Essential English Vocabulary: Life, Literature, and Grammar Terms

Essential English Vocabulary and Grammar Topics

Major Life Events and Changes

• Change school
• Take a gap year
• Retire
• Start your own business
• Win an award
• Go for a job interview
• Move house
• Have an accident
• Make new friends
• Drop out of university (to abandon studies)
• Settle down (to establish oneself)
• Get into trouble
• Become rich

Common Verbs Followed by Prepositions

• Worry about
• Depend on
• Agree about (a topic)
• Listen to
• Argue about (a topic)
• Talk to (a person)
• Wait for
• Argue with (a person)
• Participate in
• Look forward to (to anticipate eagerly)
• Dream about
• Agree with (a person or idea)

Literary Genres and Book Types

• Play (a theatrical work)
• Adventure
• Romantic novel
• Biography
• Science fiction
• Fantasy
• Thriller (a mystery or suspense story)
• Non-fiction
• Poetry
• Comic
• Autobiography
• Crime
• Short story
• Historical fiction

Vocabulary for Reading and Communication

• School holiday
• Best-seller
• Popular press
• Book deal (author rights)
• Secondary school
• Postcard
• Computer program
• Public library
• Graphic novel
• Bookshop
• Love letter
• Text message
• Social life
• Audiobook

Sustainable Living and Environmental Actions

• Save water
• Turn off lights
• Compost food waste (organic rubbish)
• Share car journeys (carpooling)
• Travel by public transport
• Install solar panels (often on the roof)
• Recycle packaging (from purchased items)
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Insulate windows (to prevent heat loss)
• Mend old clothes (repair instead of buying new ones)
• Ride a bike

Vocabulary with Common Prefixes

Understanding prefixes helps expand your vocabulary:

Re- (Again)

• Recycle
• Replay
• Replace
• Reorganize

Mis- (Wrongly or Incorrectly)

• Misunderstand
• Misplace (to lose temporarily)
• Misinform (to give wrong information)

Over- (Too much or Excessively)

• Overcrowd (too many people)
• Overpopulate
• Overeat
• Overcook

Under- (Too little or Insufficiently)

• Underestimate
• Underuse (not used enough)
• Undercook (raw or not fully cooked)
• Underpay (paid too little)

Time Expressions for Verb Tenses

Present Perfect Time Markers

Used for actions connected to the present:

• Today
• This morning, week, month
• Once, twice, five times, several/many times

Past Simple Time Markers

Used for completed actions in the past:

• Yesterday morning
• Last night, last week, last Christmas
• Yesterday
• On Sunday, in February
• Some days ago

Essential Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are crucial for fluent English:

• Give away: To donate or reveal a secret.
• Put on: To dress oneself.
• Put away: To store something.
• Wear out: To become unusable through use.
• Pick out: To choose or select.
• Pick up: To collect or lift.
• Take off: To remove clothing.
• Go with: To match or accompany.
• Look for: To search for.
• Get into: To enter or become involved in.
• Try on: To test clothing before buying.
• Throw away: To discard as trash.