TOPIC 6B : PETS AND PESTS
TOPIC-RELATED VOCABULARY
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DESCRIBING PETS’ TRAITS (features): Grumpy/ tolerant/ smart, clever/ serene, calm/ lunatic,eccentric/
cheerful/ fun to be with/ cuddly/ferocious/fussy(eater) / fluffy/active, alert /aggressive, violent (personalitywise)
VERBS: grunt (pig)/ squeak (mouse)/ bark (dog)/ neigh (horse)/ miaow (cats)/ roar (lions/tigers)
SMALL ANIMALS: puppy (dog)/ kitten (cat)/ foal, coal, filly (horse)/ calf (cow)
PARTS OF ANIMALS: Wings / paws / a beak / horns / claws / fins/ a shell/ a tail/ fur (coat) (to wear fur)
ANIMAL HOUSES: Doghouse / kennel / shelter (cat house) / nest (birds)/ cage (birds, hamsters, lions, tigers) /
hive (bees)/ stable (horses)/ a tank (reptiles)/ ≠slaughterhouse (to slaughter)/ ≠ battery hens
Bite (snake)/ sting (bee/wasp)
Pet holder ≈ owner ≈ keeper (reptile keepers)
To hunt (for sport) foxes (wolves): should be banned / a poacher (a hunter without permission)
To breed (Animals bred in captivity) / to rear / to hatch (out) / a breed (of dog)
Animal rights / Animal activist / To fight for animal rights
To harass ≈ to mistreat ≈ to abuse ≈ to bully≈ to be cruel (cruelty) to/towards stg./s.o. ≠ to be an animal lover
Wild life/ wild animals/ unusual, exotic pets / endangered species
To pet ≈ to stroke a pet ≠ to scratch / to kick / to spit / to maul (to completely destroy, to disfigure) /’mᴐ:l/
Hazardous ≈ dangerous (hazard ≈ danger) /’ha:zәdәs/
To keep animals in humane ≠ inhumane conditions / bullfighting (a bullfighter)
PHRASAL VERBS/ COLLOCATIONS
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To put up with stg.
To look out for stg.
To deal with stg.≈ tackle ≈ cope ≈ be in charge of
To die out ≈ to go/become extinct ≈ to run out
To get into trouble
To be on a leash / to be unleashed
To look after s.o/stg. ≈ to take care of s.o./stg.
To take after s.o. ≈ to look alike
To make a point
To charge s.o. with stg. (a crime)
To go to court ≈ to report
To be attached to s.o. / stg.
To be allergic to stg. (bee,wasp stings/shellfish
To show off
To get into trouble
To get over (the death of a pet)
To put s.o. through (to the pest control dept.)
To be/become/grow alike ≈ to look alike
To ban (people) to have animals ≠to allow
To wag the tail (a dog wagging its tail)
To board (your dog) at a kennel
To laugh your head (ass) off
To be green/ sick with envy
IDIOMS
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To do the donkey work
To be (a bit of) a dark horse.
To make a pig of yourself.
Stg. is like water off a duck’s back.
To kill two birds with one stone.
(Not) to count your chickens (before they hatch)
To smell a rat.
To feel like a fish out of water.
To let sleeping dogs lie.
To take the bull by the horns
The lion’s share
To be in the dog’s house
Their bark is worse than their bite
To walk with the tail between the legs
To be as blind as a bat
To be an early bird
To be a black sheep / a chameleon / pig-headed
To be in the lion’s den (en la boca del lobo)
To come straight from the horse’s mouth (true)
To never look a gift horse in the mouth
To cry wolf (to tell lies to try to take attention)
FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
- I feel very/ particularly strongly about…
- I am completely against… ≈ I totally disagree… ≈ I couldn´t disagree with you more
- I don´t entirely agree with you…
- I am absolutely convinced that… ≈ I am quite sure that…