vocabulary

Calendar of Holidays and Events

Calendar of Holidays and Events

DateHoliday or Event Description

January 1New Year's DayOn New Year's Day people make resolutions, such as quitting smoking or starting a new diet. See also New Year's Eve (December 31).

Second Monday of JanuaryComing of Age Day (Japan) This event celebrates all of the citizens who are 20 year's old. In Japan, 20 is the age when adolescents officially become adults and can legally smoke, drink, and vote. The young people gather in formal wear at government buildings and listen to many important speakers. They also receive money.

Begins January or early FebruaryChinese New Year This is a two week festival beginning on the first day of the lunar year. Just prior to the holiday, families clean their houses carefully in order to bring good luck into their homes. Families gather for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. Lucky amounts of money are distributed to family members in red envelopes. Each day honours something different, such as parents, gods, or wealth.

February 14Valentine's DayCouples celebrate their love by exchanging cards, chocolate, flowers, and other gifts. Many go on romantic dates. Children give Valentine's cards to friends and relatives.

Saturday before Ash Wednesday (7 weeks before Easter), Mardis Gras (last day of Carnival) Carnival and Mardis GrasA two-week festival before the Christian period of Lent, celebrated annually in many parts of the world, especially Rio de Janeiro. The festivities include colourful street parties, parades, and dancing. New Orleans is famous for its Mardis Gras parties.

March 17St. Patrick's DayTraditionally an Irish celebration. People with Irish roots (or not) worldwide wear green and drink Irish beer and eat Irish food on this day. Parties and parades feature Irish music and dancing.

April 1 April Fool's DayFriends, relatives, and co-workers play tricks and practical jokes on each other.

Late March or early AprilGood Friday, EasterChristian holiday honouring the crucifixion of Jesus (Good Friday) and celebrating the resurrection (Easter Sunday). Also a commercial holiday in which children search for chocolate and gifts left by the Easter Bunny.

May 5 Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, US)Annual celebration of Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. The battle became a symbol of Mexican unity. Festivities include parades, parties, and dancing with Mexican food and mariachi music.

June 23-24Midsummer's Eve and Day, (primarily Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia)Often considered the beginning of summer holidays. Celebrated with lakeside bonfires, parties, and dancing around a maypole.

July 1Canada Day Canadians honour their country and celebrate independence with fireworks, parades, and parties. Most people wear red and sport the maple leaf emblem.

July 6-14Fiestas of San Fermin: Running of the Bulls (Spain)Annual 9-day festival in Pamplona, Spain, which is famous for the running of the bulls. The event has prompted worldwide attention since being mentioned in Hemmingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises.

July or August, depending on lunar calendarRaksha Bandan (India)Hindu celebration among brothers and sisters. Sisters tie a special bracelet around their brothers wrists to demonstrate love and honour. Brothers offer gifts to sisters and promise to protect and care for them.

August 9Women's Day (South Africa)National holiday acknowledging August 9, 1956 when 20,000 women marched to the government buildings in Pretoria to protest the law that required black women to carry passes.

Falls between Mid-September and Mid OctoberMid Autumn Festival, a.k.a Moon Festival (China)Families unite to watch the full moon rise and to eat moon cakes. Couples enjoy evening romance under the light of the full moon.

Two weeks between late September and early OctoberOktoberfest (Germany)The world's largest fair. The mayor of Munich taps a keg of beer to start the festival each year. Beer and traditional German food is served. Party goers enjoy traditional music and dancing.

October 31HalloweenChildren carve pumpkins and decorate homes with spooky scenes. After dark they dress up in costumes and go door to door collecting candy from neighbours. Adults have costume parties.

November 1All Saint's Day (Day of the Dead)Originally celebrated the death of martyrs and saints. Today All Saint's Day is often the day families honour deceased relatives by bringing flowers and other offerings to graves.

November 5 Guy Fawkes Night (UK), a.k.a Bonfire Night Commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; an attempt by Guy Fawkes and other conspirators to blow up the parliament houses in Westminister. The celebration includes fireworks and bonfires. A dummy of Guy Fawkes is typically burnt.

Second Monday of October (Canada), Fourth Thursday of November (US)Thanksgiving DayMarks the end of harvest. This is a time to give thanks for food, and is celebrated by large feasts (especially turkey, pumpkin pie, and fall vegetables) and family get togethers. Other countries such as Korea (Chusok in mid August) celebrate the harvest at other times of the year.

December 25Christmas DayTraditionally a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Now also a commercial holiday with card and gift exchanges throughout December. Children wait for Santa Claus to bring gifts. Houses, businesses and streets are decorated with trees, lights and other Christmas symbols. People sing Christmas carols.

December 31 New Year's Eve Citizens gather in urban centres or friends' homes on the last evening of the year to count down to midnight together. New Year's Eve parties often include dancing, listening to rock bands and watching fireworks after the clock strikes twelve. See also New Year's Day (January1).

Weather Vocabulary

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WordPart of speechMeaningExample Sentence

airconditioner/airconditioning nounan appliance that cools down the air in a home or buildingThe airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside.

avalanchenouna dangerous slide of snow down a mountainThe skiers were warned about a possible avalanche.

below freezingpreposition/adjectivetemperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F)It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.

blizzardnouna storm with lots of snow and windThe airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.

boiling hotadjective + nouncommon expression for describing a very hot dayIt was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.

breezenounlight windDon't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean.

Celsiusnounmeasurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling)In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.

chillyadjectivecoldIt's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.

clearadjectivewhen the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sunOn a clear night you can see a lot of stars.

cloud/cloudynoun/adjective water in the sky that appears as a white or grey massIt may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.

cold spelladjective + nouna period of colder than average weatherThey're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.

cooladjective temperature in between warm and coldThe days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.

degreesnounmeasurement for temperatureI don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.

drizzlingcontinuous verbraining slightlyI think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.

droughtnouna long period with no rainfallForest fires are a serious danger during a drought.

Fahrenheitnounmeasurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling)It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.

floodnounoverflow of rain waterThe flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.

flurriesnounvery light snowfallThere are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.

fog/foggynoun/adjectivethick water vapor that blocks one's vision We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.

forecastnoun/verbthe expected weather for the future According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.

freezing coldadjective + nouncommon expression used to describe a very cold dayIt was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.

frost nounice crystals on a frozen surfaceSome flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.

frostbite nouna 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.

hailnounsmall pieces of ice that fall during a stormThere was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.

heat strokenouna flu-like condition one can acquire after spending too long in the sunBring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.

heat-wavenounextremely hot weather that is much higher than average--usually lasts a short timeDuring the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.

humid/humidityadjective/nounmoisture in the airIt feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.

hurricanenouna tropical storm with very strong wind and rainHalf of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.

icyadjective slippery because of iceThe roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.

lightningnounelectric flash caused by two clouds hittingThe outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards suspect lightning.

mildadjectivetemperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season) It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.

meteorologistnouna person who studies weather patterns The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.

minus/negativeadjectiveindicates that a temperature is below zeroIt was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.

overcastadjectiveno sun is visibleThe sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.

partly cloudy adverb + adjectiveterm often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and cloudy at the same timeTomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.

precipitationnounrain or snow that falls on an areaThere is very little precipitation in the desert.

puddlenouncollection of rain waterChildren love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.

rain/raining/rainynoun/continuous verb/adjectivewater that falls to earth My hair is all wet and messy from the rain.

raindropnouna single measurement of rainI love catching raindrops on my tongue.

rainbownouna band of colours found in the sky after a rainfallAccording to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

raining cats and dogsidiomraining heavily They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.

scorching/a scorcheradjective/nounextremely hot temperature/a very hot dayIt was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.

seasonnountime 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.

showernounquick/light rainstormThey've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.

sleet(similar to hail)nounrain that freezes as it fallsAll-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.

slush/slushynoun/adjectivesnow on the ground that has been rained onThe snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.

smognounheavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollutionYou really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.

snow/snowy/snowingnoun/adjective/ continuous verbfrozen water that warms slightly as it falls to earthIt is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.

snowstormnounlarge amounts of wind and snowAll of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.

sun/sunshine/sunnynoun/noun/adjectivethe gassy star that warms the earthWe hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.

sunburnnounpainful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too longThe bald man got a sunburn on his head.

sunglasses/shadesnoundark eyewear that protects you from the sunI forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.

suntan/tannednoun(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 lotionnouncream that protects your skin from sun damage Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.

temperaturenounhow warm or cold the air isCan you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?

thermometernouninstrument for measuring the temperature of the air When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.

thunder/thunderstormnounthe crashing of clouds (often followed by a strike of lightning and heavy rain)Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.

tornado/cyclonenounviolently spinning windstormThe tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.

umbrellanounheld over one's head and body for rain protectionI always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.

UV (ultra violet) raysnounthe damaging rays from the sun Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.

wind/windynoun/adjectiveblowing air outsideIt's too windy to play golf today.

wind chill factornounwhen 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.

Numbers

The main units of numbers in English are:

110100100010000001000000000

onetenhundredthousandmillionbillion

Here is a list of numbers. On the left are normal or "cardinal" numbers. On the right are "ordinal" numbers, which we use to define a thing's position in a series.

Cardinal Number Ordinal Number

0 zero, nought

1 one 1st first

2 two 2nd second

3 three 3rd third

4 four 4th fourth

5 five 5th fifth

6 six 6th sixth

7 seven 7th seventh

8 eight 8th eighth

9 nine 9th ninth

10 ten 10th tenth

11 eleven 11th eleventh

12 twelve 12th twelfth

13 thirteen 13th thirteenth

14 fourteen 14th fourteenth

15 fifteen 15th fifteenth

16 sixteen 16th sixteenth

17 seventeen 17th seventeenth

18 eighteen 18th eighteenth

19 nineteen 19th nineteenth

20 twenty 20th twentieth

21 twenty-one 21st twenty-first

22 twenty-two 22nd twenty-second

23 twenty-three 23rd twenty-third

24 twenty-four 24th twenty-fourth

30 thirty 30th thirtieth

31 thirty-one 31st thirty-first

40 forty 40th fortieth

50 fifty 50th fiftieth

60 sixty 60th sixtieth

70 seventy 70th seventieth

80 eighty 80th eightieth

90 ninety 90th ninetieth

100 hundred 100th hundredth

101 hundred and one 101st hundred and first

152 hundred and fifty-two 152nd hundred and fifty-second

200two hundred200thtwo hundredth

1,000thousand1,000ththousandth

1,000,000million1,000,000thmillionth

1,000,000,000billion1,000,000,000thbillionth

For numbers in the hundreds, the British usually say "and" but the Americans usually do not say "and":

British English120 = one hundred and twenty

American English120 = one hundred twenty

Note that in English, we usually separate the digits of numbers over 999 with a comma (,). We count 3 digits from the right and insert a comma, like this:

vocabulary

Documents

day festival

new years eve

day honours

day of carnival carnival

new orleans

new diet

irish celebration

mardis gras parties