes how the person is feeling in that photo,

and then we're going to discuss

three more advanced alternatives.

First photo.

How would we describe this person?

I think angry, but we have three better alternatives.

Firstly, we have enraged.

Enraged.

Tom became enraged

when the agent couldn't solve his problem.

We also have furious.

Furious.

He was already furious,

and couldn't help but yell into the phone.

Furious.

Finally, livid.

Livid.

This is the top level of anger,

the most extreme form of anger.

The agent's response to his problem

only made him more livid.

We've all been there, haven't we?

Calling customer service, and they just aren't helping.

Okay, next.

Let's look at this photo.

Oh dear, she's sad, we have melancholy.

Melancholy.

Now, melancholy refers to the feeling of sadness,

but often with no obvious cause.

An example, Maria had been feeling melancholy

since graduating college.

We also have glum.

Glum, this is like feeling down.

She could not shake the glum feeling.

And sorrowful.

Sorrowful.

She was sorrowful and felt so alone.

If you are sorrowful, you are full of sorrow,

which is a kind of advanced,

slightly old fashioned word for sadness.

Well, lots of people can relate with Maria.

We often do feel that sort of melancholy sadness

after finishing a big chapter of our lives,

what do we do next?

Okay, next we have someone looking at some fireworks.

Here, we're going to describe how the fireworks

make that person feel.

An obvious word is interesting.

The fireworks are interesting.

They capture my interest.

But we could also say mesmerising.

Mesmerising, ah, what a gorgeous, gorgeous word.

The fireworks were mesmerising.

It was her first winter in her new town.

The fireworks of the winter carnival were mesmerising.

Another equally beautiful word, captivating.

Captivating.

It captures your attention and your interest.

She stood there frozen in their captivating beauty.

And finally, another gorgeous one, spellbinding.

Spellbinding, as if it binds you

or freezes you with a magic spell.

She went home that night replaying the spellbinding events

of that evening in her head.

Next, we have this girl here.

She doesn't look happy, does she?

In fact, she looks bothered or in a bad mood.

A nice synonym for this is grumpy.

Grumpy.

And if you like Disney films, this is the name

of one of the dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The one who is always in a bad mood is Grumpy.

Kim claimed she wasn't grumpy

despite her obvious body language.

We also have crabby.

Crabby.

Think of a crab, they're not exactly friendly, are they?

They could pinch you a bit, pinch you.

I wasn't sure if it was the lack of sleep

that made her crabby or something I had done.

And finally, we have cranky.

Cranky.

And this is usually grumpiness or a bad mood

due to a lack of sleep.

We took a quick walk along the canal,

and I could see that she was no longer cranky.

Quite the opposite, we have this person.

I often feel the same when I see piles of leaves.

Happy.

Happy, but we have some better words.

Cheery.

Cheery, in a good mood.

The leaves had begun to fall,

and a cheery mood swept in with the autumn breeze.

We also have elated.

Elated.

If you're so happy about something, you are elated.

Brenda was elated by the sights and smells in the park.

I do love the smell of autumn.

And gleeful.

Gleeful.

Do you remember sorrowful?

Full of sorrow.

Gleeful, full of glee, happiness.

The beauty of autumn made her gleeful.

Okay, we have a little boy hiding under his bed.

He is feeling afraid.

Afraid.

We have some better words for this little boy.

We have fearful.

Fearful, full of fear, fearful.

Jerry is very fearful of thunder during storms.

It's funny, I was afraid of thunder as a child,

and now I love it.

We have alarmed.

Alarmed, this is like a sudden fear.

Almost the fear you feel when a fire alarm goes off.

You feel alarmed, suddenly scared and worried.

He gets extremely alarmed,

and likes to hide behind his bed for safety.

And rattled.

Rattled, this is like the shock that you feel

after having been scared.

We try to calm him down,

but it's difficult when he's so rattled.

Okay, this poor man is feeling upset.

He's feeling upset,

but we have some better ways of describing his emotions.

We have distressed.

Distressed.

He couldn't hide his distressed face.

Or agitated.

Agitated.

We all knew he was agitated,

but he wouldn't let on to what was bothering him.

To let on to something

is to let people know about something.

He wouldn't let on to why, he wouldn't let us know why.

And finally, unsettled.

Unsettled, this is the opposite of being at ease, settled.

Unsettled, not at ease.

He just sat there, feeling unsettled,

until the meeting was over.

Okay, let's move on to traits.

These can be personality traits

or traits of activities and situations.

The first picture, these people are friendly,

but we could also say sociable.

Sociable.

My dad has always been a sociable guy.

He likes talking with other people, he likes interacting.

You can be friendly whilst not being sociable.

You can say hello to someone warmly,

but not stop for a chat.

We also have tender.

Tender, this is more kind, warm.

He has a tender way of dealing with people,

and makes friends wherever he is.

And finally, quite a posh formal word,

in my opinion, affable.

Affable, friendly, good natured, easy to talk to.

