Visual Vocabulary Lesson: Describing Landscapes and Countryside Nature

Introduction

• Focus on describing landscapes and countryside in English.
• Questions to consider:
  • What does the countryside look like near your home?
  • What kind of landscapes does your country have?

The Countryside in England

• Grew up in a small village in England.
• Typical English countryside features:
  • Fields separated by stone walls or hedgerows.
  • Rolling hills in the distance.
  • Hedge: A wall or fence made of plants.
  • Hedgerow: Barrier between fields, often surrounds farm fields.
  • Rolling hills: Low hills with gentle slopes.

Experiences in Canada

• Studied in Canada for a year.
• Main memory: bleak, wintry landscapes with endless pine forests.
  • Wintry: Adjective related to winter.
  • Bleak: Empty, cold, often with a negative connotation (can describe landscapes that feel depressing).

Road Trip Across the USA

• Noticed changing landscapes during the trip.
• Plains: Large, flat areas of land without trees (also called grasslands).
• Badlands: A specific type of landscape with:
  • Soft rock shaped by erosion.
  • Generally bare with few plants or trees.
  • Often steep-sided hills.
• Described area in Utah: rocky desert with unique rock formations (e.g., mesas).

Forests and Woodlands

• Visited redwood forests in California.
  • Trees are extremely large compared to those in England.
• Vocabulary for areas covered with trees:
  • Forest: Larger than a wood.
  • Wood: Smaller wooded area.
  • Rainforest: Tropical forest.
  • Jungle: Dense tropical forest.

Yosemite National Park

• One of the most stunning places visited.
• Highlight: towering waterfall.
  • Towering: Describes tall and impressive natural features (can be positive).

Living in Germany

• Now living in a small town by a river.
• Countryside features:
  • Fields, forests, and greenery.
  • Beautiful landscapes, especially in nice weather.

Vocabulary: Bank, Shore, Coast

• Definitions:
  • Bank: Sides of rivers.
  • Shore: Mostly used for lakes.
  • Coast: Where land meets the sea or ocean (shore can be used in some contexts).
• Greenery: General term for plants (grass, flowers, trees, bushes).

Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle

• Beautiful setting in the mountains.
• Landscape around: rugged and dramatic.
  • Rugged: Describes very steep and rocky terrain.
  • Dramatic: Impressive and beautiful, often for wilder landscapes.

Personal Dream

• Dream of starting an online business and living by the sea.
• Ideal location: Greek island with sandy beaches and turquoise water.
  • Turquoise: Color between blue and green, often describes beautiful water.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to reflect on personal landscapes:
  • If living in a city, consider the surrounding countryside (forests, fields, mountains).
  • If living in the countryside, describe the view from your window.
• Suggestions for responses:
  • Write it down, say it, or comment in the video.

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Thanks for watching!