English Language Blog

Now that it is summer, many people are digging out their camping equipment and putting it to good use. Camping is an outdoor activity where the participants (known as campers) leave their home to stay outdoors while enjoying nature. When you go camping you might use a tent, a caravan, a cabin, or no shelter at all.

Bert and Ernie go camping in this video:

You might have also heard the word “glamping” when talking about camping. Glamping is “a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.” – www.oxforddictionaries.com

Have you ever been camping? What was your favourite part? When I was little I once got to go camping in my backyard. My parents set-up the tent and inside we had our sleeping bags and even an old black and white television. When you are little, things like camping in your backyard seem like a big adventure!

Below you will find a list of camping related vocabulary. If you would like some practice, why not see if you can make a small story about camping using at least ten words from the list? Can you manage to fit in fifteen words?

A

adventure

animals

B

backpack

boots

C

cabin

camp

camper

campfire

campground

campsite

canoe

canteen

cap

caravan

climb

compass

D

day pack

dehydrated food

dugout

E

equipment

evergreen

F

fishing

flashlight

forest

G

gear

gorp

H

hammock

hat

hike

hiking boots

hunting

hut

I

insect

insect repellent

K

kayak

knapsack

L

lake

lantern

M

map

moon

mountain

N

national park

natural

nature

O

oar

outdoors

outside

P

paddle

park

path

pup tent

R

rope

S

scenery

sleeping bag

stars

state park

sun

sunscreen

T

tarp

tent

trail

trail mix

trailer

trees

trip

V

vest

W

walking

water bottle

waterfall

wildlife

woods

Take a look at this picture of some common summertime clothes and accessories for a woman.  Do you know the names for all of these items of clothing?
Luckily for us the clothing in this picture is arranged pretty much in rows so it will be easy for me to tell you their names.  I am going to list their names below in corresponding rows so that you can connect the names of these items to what they look like.

Top row (moving left to right)
tank top, skirt, high heels, capris, short-sleeve shirt
Second row
high heel shoes, bikini top, purse, sunglasses, jean skirt
Third row
short-sleeve shirt, bikini bottom, shorts, tank top, scarf
Fourth row
jeans, halter top, sun glasses, purse, bikini top
Bottom row
flip-flops, shorts, short-sleeve top, heels, bikini bottom

Below I have some more summertime clothing vocabulary.  This clothing vocabulary does not just relate to women. In fact, two items in this list, Hawaiian shirt and polo shirt, are more commonly worn by men.

More vocabulary:
bathing suit or swim suit – clothing worn to go swimming
flip-flops – a backless sandal held to the foot at the big toe by way of a thong; flip-flops are often made of foam rubber
Hawaiian shirt – a style of dress shirt originally from Hawaii; a button-up shirt with colorful printed patterns, usually with short-sleeves and a collar
polo shirt or polo – a casual cotton shirt with short sleeves, a collar, and 3-4 buttons at the neck
sandals – a light shoe that is open and airy; usually sandals have a strap attaching the sole (bottom of the shoe) to the foot
sarong – a piece of clothing usually worn to the beach;  a long piece of cloth worn wrapped around the body tucked under the armpits
t-shirt – a close-fitting pullover shirt made from knit cotton

Most summertime clothing is light and allows the body to stay cool in the heat.  Americans (both men and women) are generally not afraid to show the their arms, shoulders, and legs out in public and so in the summer people are often seen wearing shorts and shirtsleeve shirts or tank tops as well as bathing suits at public pools and beaches.

The answers to yesterday’s matching exercise:
1-c, 2-e, 3-d, 4-b, 5-a
If you had 4-c: It is generally not possible to surf on a lake.
If you had 3-a: Hiking usually takes place over a longer period of time and in more remote areas than those found in parks.

In the United States summer is seen as a time for vacations, fun, and relaxation.  Children in the United States generally do not attend school during the second half of June, and all of July and August, so many families often go on vacation sometime during these months.  The weather in the United States in the summer months (June, July, and August) is also some of the warmest weather most Americans experience during the year.  This good weather makes a lot of people want to go outside and do all sorts of outdoors activities.  Because of these two reasons, more vacation time and good weather, many people in the United States participate in at least one (if not all) of the summertime activities I have listed and defined below.  This summertime vocabulary is helpful to know if you plan to vacation in the United States in the summer or if you just want to vacation and practice your English vocabulary in your own country.  Below I have defined a number of summer activities as well as common places where these activities take place.  Below the vocabulary is a quick matching exercise for you to review some of the vocabulary discussed in this post.  In this exercise you need to match the activities with the places where they take place.  I’ll give you the answers to this matching exercise in my next post.

Vocabulary

Activities:
backpacking – to go on a hike with a backpack and equipment to enable a person to stay outdoors overnight
bicycling – to ride a bicycle for fun or sport
boating – to ride a boat  (power boat, canoe, kayak, sail boat) for pleasure
camping – to go into nature and live for a time in a tent or camper while on vacation
fishing – the activity of catching fish, either for food or for sport
frisbee – a game that is played with two or more people with a plastic disk that is thrown through the air
gardening – the activity of growing plants for pleasure and/or food
hiking – walking for a long distance, usually in the woods or just in a place away from a town and many people  (Note: This is different from backpacking because a person who is hiking does not have to have equipment to stay in the woods for the night.)
road trip – a journey made in an automobile to see something specific or just to drive and see something new
sightseeing – the activity of visiting new places of interest
surfing – an activity carried out on the shore of the ocean in which a person rides waves while standing a board (a surfboard)

Places:
the amusement park – a large outdoor area with rides, shows, refreshments, games, and other entertainment
the beach – an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore
the fair – a gathering where there are rides and goods for sale; often there are also animals and food on display or for sale
the lake – a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides
the park – a piece of land in or near a city or town that has green space with a lawn and trees and play equipment that is free for everyone to use
summer camp – a place where care and activities are provided for children during the summer months; some camps take place during the day while others are overnight camps where children spend a week or month during the summer
the water park – a water park is an amusement park that has water play areas, water rides, water slides, and pools
the woods – an area of land that is covered with trees and other plants, where there are few or no houses and people, but where there are many animals
the yard – a piece of ground, usually containing plants and trees, that is next to a building or house

Places                 Activities
1. the beach        a. hiking
2. the yard          b. boating
3. the park          c. surfing
4. the lake           d. frisbee
5. the woods       e. gardening