He's affable and caring, and I'm proud to call him dad.

Okay, let's think about how this person feels.

Their situation is boring.

Boring, but the word boring is boring,

so let's think of some more interesting alternatives.

We have dull.

Dull, now, if you think of the word dull,

it means with little colour or little light,

with little interest, it's dull, it's grey and boring.

It's not that I don't like school,

it's just that it can be so dull.

Drab.

Drab, this is a synonym for dull.

We sit in classes with drab textbooks,

and listen to uninteresting lectures.

And finally, tedious.

Tedious, this means boring, slow,

monotonous, making you tired.

I just find all of it so tedious.

This is true, I absolutely hated school.

I wish I could be one of those people who says,

"Oh, school's amazing, I love it,

I have such fond memories."

Nope, not for me, it was tedious.

Okay, take a look at this very good boy, what is he?

He's energetic.

He reminds me of my good boy, Diego.

Look who it is, it's my doggy.

You could also say frisky.

Frisky, if a dog is frisky,

they are playful and full of energy.

That brings up a common question I have about animals,

whether we should call them he, she, it, or they.

I personally, if I have a relationship,

or someone I know has a relationship with an animal,

he, or she, or they is what I would use.

They if I don't know their gender,

he or she if it's a boy or a girl.

It just seems very impersonal.

In some countries, it will be more common.

If I saw an ant on the floor, I would say it.

I, you know, it doesn't mean anything to me,

but my cat, he is Alfonso.

And my dog, he is Diego.

Right, back to the lesson.

My parents always wanted a frisky dog,

but they had no idea how much energy Rocky would have.

We also have lively.

Lively.

He's very lively,

and he needs time to exercise his legs daily.

And spirited.

Spirited.

And aside from just being energetic,

this implies that they are determined,

and full of spirit and ambition.

I don't know if dogs can have ambitions,

but they can definitely be determined.

Luckily, Rocky's spirited attitude keeps them active.

Okay, now we have this little boy.

He doesn't look so friendly, does he?

In fact, he looks pretty mean (laughs).

He doesn't look like he's ready

to play nicely with the other children.

We have bitter.

Bitter.

If you're in a bad mood, you're bitter,

if you're really cross about something.

Johnny talked excitedly

about going to the playground all week.

However, he quickly turned bitter

when he saw that the swings were closed.

We have disgruntled.

Disgruntled.

He was disgruntled and no longer wanted to ride his bike.

And finally, venomous.

Venomous, if you think of the venom, the venom from a snake.

Ooh, it's nasty, this means full of hatred

or bad, mean feelings.

He yelled out venomous words,

as children often do in these situations.

Okay, next picture, we have someone looking very brave,

a firefighter.

instead of saying brave, we could say courageous.

Courageous.

Arthur is a courageous man.

He puts his life on the line each day he goes to work.

If you put your life on the line, your life is at risk.

We have gallant.

Gallant.

He doesn't ask for praise,

and his gallant efforts often go unnoticed.

And finally, daring.

Daring.

Nevertheless, his daring job calls him

to new challenges each day.

Okay, let's look at the girl that's being hugged.

She must be likeable.

People must like her, easy to like.

We have revered.

Revered, this is a lovely word.

What makes Candace such a good friend?

Is it her revered, bubbly personality?

We also have enviable.

Enviable, and in most situations, this is positive,

to be envied, enviable.

I think it's her enviable smile

that always makes me feel comforted.

And admirable.

Admirable, to be admired.

She also listens without judgement , which is admirable.

Okay, next picture, someone is making everyone laugh.

They must be funny.

We could also say amusing.

Amusing, they amuse me.

Brandon is so amusing.

Next, hilarious.

Hilarious, this means very funny.

He tells the most hilarious stories, and he's full of jokes.

Finally, comical.

Comical.

He has such a comical way of speaking

that always makes us laugh.

Oh, look at this girl climbing, such a steep ledge.

She must be adventurous.

Adventurous.

Instead of adventurous, we could say bold.

Bold, this is like a mixture of adventurous and brave.

People often describe Yana as bold,

because of her thrill-seeking ways.

If you're a thrill-seeker, you seek thrills.

You seek adrenaline.

We also have intrepid.

Intrepid, if you're intrepid, you're brave.

You're not afraid of danger or difficulties.

We often describe people as being intrepid explorers.

It goes hand in hand with adventurous.

She's definitely intrepid.

I couldn't do half the things she does.

And finally, audacious.

Audacious, I love saying that word.

I saw that she was rock climbing in Bali last week.

I hope to be audacious one day.

Okay, here we have someone riding a bike dressed as,

is he dressed as Big Bird from Sesame Street?

You could say this behaviour is strange, it's not normal.

We could call it peculiar.

Peculiar.

My boss had the peculiar idea

of dressing up as Big Bird for a cycling race.

We also have bizarre.

Bizarre.

He showed up in a bizarre costume,

ready to cycle for 50 kilometres.

