Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4
4 HOLIDAYS
Page 33
birthday  /ˈbɜː(r)θdeɪ/ Noun
your birthday is the day you were born, which you
celebrate every year on the same day
my birthday is in February | a birthday party | a birthday
present | a birthday surprise | when is your birthday? |
my birthday is on a Saturday this year | happy birthday!
(what you say to someone on their birthday) | it’s his
21st birthday tomorrow
celebrate  /ˈseləˌbreɪt/ Verb
if you celebrate something special like a birthday or
anniversary, you do something for pleasure like have a
party or go to a restaurant
we’re going to celebrate her birthday with a weekend
in Bratislava | July 4th is a public holiday to celebrate
American independence from Britain | my parents are
celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary (they have
been married for exactly 20 years) | I passed all my
exams and now I’m going to celebrate
Noun: celebration
cold  /kəʊld/ Noun
a cold is an illness. When you have a cold, it’s difficult to
breathe easily through your nose and you sneeze a lot,
but it’s not a very serious illness
Collocates:  have a cold | catch/get a cold | a bad cold |
a heavy cold
I had a bad cold and didn’t go to work | you’ll catch cold
(start to have a cold) if you stay outside in the rain | he’s
in bed with a heavy cold | I don’t want to give you my
cold | I think I’m getting a cold | she had a cold all
last week
flower  /ˈflaʊə(r)/ Noun
flowers are the coloured parts of a plant or tree that
appear once a year for a while. People use flowers to
make a room look nice
Collocates:  a bunch of flowers
he gave her a bunch of flowers on her birthday | pick
some flowers (take them off the plant) | put the flowers
in a vase | those flowers smell lovely | I grow vegetables
and flowers in the garden
laugh  /lɑːf/ Verb
if you laugh, you make a noise that shows you think
something is funny
Collocates:  laugh at someone | laugh about something
we sang songs and laughed a lot | I couldn’t stop
laughing | she tried not to laugh | he’s always laughing
at me (saying he thinks I’m silly) | we laughed about it
afterwards | everyone laughed at his jokes | she burst
out laughing (suddenly started to laugh)
Noun: laugh
match  /mætʃ/ Noun
a match is a sports competition between two people
or teams
we watched a football match on TV last night | are you
going to the match tomorrow? | who won the match?
| we’ve got a match against Arsenal on Saturday | a
tennis match | a match between Federer and Murray |
we lost the match yesterday
nightlife  /ˈnaɪtˌlaɪf/ Noun uncount
nightlife is all the things that people can do to enjoy
themselves in a city during the evening and night when
they are not working
I enjoyed the nightlife when I lived in London | he chose
to live in Manchester because of the nightlife | it’s just a
village, and there’s no nightlife here | a city that’s famous
for its nightlife | is there much nightlife in Newcastle?
picnic  /ˈpɪknɪk/ Noun
a picnic is a meal that you take with you to eat outside,
usually out in the country
we went for a picnic in the park | they had a picnic on
the beach | let’s take a picnic with us | a picnic lunch |
we’ll have a picnic if it doesn’t rain | who wants to come
on a picnic?
rent  /rent/ Verb
if you rent a boat, a bike, or a car, you pay money to be
able to use it for a period of time. If you rent a house or
flat, you pay money to the owner so that you can live in it
we rented a boat on the lake | she rented a car for a
week | they rented a house near the beach | we rented
for several years but finally bought our own house last
month | let’s rent some bikes for the afternoon
Noun: rent
sightseeing  /ˈsaɪtˌsiːɪŋ/ Noun uncount
if you go sightseeing, you go around somewhere looking
at the interesting buildings and places that tourists like
to see
Collocates:  a sightseeing tour | go sightseeing
we went on a sightseeing tour down the river | on
Saturday you can choose between going sightseeing
or going shopping | we went sightseeing every day in
Lisbon | they spent the day sightseeing
Noun: sightseer
snow  /snəʊ/ Noun uncount
snow is very cold, white rain that falls from the sky and
lies on the ground
Collocates:  heavy snow | fresh snow
the garden was covered in fresh snow | there was heavy
snow last night | it’s unusual to have snow in April |
the airport was closed because of snow | we walked
through the deep snow | 20 centimetres of snow fell in
the night
Verb: snow | Adjective: snowy
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  1

