Test Your English Vocabulary: SHAPES & PATTERNS

Hello. I'm Gill at engVid, and today we have a lesson on vocabulary for describing shapes

and patterns. Okay? So, we've started with on the board some geometrical shapes, and

I wonder whether you know how to describe each one. So, okay, so this one is a shape

with all equal sides, whereas this one is a shape with two sides are longer and two

sides are shorter, so I wonder if you know how to describe those. Okay? So, I've given

you a bit of time to think, and now I'm going to write each word on the board underneath.

So, beginning with "s", does that help if you haven't already thought of it? Okay. "Q",

"U", "A", "R", "E". Okay, so that's a square with equal sides. Right? And this one, have

you thought what that is? If I put the first letter, letter "R". Okay. "R", "E". "E". Okay.

Rectangle, so unequal sides, two sides are equal, and then another two. Okay, good. And

then what about this one with three sides? What... How would you describe that one? I'll

give you a clue with the first letter. Okay. And the three, that's a clue to the name of

it, so "tri", which means three. "Triangle", because each one of these is an angle, so

you have three sides and three angles. Three angles. Okay. Triangle. Right. So, next one.

Like this, so what's... What's the name for that? Two words, actually, but the noun, the

main noun begins with a "C". Okay. "Ci", a circle, and there's also an adjective which

begins with an "R" if you're just describing the shape with an adjective. Okay. You can

say it's a round shape, but to use a noun, it's a circle. Okay. So, if that's a circle,

what about this rather sort of squashed one? Can you think of a word for that? Okay, so

beginning with "O". An "oval", which comes from the word for "egg", actually, the Latin

word for "egg", "oval". So, there we are.

So, in the second part of the lesson, we're looking at patterns. So, this is useful if

you ever need to describe the pattern on some clothes or in a painting, in an abstract painting

maybe where there's just shapes. In clothes, you could... This is an example here. I'm

wearing a top with pink and grey... Whatever that word is for these pink and grey things,

so how would you describe that, I wonder? So... Okay, so what I've got here, then, I've

got a list on the left of different patterns, and I hope you like the colours. I've gone

to a lot of trouble with the colours. And then we have a list of words to describe the

patterns, except these words are not in the right order, so it's a little test for you

to see if you can work out which word belongs to each pattern. Okay? So, shall we go through

and we can gradually draw a line between each one to link them up? Okay?

So, this one here is a little bit like my jumper, here, with pink and grey, whatever

they are. So, how would you describe those? Can you find a word on the list here that

is the best word to describe those lines? Okay. So, I'll give you a clue. It begins

with "s", so several of these begin with "s". Which one do you think it is? So, these are

pink and grey stripes. Okay? Stripes. So, those are the stripes, and here's the word,

so "stripes", it's that one. Okay? Right. Good.

So, on to the next one, then. So, this sort of blue-green one with sharp lines like that,

pointed lines, how would you describe that? Can you see a word on the list that suggests

that sort of thing? Okay. This is a slightly unusual one. So, I'll give you a clue. If

you think that this sort of shape is like a letter in the alphabet, what letter could

that be that goes like that? I think that's partly why this word is used to describe that

pattern. Okay. So, it's a bit like a "z" or a "z", however you pronounce it. So, there's

the "z". "Zigzag". So, that's called a zigzag. So, here we are. There's the zigzag. Okay.

Good.

Okay, so the next one, this one here, the pink lines like that. So, any ideas which

one that could be? So, the lines are actually crossing over each other, aren't they? Crossing,

so there's a clue for you which one has the word "cross" in it. So, in fact, it's right

opposite. It is actually in the right place this time. So... So, that's called "criss-cross".

I mean, "criss", why? I don't know. It just sounds good, I think, rather than just saying

"cross", "crosses". It's "criss-cross", "criss-cross". It just sounds funny, I suppose. Okay? So,

those are criss-crosses.

Right, so next one, we have this a bit like... What would you say? Like the sea? What are

they called when the sea goes like that and comes up onto the beach? Any ideas? There

aren't so many to choose from now, so which ones are left? So, the waves of the sea, these

are like waves, so "wavy line", that's a wavy line. Okay. "Wavy line". Right, so next we

have these little orange... What are they? Do you see what's left? There's not so many

left now to choose from. Okay, so... So, this one, they're either called "dots" or "spots",

which rhymes, so it's easy to remember they're similar. And it's a bit like "dot, dot, dot,

dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot". It's almost like onomatopoeia where the word suggests

a sound. Okay, so when you make the dots, you might be making the sound of dots, "bop,

bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop", "dot, dot, dot, dot, dot", like that. So, perhaps it's

easy to remember that way. Okay, so "dots" or "spots", there we are. So, what's next?

This purple whatever, what's left? Not many left now to choose from. So, which do you

think it is? You might think of in a building, in some buildings you have a tall tower, maybe

round tower, and there's a staircase that goes up, and it's called a something staircase,

and it's this word, you go up and you go round and round as you go up. So, it's a spiral,

spiral staircase. Okay, which you get in old buildings quite often, castles and old towers,

medieval buildings, they have a spiral staircase that goes up and obviously down again. So,

that's a spiral shape. Okay? So, this one looks the same except it's on its side, so

I tried to make it look different. So, but this also is a certain kind of shape, so I

wonder. We've only got three possibilities left now, so you can probably work out what

it isn't. So, let's see. I'd say it's that one called a swirl, swirling shape. Okay,

so there's a swirl. Right. So, then we just have two left, and I think it's pretty obvious

now which they are from what's left over. So, this one with black and white little squares,

and this one. So, let's look at this one. Which could that be? Okay. So, that one there,

checks. So... Ooh, these lines are getting very... Ooh, there we are. That's the checks,

a check pattern. And so what's left? This one. So, which one haven't we used? Flowery

or floral. Okay? Ooh, there we are. So, and then all of these words... Dots, you can also

say dotty or dotted. And spots, you can say spotty or spotted. Swirly, you could put a

letter "y" on the end and say swirly, a swirly pattern or just a swirl. Stripes, you can

say stripey. This is stripey or striped with "ed" at the end. Waves, I suppose you could

say waves rather than wavy, but wavy is more usual. So, there are little variations in

the words, but these are the basic words for all these patterns.

Okay, so, well I hope that's been useful and maybe you've learned a little bit more vocabulary.

And if you ever see a nice pattern on somebody's dress or shirt, or if you're in an art gallery

and you see an interesting painting with some shapes and patterns on it, maybe a piece of

modern art which might have geometrical shapes or anything like this, I hope it will help

you to be able to describe what you see.

Okay, so, well that's the end of the lesson for today, and do subscribe if you haven't

already and if you've enjoyed the lesson, and see you again soon. Okay. Bye for now.