Sounds dangerous.

And finally, uncanny.

Uncanny, uncanny means strange, hard to explain.

It's that kind of uncanny thinking that sets him apart.

To set someone apart, to make them different.

This makes him different, this sets him apart.

Okay, we're done with another category.

Let's move on to sensations.

Oh, I love this picture,

and it describes our first sensation, tired.

The dog and the man are tired.

Instead of just saying tired, we can say bleary-eyed.

Bleary-eyed, you know that sensation when you wake up,

and your eyes, you can't see properly.

You're bleary-eyed.

Rex and Ali went out for a morning run.

It was so early that Ali was bleary-eyed.

I'd like to think that Rex is the dog and Ali is the human.

Next, we have weary.

Weary.

He felt weary as he walked back to his flat.

We also have groggy.

Groggy, it's that sort of unwell, not ill,

but unwell feeling, you know, you really need to sleep.

You're not quite at full capacity mentally or physically.

Ali fell into his bed as groggy as ever,

whilst Rex lay there waiting for his next adventure.

Next, how is this girl feeling apart from elated?

For having such delicious food.

She's probably feeling hungry,

even better would be to say famished.

Famished.

Ooh, I'm famished.

Isabella was famished.

She hadn't eaten anything on the 10-hour flight.

I have a joke for you.

Why shouldn't you eat the meals served on aeroplanes ?

Because the food's too plain.

Plane is short for aeroplane,

or plain, spelled P-L-A-I-N, means bland.

Back to the lesson, enough joking around, guys.

Come on, calm down please, focus.

We also have peckish.

Peckish, this is where you want to pick things.

You know, you don't feel really hungry, but you could eat.

You'd like to eat, oh, I feel peckish.

Does anyone else feel peckish?

I'd like to eat something.

Peckish didn't begin to describe

how she felt when she arrived at the night market.

So she was more than peckish, she was famished.

You could also say she was ravenous.

Ravenous.

Isabella knew what she wanted to eat,

and was ravenous by the time she bit into her tostada.

Okay, how is this poor person feeling?

Ill.

We could also say they're feeling nauseous.

Nauseous, and this is the way we describe the feeling

of when you want to vomit, you want to be sick.

My aunt woke up this morning feeling nauseous.

We also have queasy.

Queasy, this is feeling uneasy, especially in your stomach.

She had a queasy feeling in her stomach,

and couldn't get out of bed.

And finally, feverish.

Feverish, this is to feel hot like you have a fever

as a result of being ill or unwell.

She felt feverish, so she lay in bed all day,

allowing her body to rest.

Next, we have this boy studying at the library,

and he doesn't get it, he feels confused.

Confused.

We could also say befuddled.

Befuddled, isn't that such a good word?

Befuddled (laughs).

The new engineer was befuddled

by all the software he needed to use.

We could also say foggy.

Foggy, if your brain isn't clear, it has fog in it,

like the weather, you know,

the weather that impedes your view, like you're in a cloud.

If your brain feels foggy, you could be confused,

or you could find it hard to remember things

or use your knowledge.

Everything he had learned in training was foggy in his mind.

Finally, this one's very British, baffled.

Baffled.

I'm confused, I'm baffled.

Sometimes we use it in a sarcastic way.

For example, if I failed an exam that I didn't study for,

I might say, "Wow, I'm baffled.

I just don't know why I didn't pass."

He hopped around from programme to programme,

baffled by what he needed to do.

He was confused.

Okay, let's move on to colours.

Colours, this one is great, because I think at school,

we learn red, orange, yellow, pink, blue,

but sometimes, you don't learn

the more interesting shades of colours.

So I'm gonna show you colours,

and then discuss the different ways

that we can talk about them.

Okay, let's start with this colour, black.

Black.

We could also say inky.

Inky like ink, which is normally black.

Brad noticed the sand near the volcano

was inky and resembled oil.

We also have raven.

Raven, this is the colour of that bird that's like a crow.

A raven, it's often slightly more blue,

it's black with a hint of blue.

He was tired from walking, and laid down on the raven shore.

Finally, onyx.

Onyx, like the stone.

He closed his eyes and became one with the onyx landscape.

These are great words to use

if you are interested in creative writing,

and you don't want to say black, black, black

over and over again, you can use these alternatives.

Next, these poppies are red.

You could also say crimson.

Crimson, this is a deep red.

My mum and I love to collect crimson flowers in spring.

An alternative, scarlet.

Scarlet, this is a brighter red.

She loves the scarlet hue of the petals

as the sun passes through.

The sun makes them a brighter red, they're more scarlet.

And finally, we have ruby.

This is a dark red like the jewel.

This is not a ruby, this is a sapphire,

but they're in the same family, I think.

I prefer the ruby buds just before they bloom.

The color's very dark and concentrated, it's a ruby red.

Next, let's talk about the sky, it's blue.

Don't ask me why, I can't tell you that.

