Read this short story about the British weather.
I left the house with a brolly in my bag because the weather forecast had predicted light showers and, sure enough, as soon as I got outside I felt drizzle. I put up my brolly and hurried along, but there was a huge gust of wind that blew it inside out. As I struggled to fix the brolly the drizzle started to turn into a shower. I ran under a nearby bus stop to take shelter and the heavens opened, it started pouring down, really bucketing down. My brolly was beyond repair so I threw it in a nearby bin and just sat and watched the downpour. After about five minutes it stopped and the sun came out so I carried on walking, but after about a minute it started spitting again and I had to shelter in a shop. This time it was just a quick shower and when I went back outside it was mild with a warm breeze. However as I continued along the street a car run through a huge puddle in the road and splashed me, I was soaked from head to toe.
Match these definitions to the highlighted words in the story.
1. Light rain:
2. Rain for a short period:
3. Umbrella (slang):
4. Very wet/covered in water:
5. Heavy rain (phrasal verb):
6. One strong action of the wind:
7. Heavy rain (noun):
8. Light rain at the beginning of a shower or downpour:
9. Light wind:
10. Body of water in the street:
11. Rained heavily (idiom):
Put the correct weather-related idioms into gaps, paying careful attention to the form.
under the weather rain on someone's parade every cloud has a silver lining
head in the clouds storm in a teacup get wind of something
it never rains but it pours under a cloud hot under the collar
blow hot and cold make heavy weather of something any port in a storm
1. I only touched his new car and he went crazy. He is over-protective of it and made a real __________.
2. He has been __________ ever since he was caught cheating in the exam. Everyone looks at him strangely and it will take him a long time before he is trusted again.
3. If you are feeling a bit __________, go and have a walk around the block, get some fresh air and try and calm down a bit.
4. Are you feeling a bit __________? You have been looking a bit tired and ill since you arrived in the office this morning.
5. First the bank sent us that rude letter about our loan, then the house got broken into to, then this morning John lost his job! __________.
6. I can never tell what mood she is going to be in. She always __________ and you have to be really careful around her.
7. When I lost my job three years ago, I felt so depressed but it is true that __________: I started my own business and have been happier ever since.
8. We don't have hardly any money. You will have to accept any job they offer you because we need to money desperately. We have to accept __________.
9. Your uncle was so happy about his new model car that he had finished but his wife turned round and really __________ saying it was just a toy for kids.
10. It was only five miles to the next hostel but we __________ of it due to the weight of the packs and took nearly three hours to get there.
11. I never knew about the chance of a new job at all. I only __________ from Kathy who had overheard the managers talking at lunch in the staff canteen.
12. Daisy always __________ - a real dreamer who finds it difficult to accept the mundane in life. She is a typical teenager!
Word Part of speech | Meaning | Example Sentence |
airconditioner/airconditioning noun | an appliance that cools down the air in a home or building | The airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside. |
avalanche noun | a dangerous slide of snow down a mountain | The skiers were warned about a possible avalanche. |
below freezing preposition/adjective | temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F) | It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend. |
blizzard noun | a storm with lots of snow and wind | The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard. |
boiling hot adjective + noun | common expression for describing a very hot day | It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake. |
breeze noun | light wind | Don't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean. |
Celsius noun | measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling) | In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius. |
chilly adjective | cold | It's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat. |
clear adjective | when the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sun | On a clear night you can see a lot of stars. |
cloud/cloudy noun/adjective | water in the sky that appears as a white or grey mass | It may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon. |
cold spell adjective + noun | a period of colder than average weather | They're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip. |
cool adjective | temperature in between warm and cold | The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping. |
degrees noun | measurement for temperature | I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside. |
drizzling continuous verb | raining slightly | I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now. |
drought noun | a long period with no rainfall | Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought. |
Fahrenheit noun | measurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling) | It was 100 degrees Fahrenheitwhen we got to San Francisco. |
flood noun | overflow of rain water | The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water. |
flurries noun | very light snowfall | There are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads. |
fog/foggy noun/adjective | thick water vapor that blocks one's vision | We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog. |
forecast noun/verb | the expected weather for the future | According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day. |
freezing cold adjective + noun | common expression used to describe a very cold day | It was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade. |
frost noun | ice crystals on a frozen surface | Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost. |
frostbite noun | a skin condition caused by over exposure to the cold (typically reddish skin with white spots) | I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up with frostbite on my ears. |
hail noun | small pieces of ice that fall during a storm | There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed. |
heat stroke noun | a flu-like condition one can acquire after spending too long in the sun | Bring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather. |
heat-wave noun | extremely hot weather that is much higher than average--usually lasts a short time | During the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs. |
humid/humidity adjective/noun | moisture in the air | It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity. |
hurricane noun | a tropical storm with very strong wind and rain | Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane. |
icy adjective | slippery because of ice | The roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills. |
lightning noun | electrical discharge and flash between a cloud and the ground | The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards think lightning is coming. |
mild adjective | temperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season) | It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens. |
meteorologist noun | a person who studies weather patterns | The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now. |
minus/negative adjective | indicates that a temperature is below zero | It was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill. |
overcast adjective | no sun is visible | The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon. |
partly cloudy adverb + adjective | term often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and cloudy at the same time | Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall. |
precipitation noun | rain or snow that falls on an area | There is very little precipitation in the desert. |
puddle noun | collection of rain water | Children love to splash in puddleswhen they are wearing rubber boots. |
rain/raining/rainy noun/continuous verb/adjective | water that falls to earth | My hair is all wet and messy from the rain. |
raindrop noun | a single measurement of rain | I love catching raindrops on my tongue. |
rainbow noun | a band of colours found in the sky after a rainfall | According to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. |
raining cats and dogs idiom | raining heavily | They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs. |
scorching/a scorcher adjective/noun | extremely hot temperature/a very hot day | It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement. |
season noun | time of year characterized by certain weather Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall (or Autumn) | My favorite season is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours. |
shower noun | quick/light rainstorm | They've been calling for showersall week, but so far it's been dry. |
sleet(similar to hail) noun | rain that freezes as it falls | All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet. |
slush/slushy noun/adjective | snow on the ground that has been rained on | The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain. |
smog noun | heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollution | You really notice the smogdowntown in this type of humidity. |
snow/snowy/snowing noun/adjective/ continuous verb | frozen water that warms slightly as it falls to earth | It is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year. |
snowstorm noun | large amounts of wind and snow | All of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm. |
sun/sunshine/sunny noun/noun/adjective | the gassy star that warms the earth | We hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic. |
sunburn noun | painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too long | The bald man got a sunburn on his head. |
sunglasses/shades noun | dark eyewear that protects you from the sun | I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun. |
suntan/tanned noun(also verb)/adjective(also verb) | brown/golden skin caused by long periods of sun exposure | I got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away. |
sunscreen/suntan lotion noun | cream that protects your skin from sun damage | Don't forget to reapply yoursunscreen when you get out of the lake. |
temperature noun | how warm or cold the air is | Can you check the temperaturebefore we get dressed for our walk? |
thermometer noun | instrument for measuring the temperature of the air | When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometersaid it was already thirty degrees Celsius. |
thunder/thunderstorm noun | thunder is a loud noise after lightning, caused by rapid expansion of air superheated by the lightning | Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming. |
tornado/cyclone noun | violently spinning windstorm | The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars. |
umbrella noun | held over one's head and body for rain protection | I always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain. |
UV (ultra violet) rays noun | the damaging rays from the sun | Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen. |
wind/windy noun/adjective | blowing air outside | It's too windy to play golf today. |
wind chill factor noun | when the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperature | It's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen. |