stay  /steɪ/ Verb
if you stay somewhere, you live there for a short while
we stayed in a hotel in Paris for a week | I’m staying
with my brother for a few days | where did you stay in
New York? | well they can’t stay here – we haven’t got
enough room | how long did you stay there?
Noun: stay
Pages 34–35
decide  /dɪˈsaɪd/ Verb
if you decide something, you choose what action to take
after thinking about it
Collocates:  decide to do something | decide that |
decide on something | decide what/where/how
we decided to go to the cinema | she decided that she
would try to get a new job | have you decided where
you are going to university? | I can’t decide what to do | I
decided to stay another week in London | I can’t decide
on the best colour to paint my bedroom | he still hasn’t
decided how to spend his birthday money
Noun: decision
Collocates:  a decision about something | make a
decision
documentary  /ˌdɒkjʊˈment(ə)ri/ Noun
a documentary is a television programme that gives
information about a particular subject
I watched a documentary about Swiss banks | an
interesting documentary | a documentary film maker |
a TV documentary
exam  /ɪɡˈzæm/ Noun
an exam is an important test that you do at school or
university
Collocates:  pass an exam | fail an exam | take an exam
I spent all weekend studying for an exam | when do your
exams start? | she passed all her exams (succeeded
in all of them) | he did all right in maths but failed his
English exam (did not succeed in it) | I have to take
my exams at the end of the year | it was a really
difficult exam
festival  /ˈfestɪv(ə)l/ Noun
a festival is a period of time during which a lot of events
take place somewhere, such as concerts, theatre
performances, films etc.
Collocates:  a music/jazz/rock/theatre festival
we went to a three-day rock festival | the festival is held
every year in August | Glastonbury Festival takes place
on a farm in Somerset | a festival of classical music | did
you get tickets for the festival? | 20,000 people came to
the festival
free  /friː/ Adjective
if something is free, you can have it and do not have to
pay for it
Collocates:  for free
there was a free concert in the park | tickets are free
| children are allowed into the exhibition free | the
museum is free on Sundays | he gave it to us for free |
you get a free drink if you buy a meal here
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4
grandparent  /ˈɡræn(d)ˌpeərənt/ Noun
your grandparents are the parents of your mother
and father. A grandparent is either a grandfather or a
grandmother
are your grandparents still alive? | my grandparents are
really old now | she’s only got three grandparents – one
of her grandfathers died last year | we’re going to visit
my grandparents next weekend
Noun: grandfather | Noun: grandmother
headache  /ˈhedeɪk/ Noun
if you have a headache, your head hurts, for example
because you are ill
I had a headache so I stayed at home | all that loud
music gave me a headache | she took an aspirin for her
headache (to make it better) | I get a headache if I
drink coffee
lake  /leɪk/ Noun
a lake is a large area of water, like a sea, but with land all
around it
we rented a boat and went on the lake | she swam in the
lake | the lake is very deep | we stayed in a hotel by the
lake | Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world
market  /ˈmɑː(r)kɪt/ Noun
a market is a place outdoors in a town where people
bring things to sell on a particular day. Some towns have
a market once a week in the main square or just in
the streets
we went to the market to buy some fruit | a fish market |
there’s a market in the town every Wednesday | a street
market | the market square (the place in some towns
where markets are held) | we spent an hour looking
round the market
party  /ˈpɑː(r)ti/ Noun
a party is an event where people enjoy themselves by
doing things like drinking, eating, dancing, and talking to
each other
Collocates:  throw a party | have a party
we had a party at the weekend | an invitation to a party
| we decided to throw a party (have a party) | a birthday
party | the party went on till 4 in the morning | are you
coming to the party on Saturday?
show  /ʃəʊ/ Verb
if you show someone something, you let them see it and
explain things about it to them
Collocates:  show someone round somewhere | show
someone something | show something to someone
I showed them round the city | will you show me your
photos? | let me show you my new jacket | John will
show you where the bathroom is | she showed me the
garden | I showed the book to my teacher
usual  /ˈjuːʒʊəl/ Adjective
something that is usual happens normally or regularly
Collocates:  as usual
we played tennis, watched TV, all the usual things | she
got up at 7 as usual | let’s meet in the usual place (the
same place where we always meet) | it was much hotter
than usual
Adverb: usually || Opposite – Adjective: unusual
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  2

