The Weather in English
IDIOMS: It’s raining cats and dogs.
1.
VOCABULARY – Review old words or learn new ones, if any:
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Review them once again here…:
Learn more words:
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Weather forecast
Now watch this video carefully. It talks about:
1) the elements of weather (air temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation – rain,
snow, hail -, clouds and fog, wind);
2) climate;
3) climate zones.
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/weather-and-climate/weatherand-climate.htm
Then watch these slide shows about seasons:
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/weather-andclimate/seasons.htm
And about clouds and precipitations:
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/weather-andclimate/seasons.htm
Remember
WEATHER
= snow, sunshine, rain, tornado
WHETHER is used in this way:
Your correct use of the words weather and
whether will determine whether or not you pass
the next test…
2. The WEATHER – GRAMMAR
http://www.vocabulary.cl/english/weather.htm
It is + adjective
OR
It is + verb-ing
It’s rainy.
It’s raining.
You provide a description of the weather.
It is + adjective



You specify the type of weather happening now.
It is + verb-ing



It is sunny today.
It’s hot and humid today.
It’sa nice day today.
We can also say:
It is a + adjective
It’s snowing.
Take an umbrella, it’s raining.
It’s drizzling outside.
+ other tenses
+ day (or

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It was cold yesterday. (past simple)

morning/afternoon/night)


It will be cloudy tomorrow. (future
simple)
It’s a fine day.
It’s a windy afternoon.
WORD FORMATION
When you are learning vocabulary about the weather, it is important to remember that some of the
words have a noun form, a verb form and/or an adjective form. For example:



Rain: (noun) The game was cancelled because of the rain.
to Rain: (verb) I think it is going to rain later.
Rainy: (adjective) It’s a rainy day.
It pays to learn the different forms of each word and when they are used.
Nouns and Adjectives
Many times if you add the letter Y to the end of a noun it becomes an adjective.





rain (noun) - rainy (adjective)
sun (noun) – sun+ny (adjective)
wind (noun) - windy (adjective)
cloud (noun) - cloudy (adjective)
fog (noun) – fog+gy (adjective)
Questions about the weather
HOW DO PEOPLE ASK ABOUT THE WEATHER?
By saying:

What’s it like out(side)?


What’s the weather like?


