10 English words and slang terms you should know

Steffanie Zazulak
A couple laughing together while having drinks

Not everything can be taught in the classroom – that’s why we’ve put together a list of 10 English words, slang terms and figures of speech for you to sprinkle into your English conversations. Not sure how to use them? Don’t worry, we’ve included definitions and examples of how to use them in a sentence.

Earworm

A song or tune that, once you’ve heard it, is stuck in your head.

Use it: “That new Taylor Swift song is such an earworm!”

Staycation

Spending your holiday in your hometown rather than traveling abroad. Often spent relaxing around the house or doing activities in the local area.

Use it: “I’m having a staycation this summer, as I’m trying to save money.”

Webisode

An episode or series created exclusively for online viewing. This can be part of a web series or used to promote a television series.

Use it: “There’s a new Breaking Bad webisode online, have you seen it?”

Crowdfunding

Funding a project or business venture by asking a large number of people (typically online) to invest a small amount of money – usually via websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Use it: “We raised enough money to launch our business using crowdfunding.”

Glamping

Glamorous camping! Avoiding any rough conditions with luxurious facilities and accommodation, such as a yurt or cabin.

Use it: “We’re going to be glamping at Glastonbury this year.”

Lookalike

Something or someone that closely resembles something else, often used to describe someone who looks very similar to a celebrity.

Use it: “Have you seen the Prince William and Kate Middleton lookalikes over there?”

Handover

This word has a more political significance, in terms of gaining land or ownership. However, its modern usage is commonly in the workplace: The act of passing over control or responsibility to another person while you are off work on holiday or leaving a job.

Use it: “I’ll send my notes in a handover email so you can continue the project while I’m away.”

Meh

When something is a little uninspiring or dull. Also a word you could use to describe your lack of interest or indifference. It’s basically a verbal shrug.

Use it: “The film was a bit meh.”

Binge-watch

Watching multiple episodes of a TV show, one after another, in a single sitting. Usually, with a DVD box set or using online streaming.

Use it: “I’m planning to binge-watch the entire series of Game of Thrones this weekend!”

Spill the tea

When someone 'spills the tea' they are telling you all the latest news or gossip.?

Use it: “Please spill the tea about last week's party!"

Learn more from our other blog posts

More blogs from 色猫AV

  • A teacher leaning on a table where students are working on various activities

    6 tips for planning your first English classes

    提交者 Nicole Kyriacou

    You are nervous, yet excited. You want to appear relaxed and fun, but still be taken seriously. Most of all, you are keen to make an excellent first impression.

    With all that in mind - planning your first English classes of the year can be a daunting experience.

    Here are six things to consider when planning your first classes:

    1. Set clear aims

    Whether you are teaching young learners, teenagers or adults, it’s important you discuss the aims and objectives of the course from day one. You’ll need to learn more about your students' needs to do this. Why are they learning English? Do they want to prepare for an official exam? What activities do they enjoy? What things do they need to improve the most?

    The way you do this will depend on the age of your learners. For example, with adults and teens, you could get them to interview each other and write a report about what they found out. With younger children, do a survey they can complete using smiley faces.

    2. Find out students’ interests

    Although you should understand your students' needs and why they want to learn English - to help make your classes relevant and engaging - you should also discover what they enjoy doing outside of class.

    To do this, get students to write mini bios you can stick around the classroom. Or have them prepare presentations where they share something they are passionate about with the rest of the class - using coursebooks. As a class, go through the contents page, vote on which topics students find most interesting, and start with those.

    3. Break the ice

    You want your first class to be fun so that students are motivated, and associate English language learning with something they can enjoy. Ice-breakers can also be an excellent way to get to know each other and learn about your students' current level of English.

    Activities where students have to ask each other questions work well.

    4. Provide a comfortable environment

    Young learners and teenagers tend to be shy at the start of a course - especially if they don’t know each other. Develop a rapport and break down boundaries by including team-building activities in your first class.?Your aim is to have all the students feeling more comfortable with each other before the end of the lesson so that there are no awkward silences in future lessons.

    5. Manage expectations

    Managing expectations is an essential part of a teacher's job. Make sure in the first class you are clear about what you expect from your students and what they can expect from you.

    Have students brainstorm the rules for the class and then make a big poster or ‘class contract’ which all students have to sign. Display the poster on the wall so you can always refer to it if someone misbehaves.

    Try to keep the rules as positive as possible. Instead of writing: 'Don’t speak your first language', write: 'Try to always speak English and ask if you don’t know a word'. If you are feeling really brave, you can even get your students to devise a list of rules for you which you can display on the wall next to theirs.

    6. Make it challenging

    It’s great making your first lesson fun - but there’s nothing more motivating than leaving a new class and feeling like you’ve made a good decision and you are going to learn lots (and you aren’t wasting your time or money). This is especially important for adult learners.

    So, as well as getting to know each other and finding out their needs, teach them something new. This could be 10 new pieces of vocabulary, how to structure a letter or report, or a list of resources they can use at home to practice their English.