Pages 36–37
call  /kɔːl/ Verb
if you call someone, you phone them
I called my mum, but she didn’t answer | call me
tomorrow after school | I’ll call you this evening | can I
call you back later? | don’t call me when I’m at work
Noun: call
Collocates:  give someone a call
clear  /klɪə(r)/ Adjective
if it is clear, there are not many clouds in the sky and
there is a lot of light outside
the weather was very clear and sunny | a lovely clear
day | a clear sky (with no clouds at all)
cloud  /klaʊd/ Noun
clouds are the white or grey things up in the sky which
can drop rain onto the ground
there wasn’t a cloud in the sky | we could just see the
moon through the clouds | there were thick clouds in the
distance | black clouds | rain clouds | pretty white clouds
floated across the sky
Adjective: cloudy
date  /deɪt/ Noun
the date is the day and the month, and sometimes the
year of a particular day
today’s date is Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 | what date is
your birthday? | the date of the next meeting | what’s the
date today? | I can never remember the date | write the
date at the top of the page
Verb: date
fire  /ˈfaɪə(r)/ Noun
a fire is a pile of burning wood or other things that
produces flames and heat
Collocates:  catch fire | light a fire | set fire to something
we had a fire on the beach | we sat around the fire and
sang songs | his clothes caught fire (started to burn) | the
factory was badly damaged in the fire | we decided to
light a fire in the garden | somebody set fire (started a
fire) to his car
get in  /ˌɡet ˈɪn/ Phrasal verb
if you get in somewhere, you go from the outside of it to
the inside of it
I lost my key and had to break a window to get in the
house | they got in through a window at the back |
she got in the car and drove to work | you can’t get in
without a key | how did the thieves get in? | hurry up and
get in the car
holiday  /ˈhɒlɪdeɪ/ Noun
a holiday is a period of time when you do not have to
work. If you go on holiday, you go and stay somewhere
away from where you live in order to have a nice time
Collocates:  go on holiday
we usually go to Spain on holiday | have you been on
holiday this year? | where are you going on holiday? |
I only get two weeks’ holiday a year | a public holiday
(a day when all the businesses in a country are closed
for a special celebration) | a summer holiday | we had a
lovely holiday in Wales
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4
miss  /mɪs/ Verb
if you miss something, you are not there when it
happens or arrives. If you miss a day of school, you are
not there, for example because you are ill. If you miss
a plane or train, you arrive at the station or airport after
your train or plane has already left
I missed the train and was late for work | I was in France
last week so I missed my dad’s birthday | hurry up or
you’ll miss the plane | we missed the first ten minutes of
the film
neighbour  /ˈneɪbə(r)/ Noun
your neighbours are the people who live very near you,
in the same street. Your next-door neighbour is a person
who lives in the house or flat that is next to yours
Collocates:  next-door neighbour
we get on very well with our neighbours | our neighbours
are very friendly | it’s not nice having noisy neighbours |
our next-door neighbours are German | the neighbours
look after our cat when we’re away
present  /ˈprez(ə)nt/ Noun
a present is something you give to someone, for
example when it is their birthday or at Christmas
Collocates:  a birthday/Christmas present | give someone
a present
I need to buy my dad a birthday present | it was a very
generous present | they gave us a box of chocolates
as a present | a leaving present (a present given to
someone when they leave their job) | she got a lot
of Christmas presents | are you going to open your
present?
season  /ˈsiːz(ə)n/ Noun
the four seasons are the four different periods that a
year is divided into. They are summer, when it is hot;
autumn, when the trees lose their leaves; winter, when it
is cold; and spring, when everything starts growing again
what’s your favourite season? | the rainy season | what
season comes after winter?
sky  /skaɪ/ Noun
the sky is everything above you when you are outside.
On a nice day, the sky is blue. You can see the sun and
the moon in the sky
there wasn’t a cloud in the sky | the sky was blue | in the
morning there was a clear sky | a cloudy sky | Sunday
will bring sunny skies and warmer temperatures
song  /sɒŋ/ Noun
a song is a piece of music with words that you can sing
Collocates:  sing a song
we sat around the fire and sang songs | a pop song
| a love song | I heard a great song on the radio this
morning | Lennon and McCartney wrote some famous
songs | I can remember all the words to that song
sunny  /ˈsʌni/ Adjective
if it is sunny, the sun is bright in the sky and there aren’t
many clouds
the day was lovely and sunny | a warm, sunny afternoon
| we found a sunny place to sit | the garden is very sunny
in the afternoon | it was hot and sunny outside
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  3