How’s the weather?
What’s the weather forecast?
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What’s the temperature?
MORE IN-DEPTH: Vocabulary about the weather in English
http://www.vocabulary.cl/english/weather.htm
To make it easier, this vocabulary can be divided into different categories:
Clear or Cloudy
Types of Rain
Cold stuff
Types of Wind
Clear or Cloudy
Bright: (adjective) full of light; when the sun is shining strongly
Sunny: (adjective) the sun is shining and there are no clouds
Clear: (adjective) without clouds
Fine: (adjective) not raining, clear sky
Partially cloudy: (adjective) when there is a mixture of both blue sky and clouds
Cloudy: (adjective) with many clouds in the sky
Overcast: (adjective) covered with cloud; dull
Gloomy: (adjective) with dark clouds and dull light; some people consider this weather depressing
Sometimes the cloud lowers to ground level and it becomes harder to see…
Fog (noun)/ foggy (adjective): thick cloud close to land
Mist (noun) / misty (adjective): light fog, often on the sea or caused by drizzle
Haze (noun) / hazy (adjective): light mist, usually caused by heat
Types of Rain
Damp: (adjective) slightly wet (often after the rain has stopped)
Drizzle: (verb/noun) to rain lightly with very fine drops
Shower: (noun) a short period of rain
Rain: (verb/noun) water that falls from the clouds in drops
Downpour: (noun) heavy rain
Pour: (verb) to have heavy rain
It’s raining cats and dogs: (Idiom) To rain heavily
Torrential rain: (noun) very heavy rain
Flood: (verb/noun) to become covered in water usually due to excessive rain
Cold stuff
Hail: (verb) when frozen rain falls as small balls of ice (hailstones).
Hailstones: (noun) the small hard balls of ice that fall from the sky
Snow: (noun/verb) frozen rain that falls from the sky as soft snowflakes
Snowflake: (noun) an individual piece of snow
Sleet: (noun/verb) snow or hail mixed with rain (often with some wind)
Blizzard: (noun) severe snowstorm with strong winds
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Types of Wind
Breeze: a gentle wind (often nice or refreshing)
Blustery: blowing (strong) gusts of wind
Windy: continual wind.
Gale: a very strong wind
Hurricane/cyclone/typhoon: a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce winds and heavy
rain.
What’s the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone?
They are the same thing just with different names because of the region they are in.
Atlantic/Northeast Pacific = a hurricane
Northwest Pacific = a typhoon
Southern Hemisphere = a cyclone
Tornado: (noun) strong violent circular winds in a small area; a rapidly revolving column of air
In United States the word twister is often used instead of tornado.
Digression (or expansion?): learn English from Russian and viceversa…
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IDIOMS
Choose your favourite five idioms and use them!
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/cat/4.html
and
http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiomcategories/weather/weather1-blue-rain.html
Any port in a storm
This means that in an emergency any solution will do, even one that
would normally be unacceptable.
Billy Wind
(UK) If the wind is so strong it is howling, one might say, "Wow- can
you hear Billy Wind out there?" like Jack Frost.
Blue skies
A overly enthusiastic outlook or disposition. The sales team had blue
skies projections for their deals, although not many of those deals
were signed.
Bolt from the blue
If something happens unexpectedly and suddenly, it is a bolt from
the blue.
Brighten up the day
If something brightens up your day, something happens that makes
you feel positive and happy all day long.
Calm before the storm
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A calm time immediately before period of violent activity or
argument is the calm before the storm.
Chase rainbows
If someone chases rainbows, they try to do something that they will
never achieve.
Cloud nine
If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. ('cloud seven' is a
less common alternative)
Cloud of suspicion
If a cloud of suspicion hangs over an individual, it means that they
are not believed or are distrusted.
Cloud on the horizon
If you can see a problem ahead, you can call it a cloud on the
horizon.
Cold light of day
If you see things in the cold light of day, you see them as they really
are, not as you might want them to be.
Colder than a witch's tit
If it is colder than a witch's tit, it is extremely cold outside.
Come rain or shine
If I say I'll be at a place come rain or shine, I mean that I can be
relied on to turn up; nothing, not even the vagaries of British
weather, will deter me or stop me from being there.
Doldrums
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If a person is in the doldrums, they are depressed. If a project or
something similar is in the doldrums, it isn't making any progress.
Down in the doldrums
If somebody's down in the doldrums, they are depressed and
lacking energy.
Dry spell
If something or someone is having a dry spell, they aren't being as
successful as they normally are.
Every cloud has a silver lining
People sometimes say that every cloud has a silver lining to comfort
somebody who's having problems. They mean that it is always
possible to get something positive out of a situation, no matter how
unpleasant, difficult or even painful it might seem.
Face like thunder
If someone has a face like thunder, they are clearly very angry or
upset about something.
Fairweather friend
A fairweather friend is the type who is always there when times are
good but forgets about you when things get difficult or problems
crop up.
Get wind of
If you get wind of something, you hear or learn about it, especially if
it was meant to be secret.
Go down a storm
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To say that something has been enjoyable or successful, you can say
that it has gone down a storm. Eg. Last night's party went down a
storm, it was incredible.
Greased lightning
If something or someone moves like greased lightning, they move
very fast indeed.
Head is in the clouds
If a person has their head in the clouds, they have unrealistic,
impractical ideas.
Hit rough weather
If you hit rough weather, you experience difficulties or problems.
In a fog
If you're in a fog, you are confused, dazed or unaware.
Into each life some rain must fall
This means that bad or unfortunate things will happen to everyone
at some time.
It never rains but it pours
'It never rains but it pours' means that when things go wrong, they
go very wrong.
Jack Frost
If everything has frozen in winter, then Jack Frost has visited.
Know which way the wind blows
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This means that you should know how things are developing and be
prepared for the future.
Lightning fast
Something that is lightning fast is very fast indeed.
Made in the shade
One has an easy time in life or in a given situation. Finding things
working to one's benefit.
Not know enough to come in out of the rain
Someone who doesn't know enough to come in out of the rain is
particularly stupid.
Quiet before the Storm
When you know that something is about to go horribly wrong, but
hasn't just yet, then you are in the quiet before the storm.
Rain on your parade
If someone rains on your parade, they ruin your pleasure or your
plans.
Rainy day
If you save something, especially money, for a rainy day, you save it
for some possible problem or trouble in the future.
Right as rain
If things are right as rain, then everything is going well in your life.
Sail close to the wind
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If you sail close to the wind, you take risks to do something, going
close to the limit of what is allowed or acceptable.
Seven sheets to the wind
If someone is seven sheets to the wind, they are very drunk.
Shoot the breeze
When you shoot the breeze, you chat in a relaxed way.
Silly season
The silly season is midsummer when Parliament is closed and
nothing much is happening that is newsworthy, which reduces the
press to reporting trivial and stupid stories.
Steal someone's thunder
If someone steals your thunder, they take the credit and praise for
something you did.
Stem the tide
If people try to stem the tide, they are trying to stop something
unpleasant from getting worse, usually when they don't succeed.
Storm in a teacup
If someone exaggerates a problem or makes a small problem seem
far greater than it really is, then they are making a storm in a
teacup.
Take a raincheck
If you take a rain check, you decline an offer now, suggesting you
will accept it later. ('Raincheck' is also used.)
Take by storm
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To take by storm means to captivate- eg. A new play that took New
York City by storm.
Tempest in a teapot
If people exaggerate the seriousness of a situation or problem, they
are making a tempest in a teapot.
Throw caution to the wind
When people throw caution to the wind, they take a great risk.
Twilight zone
The twilight zone is an ambiguous area between two different
states, ways of life, conditions, etc.
Twisting in the wind
If you are twisting in the wind, you are without help or support - you
are on your own.
Under a cloud
If someone is suspected of having done something wrong, they are
under a cloud.
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The weather and pronunciation, JOKES AND HOMOPHONES
source: http://www.jokes4us.com/miscellaneousjokes/weatherjokes/rainjokes.html
Q: What is a queen’s favorite kind of precipitation?
A: Reign!
 change colour here (from white to black)
Q: What do you call it when it rains chickens and
ducks?
A: Foul (fowl) weather.  change colour here (from white to black)
Q: What's the difference between a horse and the
weather?
A: One is reined up and the other rains down.  change
colour here (from white to black)
The weather in England
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