I can teach you English though.

Instead of saying blue, we could say sapphire.

Sapphire, this type of jewel.

Normally, sapphires are a lot darker than this one,

but we fell in love with a lighter sapphire,

but normally, it's darker, dark blue.

Normally, it's a dark, bright blue.

We had been driving for hours

when we noticed the sky had turned a beautiful sapphire.

We also could say denim.

Denim, the colour of jeans.

We pulled in to admire the denim clouds.

And finally, navy.

Navy, this is a very dark blue.

The navy mountains in the distance

looked as if they were from another planet.

Next, look at this setup, it makes me nervous.

I would definitely spill that coffee, white.

An alternative to white is cream.

This is like a warm white

with a little bit of yellow added in, just a tiny bit,

but it makes it much warmer than white.

There's nothing better than curling up

in my cream-colored blanket on a Sunday afternoon.

We also have pearl, this is white with a bit of shimmer.

You know, pearls?

Oysters make them.

Oysters?

Yeah, oysters.

My husband knows to bring me my tea in my pearl mug.

Finally, we have off-white.

Off-white.

If we have normal bright white,

off-white just has a little bit more grey in it.

It's not quite bright.

He never forgets to use the off-white tray

he bought for me in Spain.

Next, the colour of my hair and my top (giggles), yellow.

I can't say this room in the picture

is to my style or liking, but it's there.

We can say canary.

Canary, the colour of that small yellow bird, canary yellow.

It's a bright yellow.

I have fond memories of my grandmother's house,

especially the canary yellow tablecloth she used to use.

We also have amber.

Amber, I would say this is more orange than yellow,

but it's not bright orange.

It's like an orange, yellow, brown.

It's the colour of that stone that's made from ancient resin.

The walls of her kitchen were amber,

scattered with beautiful artwork.

And finally, buttery.

Buttery, resembling the yellow colour of butter.

She never cleaned her windows,

so a buttery light shone through,

creating an inviting atmosphere.

This word is quite positive, and warm,

and comforting if something's buttery.

Next, we have this picture of a forest

in the autumn, or in fall as they say in America.

Autumn in British English, it's brown.

We could also say cinnamon, like the colour of the spice.

This is like a reddier brown, more red.

Cinnamon leaves covered the ground like a carpet.

We also have ochre.

Ochre, a light brown.

The ochre trees wouldn't show signs of life for months.

Finally, khaki, this is like a green, a green brown,

often used in the military for camouflage.

The khaki canopy kept the forest cool and still.

Finally, the colour of vegetation, green.

Instead of green, we could say emerald.

This is a dark bright green, like the jewel.

We've had sapphire, ruby, emerald.

My grandfather taught me how to garden.

He showed me to look for emerald leaves,

because they were the most nutritious.

We have olive.

Olive, like olive tree leaves, this is like a grey green.

Some of the younger saplings had olive stems.

Saplings are small plants, very young ones.

Their colour wasn't developed, so they had a gray-green stem.

And finally, jade.

Jade, this is a bright green colour.

It's like the stone, it's almost turquoise.

Sometimes, I would pluck a few of the beautifully coloured

jade leaves of kale to snack on.

Okay, let's move on to the next category, we have textures.

Take a look at this picture,

and in particular, at the little girl's teddy.

What must it feel like?

Pretty soft.

Instead of soft, you can say downy.

Downy.

My daughter never goes anywhere without her stuffed rabbit.

It's downy fur helps her relax.

You can also say velvety.

Velvety with the feeling of velvet.

However, it's not as velvety as it once was.

Finally, we have silky.

Silky, this is smooth and soft.

She likes stroking the label, because it's really silky.

Next, we have this picture.

It's showing a car driving on a rough terrain, a rough road.

Instead of rough, you could say rutted.

Rutted with lots of dips and bumps in it.

Bill and Hannah are testing to see how well their camper

will handle the rutted roads of the outback.

Camper is short for camper van.

You could also say bumpy.

Bumpy.

The bumpy terrain is going to be a challenge.

You could also say pitted.

Pitted with lots of holes or pits in it.

They will stay away from the most pitted areas

to avoid damage to the van.

Okay, next picture, we have someone ice skating,

and we can call ice a smooth surface, no bumps, not rough.

Instead of smooth, we could say sleek.

Sleek.

If someone's hair looks very smooth,

we often call it sleek hair.

In this case, Alexandra wished the ice was sleeker

before beginning her routine.

We could also say glassy.

Glassy, another word that's used in the beauty industry.

She had a glassy complexion, almost shiny, smooth, perfect.

Whenever she practised, she ensured the rink was glassy

without any imperfections.

Finally, we can say polished,

polished as if someone has polished it.

They have made it smoother.

Despite the ice not being as polished as she would like,

she performed well.

Next, we have this picture, sharp.

The mountains look sharp.

We have jagged with lots of sharp angles.

Artem had always dreamed

of seeing the jagged Yellow Mountains.