treat  /triːt/ Verb
to treat someone in a particular way means to behave
towards them in that way
Collocates:  treat someone well/badly
they always treat us very well | I don’t like the way he
treats his children | he treats them very badly | teachers
are expected to treat everyone in the same way | stop
treating me like a child
Noun: treatment
view  /vjuː/ Noun
the view is everything you can see from a particular place
Collocates:  a view over something
there were great views as we went up the mountain | the
hotel has a view over the Mediterranean | I love the view
from my bedroom window | a room with a sea view (a
view over the sea) | what a lovely view
warm  /wɔː(r)m/ Adjective
if it is warm, the temperature is quite high, but it is
not hot
come on – the sea’s lovely and warm | it’s going to be
warm and sunny tomorrow | a warm summer’s day | it’s
usually quite warm here in April | make sure you bring
some warm clothes (that will keep you warm)
Pages 38–39
car  /kɑː(r)/ Noun
a car is a machine that has an engine and four wheels,
and that can carry people on the roads
we rented a car for a week | my car is outside | you can
park your car in my garage | I have to sell my car | I
never learned to drive a car | there’s something wrong
with the car | she wouldn’t lend him her car
fly  /flaɪ/ Verb
if you fly somewhere, you go there in a plane
we flew to Helsinki | I’d rather go by train than fly | you
can fly direct from London to Seattle (without stopping
on the way) | we flew economy to Berlin (we had the
cheapest possible tickets) | I’ve only once flown business
class (in more comfortable and more expensive seats) |
British Airways flies to over 300 different airports in
the world
Noun: flight
fruit  /fruːt/ Noun uncount
fruit are things like apples and oranges that have seeds
inside them, and that you can eat. The plural of fruit is
fruit or fruits
they eat lots of fruit in Italy | a piece of fruit | fresh fruit |
you should eat fruit and vegetables every day | fruit is
good for you | fruit juice | the tree produced fruits after
three years
fun  /fʌn/ Adjective
if something is fun, you enjoy it a lot and it gives
you pleasure
Seoul is a fun city | she’s such a fun person to be with |
we had a fun evening with our neighbours
Noun: fun
Collocates:  have fun | great fun
Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4
rain  /reɪn/ Verb
when it rains, water falls out of the sky in drops
Collocates:  rain heavily | rain hard
it’s raining again | it always rains when we go to
Manchester | I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow | it rained
for hours in the night | I think it’s going to start raining
| has it stopped raining yet? | it rained heavily all
afternoon | it rained hard then cleared after half an hour
Noun: rain | Adjective: rainy
Collocates:  heavy rain
rice  /raɪs/ Noun uncount
rice is a food that is the white or brown seeds that grow
on a sort of grass
they eat a lot of fruit and rice here | we have rice nearly
every day | boiled rice | fried rice | do you want rice or
chips with your meat? | pour the sauce over the rice |
you need 50 grams of rice per person (for each person)
sheep  /ʃiːp/ Noun
a sheep is an animal with a wool coat and four legs.
Sheep are used to provide wool and meat, which is
called lamb. The word sheep is used as the singular and
also as the plural: one sheep, two sheep
we saw a lot of sheep in Ireland | a field full of sheep |
can you see the sheep up on the hill? | a sheep farmer
| the sheep have just been shorn (they have had their
coats cut off for wool) | a flock of sheep (a group of
sheep together)
trip  /trɪp/ Noun
a trip is a journey you make somewhere
how was your trip to Korea? | did you have a good trip?
| we’re planning a trip to see the Taj Mahal in India | a
three-week trip across the US | the round trip took 12
hours (a journey that returns to where you started from)
| a day trip to Stratford (a trip for just one day) | a school
trip (an organised visit to somewhere interesting)
weather  /ˈweðə(r)/ Noun uncount
the weather is the conditions outside – rain, sunshine,
snow, cold etc.
Collocates:  fine weather | good weather
the weather is usually good in August | what’s the
weather like in Moscow? | did you have good weather
on your holiday? | the weather turned cold | we had bad
weather last week | the weather’s lovely today | we had
a week of fine weather in Ullapool
Page 40
ability  /əˈbɪləti/ Noun
ability is the fact of being able to do something
Collocates:  ability to do something
sight is the ability to see things | he had abilities similar
to a five-year-old human | I wanted to be a footballer but
didn’t have the ability
Adjective: able
Collocates:  able to do something
© 2017 National Geographic Learning  4
 Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4

adult  /ˈædʌlt/ Noun sound  /saʊnd/ Noun

an adult is a human or animal who is no longer growing.
People start being adults when they are about 18 years old
they believe adult parrots can think and communicate
| entry to the museum is £5 for adults, but children go
in free | only 33% of adults said they preferred tea to
coffee | school groups need one adult for every
seven children
colour  /ˈkʌlə(r)/ Noun
red, green, blue, yellow, orange, white, pink, etc. are
all colours
parrots understand size and colour | what colour is your
bike? | we painted the walls a really nice colour | my
favourite colour is yellow | the photos in this book are all
in black and white, not in colour
communicate  /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ Verb
if you communicate with someone, you exchange
information with them, for example by talking to them or
sending them an email or letter or phoning them
scientists believe that parrots can communicate | when
I was in Finland, I communicated with my parents by
Twitter and Facebook | how do ants communicate? | we
communicate by email
Noun: communication
die  /daɪ/ Verb
when a person or animal dies, they stop being alive and
their life ends
Churchill died in 1965 | when did he die? | she died
after a long illness | millions died in World War Two | my
grandfather died last year | he died of cancer | she died
suddenly last week
pet  /pet/ Noun
a pet is an animal that you keep at home
do you have any pets? | parrots make very good pets |
I always wanted a pet when I was a child | a pet dog |
pets are good for children
a sound is any noise that you can hear
parrots can repeat sounds | can you turn the sound up
(make a TV or radio louder) | did you hear that sound? |
they heard a sound coming from upstairs | the sound of
music came up from the street
understand  /ˌʌndə(r)ˈstænd/ Verb
if you understand something, you know what it means or
how it works
can you understand Italian? | I don’t understand this
word | I still don’t understand how mobile phones work |
once I explained it to him, he understood
TAKE (TOOK, TAKEN, TAKING)
Take can mean different things. Look at the examples
below. Translate them. How many different verbs in your
language do you use?
transport:  it’s best to take the bus there / I usually take
the train to work / I don’t want to take the car / take a taxi
from the airport
do:  I want to take a course in cooking / you take an exam
at the end of the course / can you take a photo of us?
move / carry to a place:  my dad takes us to school in the
car / I can take you to the station / take my bag to the room
how long:  It takes three hours to get there from here /
the cake takes 30 minutes to cook / it takes a long time to
learn to speak English well
remove:  can you take your papers off the table? / don’t
take anything without asking / take your coat off
hold:  can you take my coat for a second? / take the
umbrella / take my hand
medicine:  take an aspirin for your headache / take two of
these with your meal / never take drugs

repeat  /rɪˈpiːt/ Verb

if you repeat something, you do it or say it again
parrots can repeat sounds (they can copy them) | I can’t
hear you, can you repeat that, please? | you don’t want
to repeat the same mistake

size  /saɪz/ Noun

the size of something is how big or small it is. If clothes
are your size, they fit you. If they are the wrong size, they
are too big or too small and do not fit you
parrots understand size and colour | it’s a nice dress but
it’s the wrong size for me | I couldn’t believe the size of
the building | what size shoes do you take? | they didn’t
have my size
Suffix: -sized

© 2017 National Geographic Learning  5

 Outcomes Elementary Vocabulary Builder  Unit 4

EXERCISES

Prepositions Collocations
A Choose the correct preposition. E Complete the sentences with the correct form of
the verbs in the box. Look up the words in bold if
1 My brothers are always laughing to / at me.
you need help.
2 They set fire to / on the car. have   sing   light   pass   throw   make
3 I can’t decide on / for the best colour to paint
my bedroom. 1 I really hope I will the exam.

4 We usually go to France for / on holiday. 2 We’re going to a party when the

exams end.
5 My office has a view from / over the garden.
3 He needs to a decision about his
B Complete the sentences with the correct holiday this summer.
preposition. Look up the word in bold if you
4 If it is cold, you can a fire.
need help.
1 The weather is usually good September. 5 I hope you fun at the festival.

2 There wasn’t a cloud the sky. 6 I’m going to a song at the party.

3 Spring is the season that comes winter. F Choose the word that DOESN’T belong. Look up
the words in bold if you need help.
4 I’m going a party on Saturday.
1 He can’t come because he’s got a heavy / big /
5 They gave us the drinks free. bad cold.

6 David was late usual. 2 We’re going to a jazz / music / lake festival at
the weekend.

3 They celebrated winning the fire / football /

Word families
C Are the underlined words verbs or nouns?
1 I decided to visit my cousins in France.
2 I need to make a decision about this weekend.
tennis match.
4 When we got up there was heavy / free / fresh snow.
5 She looked out of the window at the clear / sunny /
fun sky.

G Complete the missing adjectives. Look up the

3 What is the date today? nouns if you need help.
1 h_ _ _y rain
4 I forgot to sign and date the letter.
2 g_ _ _t fun
5 I want to sing the song my mother sang when I was
a child.
3 n_ _t-d_ _r neighbour
6 I forgot the words to the song.
4 g_ _d weather
D Tick the words in the unit that are both a verb 5 c_ _ _ _y sky
and a noun.
1 call 6 h_ _ _y birthday

2 flight 7 a b _ _ _ _ _ _ y present

3 rain

4 communicate

5 exam

6 treat

© 2017 National Geographic Learning  6