We also have pointed with lots of points.

The pointed rocks proved difficult as he climbed to the top.

And we have bristled with lots of points.

It was all worth it as he looked out

over the bristled landscape.

Okay, let's look at this picture.

The top layer has lots of bubbles, it is bubbly.

We could also say effervescent.

Effervescent.

Pedro is obsessed with coffee.

Specifically, the effervescent layer of milk on top.

We also have frothy.

Frothy.

Rather than being just effervescent,

this means that it's covered with a layer of bubbles.

Though he doesn't like all frothy drinks,

he'll drink coffee all day.

Finally, we have foamy.

Foamy, this is like frothy, but with much smaller bubbles,

it's almost like a creamy foam.

There's just something about a creamy foamy latte

that drives him crazy.

Next, we have this picture, it shows chocolate,

but it's being used as a liquid, it's liquid chocolate.

Instead of saying liquid,

which could sound a little bit strange,

we have some better alternatives.

We could say flowing.

Flowing, there is flowing chocolate.

It's a liquid moving continuously.

Chef Pierre prepared his famous dessert

with flowing chocolate sauce.

We also have runny.

Runny.

If the chocolate runs, it's runny.

We watched in amazement as the runny chocolate

covered the pastry.

Finally, we have fluid.

Fluid.

The fluid river of chocolate made our mouths water,

and we couldn't wait to dig in.

Next, we have this word, sticky.

Sticky.

Her fingers must be sticky.

Instead of sticky, we could say gooey.

Gooey, this is sticky like glue.

Ice cream is the perfect treat in summer,

except when it melts into a gooey mess in your hand.

Next, we have syrupy.

Syrupy, like a syrup.

A syrup is usually made from water and sugar

to make a thick, sticky liquid.

You end up all syrupy, and a serviette doesn't even help.

Finally, we have tacky.

Tacky, it's when you try to pull your fingers

or something apart, and it sticks for a moment.

You have to put effort in, tacky.

I end up looking for the nearest toilet

to clear up the tacky mess.

Next, we have this picture.

These shoes are old and used, they're worn.

Aside from that, we could say shabby.

Shabby, a bit old, a bit tired, a bit used, worn.

David's cousin always wears

those shabby red shoes wherever he goes.

We also have threadbare.

Threadbare, and this is when something is so worn,

it's nearly got a hole.

You can just see the last threads holding on.

They are completely threadbare,

and they don't even have laces.

Finally, we have frayed.

Frayed, this is when strings are sticking out,

because they've broken.

Typically, you get frayed patches

on your elbows and your knees.

He claims his frayed Vans

are the most comfortable pair he owns.

Right, new category, we're moving on to age and time.

Let's take a look at this picture, it shows young people.

We can also say adolescent.

Adolescent.

This describes people that are between

their childhood years and their adult years,

they're kind of in their teenage years.

It was my first year teaching adolescent children,

and I was very nervous.

Next, we have youthful.

Youthful, full of youth.

On the first day, a youthful energy filled my classroom.

Finally, we have juvenile.

Juvenile, this is young or acting in a young way.

And if you tell someone they're acting in a juvenile way,

it's probably an insult.

Some of their behaviour was a bit juvenile,

but in general, they were very good.

Okay, quite the opposite, this photo, old.

We could also say elderly.

Elderly.

My father was an elderly man before I truly got to know him.

Finally, we have getting on.

If someone is getting on, they're getting on a bit.

They're getting older.

He was really getting on,

but he answered with a youthful spirit.

Next, we have new shoes.

Let's talk about alternatives for new.

Firstly, we have pristine.

Pristine, this is new and in perfect condition.

My brother just bought a pristine pair of shoes

without a single mark on them.

We also have mint.

Mint, this means new and perfect.

We often say mint condition, new, unused, perfect condition.

He says he's not going to wear them,

because he wants to keep them in mint condition.

And finally, fresh.

Fresh.

What's the point in keeping them fresh

if he's not going to use them?

Next, we have this picture, buildings that are very modern.

Modern, this word's boring.

Let's think of some better ones, we have present-day.

Present-day.

Present-day architecture

often leaves something to be desired.

We also have current.

Current.

Architects create flashy designs that are current,

but have no real depth or longevity.

Finally, we have contemporary.

Contemporary.

I don't think these contemporary designs

will stand the test of time.

Next, this man is on his bike, and he is going fast.

You could also say, he is nimble.

Nimble, this means quick and agile.

Dimitri is a nimble delivery driver in Central London.

What makes him unique

is that he uses his bicycle, not a motorbike.

You could also say agile.

Agile, this means able to move easily,

and therefore possibly, quickly.

He is agile and never misses a delivery.

We also have swift.

Swift, this is quick and without any issues.

The swift movements he makes between the cars and the roads

look like a dance he's choreographed.

Next, we have this picture, this person is relaxed.

Relaxed.

Instead of relaxed, you could say easy-going.

Easy-going.

You could not describe my sister as easy-going.

I swear, she's always in a hurry.

You could also say carefree.

Carefree, without any worries or cares.

However, she feels truly carefree

when relaxing in a hammock on holiday.

And we also have unhurried.

Unhurried, not in a rush.

It is in these unhurried moments

that she can truly decompress.

Okay, next category, weather.

Weather.

I'm British, did you really think

I'd make a vocabulary video, and not include the weather?

Let's talk about British people's favourite topic, the rain.

Instead of rainy, we could say drizzly.

Drizzly, this is annoying constant rain.

It's not hard, it's just constant.

London is known for its drizzly days.

You could also say showery.

Showery, these are short rain spells.

We call weather spells, periods of rain.

However, a showery trip to London

can be thoroughly enjoyable.

We also have damp.

Damp, if something is damp, you can feel water.

It's wet, not soaking wet, just wet.

Don't forget your umbrella on these damp days,

you'll regret it if you do.

Next, we have this picture.

There's a storm, it's stormy.

Instead, we could say inclement.

Inclement.

It was sudden how the weather went from sunny to inclement

in a matter of minutes.

You could also say raging.

Raging, if the sky seems angry, because there's a storm,

you could say raging.

We had to run for cover

as the raging winds began to whip around us.

And finally, turbulent.

Turbulent.

The turbulent clouds started to twist

and darken as we drove away.

Next, this picture, her umbrella's inside out, it's windy.

Windy, but instead of windy, we could say blustery.

Blustery, this is a very common word.

Abby was shocked by the blustery weather.

We could also say breezy.

Breezy, this implies a lighter wind.

And on a hot day, a breezy wind can be very welcome.

She was used to breezy days back home,

but this weather was much more intense.

Finally, we have gusty.

A gust of wind is a big force of wind.

So gusty, lots of wind.

The gusty weather broke her umbrella,

and she ended up sitting in her hotel room

for the rest of the day.

Next, we have this picture,

you can only do this when it is hot.

Hot.

Instead of hot, you could say blazing.

Blazing, if that sun is burning down.

What does Christian like to do when it's blazing outside?

He likes to play with the sprinklers.

We also have blistering.

Blistering.

If you think of when you get a sunburn,

it can cause a blister,

so we can talk about the blistering heat or sun.

When the temperature is blistering,

he knows it's time to go outside and have some fun.

Finally, if something's really hot temperature wise,

it's sweltering.

Sweltering.

It's a great way for him to cool down

on sweltering summer days.

Next, we have this picture, it's cold.

Cold, but instead, we could say frigid.

Frigid.

Our neighbour seemed to love

the frigid temperatures of winter.

We could also say biting.

Biting, this is so cold that it seems to bite you

or hurt you.

He would put on his coat and hat and brave the biting winds.

Finally, we have piercing.

Piercing.

Piercing implies painful.

You can have a piercing noise, a piercing wind.

In this case with weather, it means cold.

It never seemed to bother him,

even when the piercing cold temperatures

seemed to freeze me to my core.

Next, we have this picture, it's a beautiful day.

It looks like it is warm.

Warm.

Instead of warm, you could say mild.

Mild, this is a pleasant, warm temperature,

not too hot, not too cold, it's mild.

It was the first mild day of autumn.

You could also say temperate.

Temperate, of a good temperature.

The temperate climate was perfect for a hike and a picnic.

Finally, you could say comfy.

Comfy, it's a comfy, comfortable temperature.

One could get lost roaming the hills,

enjoying the comfy temperature.

Next, lots of clouds in the sky, it's cloudy.

Instead of cloudy, a very common word is overcast.

Overcast.

They knew their trip would be cut short

when they saw the overcast sky.

If the sun is hidden due to the clouds, it's overcast.

We also have dreary.

Dreary, if not a lot of light is getting through,

it's dreary, dull.

The dreary day made for a long drive home.

We also have gloomy.

Gloomy, this implies depressing grey weather

due to the clouds and the lack of light.

It wasn't long before the gloomy sky

turned into a full downpour.

Downpour is heavy rain.

Next, we have this one, quite the opposite,

no clouds, it is a clear sky, it's clear.

Instead of clear, you could say cloudless.

Cloudless, without clouds.

The cloudless sky seemed to stretch for miles.

We also have bright.

Bright.

If there aren't any clouds, the sun will shine brightly.

It will be a bright day, a bright sky.

A bright day meant the mood in town would be cheerful.

Finally, you can say sunny.

This means a lot of sun, no clouds,

there'll be sun in the daytime.

Everyone longed for sunny days.

Okay, we're moving on to a new category, taste and flavour.

Let's start with this one, sweet.

Sweet.

Instead of sweet, you can say treacly.

Treacly, and treacle, this treacly means like treacle.

Treacle is a thick, brown, sweet syrup.

So if something is sweet, thick, dark,

we can call it treacly.

Stephanie brought in an amazing cake,

but the icing was so treacly, I couldn't eat it.

We could also say sugary.

Sugary, full of sugar, very sweet.

I love sugary foods, but this was too much.

We can also say sickly.

Sickly, if something is so sweet or so rich

that it makes you feel sick, sickly.

Chocolate cake is good on its own.

It doesn't need anything sickly sweet added to it.

Okay, this one, what does the sea taste like?

Salt, the sea is salty.

Instead of salty, you could say briny.

Briny.

Briny specifically refers to salt water,

so soup could be briny.

The briny air filled my nose and lungs as we set sail.

You could also say brackish.

Brackish.

Brackish water hit my face and stung my eyes.

Finally, saline.

Saline.

A saline taste was left on my lips after our day out at sea.

Next, we have this, some people love it,

some people hate it, grapefruit.

It tastes bitter.

Bitter.

Instead of bitter, you could say harsh.

Harsh.

Grapefruits have a harsh taste that not everyone enjoys.

You can also say astringent.

Astringent.

It is very astringent and wildly different

from other citrus fruits.

Finally, acrid.

Acrid.

It's better to add a bit of sugar

to get rid of the acrid flavour.

Next, we have this one, this cocktail is sour.

Sour, it's got lots of lemons in it.

Instead of sour, we could say acidic.

Acidic.

Nothing says vacation like an acidic ice cold lemonade.

We could also say sharp.

Sharp.

I enjoy the sharp taste of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

We also have tangy.

Tangy.

Its tangy aroma always helps me relax.

Next, we have this picture, ice cream, it's creamy.

Instead of creamy, you could say rich.

Rich, if a food is very indulgent with quite high fat,

lots of cream, we can call it rich.

Every summer, my mother would make the richest

and most delicious ice cream sandwiches.

We could also say milky.

Milky.

The milky homemade ice cream was out of this world.

We could also say luscious.

Luscious, this means more indulgent than creamy.

Creamy foods can be luscious,

but not all luscious foods are creamy.

I hope she will make this luscious treat for me

when I visit.

Finally, we have this picture, that makes me hungry.

It's a curry, and it is spicy.

Spicy.

Instead of spicy, we can say hot.

Hot curry.

And we're not talking about temperature.

We're talking about temperature of the tongue,

how it makes our tongue feel, hot.

I knew the curry would be hot

when I saw the chilis sitting on top.

We could also have peppery.

Peppery, containing lots of pepper.

This could be both chilli pepper

or the pepper that you put on general cooking,

the black pepper.

I didn't realise just how peppery it would be

until I took the first bite.

Finally, we have fiery.

Fiery, really hot and spicy.

I still have memories of that fiery dish,

and despite the pain, I want to try it again.

Okay, we are on to our final category, appearance.

Appearance.

Firstly, this person, they're a basketball player,

they are very tall.

Tall, instead of tall, you could say gangly.

Gangly, I wouldn't say this is a compliment necessarily,

so be careful saying it to people.

It means they've got long legs,

they're not really controlling them properly.

Despite Josiah's gangly build,

he became a star basketball player.

We could also have lanky.

Lanky, this is someone with long limbs, very tall,

normally quite thin as well.

He was a bit lanky and awkward as a child,

but he proved himself on the court.

Finally, long-legged.

Long-legged.

Now, everyone fears that long-legged powerhouse

when he has the ball.

Next, we have this picture, these buildings are very high.

They're very high.

Instead of high, we could say soaring.

Soaring.

I had never lived in a big city,

and the soaring skyscrapers took some getting used to.

It took me a while to get used to them.

We also have towering.

Towering, like a tall tower.

It felt odd to look up and see these towering glass

and metal structures everywhere I went.

Finally, we have lofty.

Lofty.

We don't have these lofty buildings in the countryside.

Next, we have this picture, small.

Small, small little puppy.

Instead of small, we could say petite.

Petite, a little word we have borrowed

from ze French, the French.

Sorry, French people, that wasn't great French.

We've borrowed it from the French,

but we'll give it back, don't worry.

Carla had always wanted a puppy,

something petite that she could take around with her.

You could also say tiny.

Tiny, very small.

She finally adopted Bella,

a tiny poodle that was only a few weeks old.

We can also say wee.

Wee, this is particularly Scottish, it means little.

Now, that wee dog follows her around everywhere.

Next, we have this picture, they are flamingos,

and they have very thin legs.

Thin, instead of thin, we could say lean.

This means without any fat.

It doesn't mean without any muscle.

If you describe someone who's very lean,

they could have muscle, but just no fat on them.

They couldn't believe the flamingos

were standing right in front of them.

They were lean and very elegant.

The next is not such a nice word, scraggly.

Scraggly, very thin, almost too thin.

Their legs looked like scraggly pink twigs

sticking out of the murky water.

Finally, we have slim.

Slim, this is a nice way to describe a thin person.

They're very slim.

It implies that they're just right, I think,

or not saying they're too thin, not saying they're too big.

It's just what in general people want to be.

It was almost as if it were a forest of slim bamboo

with birds on the tops.

Next, we have this, it's a huge space, it's very wide.

Wide.

Instead of wide, we could say broad.

Broad.

The orchestra began to set up on the broad stage

in the centre of the room.

We could also say spacious.

Spacious with lots of space.

It was a spacious theatre with plenty of seating.

We could also say vast.

Vast, very big.

I knew the sound would be incredible in this vast space.

Quite the opposite in this picture,

this shows a narrow alley, thin.

We could also say slender.

Slender.

I was surprised to see so many slender alleyways

when I went to India.

We could also say tight, if it's so narrow

that it's hard to move, tight.

The tight spaces were only big enough

for a bicycle to get through.

If you really don't have enough room to move, cramped.

Cramped.

However, the cramped space

meant that you could easily talk to your neighbour

if you wanted to.

Next, we have a beautiful room, it's attractive.

Attractive.

Instead of attractive, we could say alluring.

Alluring.

There is nothing I enjoy more

than strolling through the alluring palace of Versailles.

You could also say enticing.

Enticing, that's like attractive and exciting.

The enticing paintings and tapestries

on the wall are to die for.

You could also say glamorous.

Glamorous, if it looks very attractive and luxurious.

Don't even get me started

on the glamorous chandeliers and statues.

Quite the opposite here,

these men are filthy or dirty, covered in dirt.

You could also say dishevelled, as in untidy,

maybe not covered in dirt, but very untidy.

We returned from the rugby match completely dishevelled,

and in need of showers.

You could also say grimy, covered in grime.

This is dirt that sticks to you.

We left our grimy boots outside the house.

Finally, grubby.

Grubby, covered in dirt.

Mum would've been livid if we'd left her floor all grubby.

Next, we have a picture of a very minimalistic room.

It's plain.

Plain, it's not got much of interest to it.

Instead of plain, we could say ordinary.

Ordinary, there's nothing special about it.

My dad's house is fairly ordinary.

It's not too big or too small.

You could also say simple.

Simple.

He likes to keep things simple,

so he has white walls with few accessories.

Finally, we have conventional.

Conventional.

It's a more conventional style, but it feels homely.

Okay, last one.

This one, it's not immediately obvious,

but it's not the most beautiful fruit

you've ever seen, right?

We could call it ugly.

Ugly.

Instead of ugly, you could say unsightly.

Unsightly, not nice to look at.

Most people don't choose unsightly fruits.

They want ones with bright colours.

You could also say unattractive.

Unattractive.

I actually prefer them.

The more unattractive, the better for me.

Finally, displeasing.

Displeasing.

The reason is that fewer people

touch and squeeze the displeasing fruits,

which means that they're still beautiful on the inside.

Wow, can you believe that, that is over 250 new words,

in context, with pictures for you to use.

I hope that lots of them are now stored in your brain.

They won't all be yet.

You can't learn all of them in one day,

but that's why we've created that free ebook

for you to download.

We've got some exercises in there.

Click on the link in the description box,

you enter your name and your email address,

you sign up to my mailing list,

and the ebook will arrive directly in your inbox.

After that, you'll automatically receive my free PDFs,

and my news, course updates, and offers.

It's a free service, you can unsubscribe at any time.

And if you're really looking to drastically expand

your vocabulary in a short amount of time,

I've got that special offer,

the special price on my Vocabulary Expansion Challenge.

The results from that challenge are phenomenal.

Have a look, see if it's the right fit for you,

and check out that special offer.

Right, that's it for me.

Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.

I've got my Instagram, EnglishwithLucy.

I've got my personal one @Lucy as well,

where you can see my life.

You can also see my website, englishwithlucy.co.uk,

where I have a fabulous interactive pronunciation tool.

You can click on the phonemes,

and hear me say those phonemes,

and say words containing those phonemes.

If you are interested in improving your vocabulary

and your listening skills even further,

then I also have my vlogging channel, Lucy Bella,

where I document my life here in the English countryside.

All of the vlogs are fully subtitled,

so you can use them to improve your vocabulary

and your listening skills.

That's all from me, I will see you very soon.

First photo.

Oh, I won't make the sound effect, sorry.

He just sat there feeling unsettled.

(Lucy humming)

Sesame Street!

Oh, I can't believe I forgot that.

Don't know why I did jazz hands there.

(Lucy humming)

Peckish didn't begin to.

Is it a tostada?

Oh, it looks lovely.

(Lucy humming)

Hello, hello, cool.

Hello, hello.

Ah, dear.

Next.

Oh, come on then, Diego.

Wait, if you go around this way (laughs).

Look who it is, it's my doggy.

Mind my paper!

I've just realised the best thing ever.

Next, we have this picture.

They are flamingos.

Flamingos (chuckles).

I was thinking of flamingo (mumbles).

(Lucy humming)

I'm in a really good mood (laughs).

(upbeat music begins)