Vocabulary

Photo Dictionary for Learners of English

Levels

A1

A2

B1

A method for learning vocabulary.

Why I can’t remember vocabulary?

B1 Vocabulary Notebook                       

B1+

B1+ Vocabulary Notebook

B2

  • B2 wordlist
  • GREAT THINKERS B2 WORDLIST

  • We’ll look at parts of the body vocabulary, verbs, idioms with definitions and examples, including:

    – verbs used to show actions and uses of different body parts
    – verbs and phrasal verbs using parts of the body
    – idioms with parts of the body

    Actions associated with different parts of the body

    Head – to nod, to shake, to turn
    Nod your head if you agree and shake it if you don’t.
    Turn your head to the left.

    Neck – to bend
    Bend your neck to look down at your toes.

    Shoulder – to shrug
    He didn’t know the answer so he shrugged his shoulders

    Stomach – to digest
    We needed a nap after lunch to digest the huge meal we had eaten.

    Arm – to bend
    Bend your arms slowly when doing push-ups.

    Elbow – to bend
    When I bend my elbow it hurts.

    Leg – to walk, to jog, to run
    Babies learn to walk when they’re about one. They can’t run until much later.

    Knee – to bend, to kneel
    After the operation it was difficult for him to bend his knee to kneel down.

    Foot – to tread, to step, to stamp
    She trod on a nail by mistake.
    He stepped over the sleeping dog.
    She stamped her foot when she wasn’t allowed more sweets.

    FACE 

    parts of the body face

    Ear – to listen, to hear
    I always listen to music in the gym.
    I heard that she had moved to Ireland.

    Eye – to look, to see, to watch, blink, wink
    Look at the price of that ring!
    I saw an owl last night.
    We never watch television in our house.
    She blinked when the doctor shone the torch into her eye.
    The old man winked at the nurse.

    Mouth – to talk, to speak
    It’s rude to talk with your mouth full.
    He always speaks very loudly.

    Lips – to smile
    She smiled politely at his joke.

    Teeth – to bite, to chew, to chatter
    The dog bit the postman’s leg.
    No one could chew the tough steak.
    My teeth were chattering with the cold.

    HANDS

    parts of the body hands

    Hand – hold, shake, wave
    Hold my hand when we cross the road.
    He has a very firm handshake.
    The Queen waved her hand at the crowd.

    Wrist – bend
    Don’t bend you wrist too far back or it might hurt.

    Fingers – point, drum
    ‘Look!’ she pointed a giant bear
    She drummed her fingers on the desk waiting for his answer.

    Verbs and Phrasal Verbs using parts of the body

    to head
    to hit a ball with your head, to lead, to go in a particular direction
    If he hadn’t headed that ball they would have lost the match.

    to head for
    to move in the direction of
    She was heading to the exit when he called her back.

    to head off
    to leave a place, to start a journey
    It’s late, I think I’ll head off home now.

    to head something off
    to take action to prevent something happening
    Proper water management can head off crop failures.

    to head out
    to depart, to begin a journey
    The boats were all heading out of the marina.

    to head over
    to go to/towards
    I’ll head over to yours when the match is finished.

    to head up
    to lead
    He will be heading up the new Sales team.

    to eye up
    to look at something with interest or desire
    He eyed up the food greedily.

    to mouth
    to form words with the lips without making sound
    She mouthed her prayers.

    to mouth off
    to speak loudly and aggressively
    She was mouthing off about her sister when her sister walked in.

    to nose around
    to search for something, usually in a secret way
    The journalists were nosing around trying to find a story.

    to be all ears
    full of interest to hear something
    Tell me how the date went – I’m all ears

    to hand
    to give something to someone using hands
    Please hand me the green piece of paper.

    to elbow
    to push one’s elbow into someone
    Old ladies always elbow their way to the front.

    to leg it
    colloquial to run off, usually to avoid being caught
    The thief legged it when he heard the police sirens.

    to back down
    to withdraw a claim or demand
    When she saw the evidence she backed down.

    to back out
    to withdraw from a commitment
    He backed out of the tournament at the last minute.

    Idioms with parts of the body

    head over heels
    deeply in love
    You can see he’s head over heels in love with Mary.

    tear one’s hair out
    to be very worried or exasperated
    Her mother was tearing her hair out when
    Elle wasn’t home by midnight.

    in the blink of an eye
    very quickly
    The new perfume sold out in the blink of an eye.

    keep an eye on something
    to look after something by watching over it
    Please keep an eye on the stove; I have to make a phone call.

    have a nose for something
    to have a natural ability at something
    Policeman Plod had a nose for solving the crimes.

    play it by ear
    leave plans loose and decide on action as the situation changes
    It’s raining so I’m not sure we’ll go to the park today, let’s play it by ear.

    bite one’s tongue
    to stay silent even though you want to say something
    I wanted to give her a piece of my mind but
    I bit my tongue.

    by the skin of one’s teeth
    just barely, usually to escape disaster
    He did no work and only passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.

    keep one’s chin up
    try to be cheerful
    Keep your chin up, I’m sure you’ll find a job soon.

    a finger in every pie
    be involved in many different activities, used positively or as a criticism
    If you need some help ask Tom, he’s got a finger in every pie.

    learn something by heart
    memorize
    Children have to learn their times tables by heart in Year 3.

    have/get butterflies in one’s stomach
    to be anxious, nervous
    Whenever I see him I get butterflies in my stomach.

    cost an arm and a leg
    to cost a lot, be expensive
    I love her new car but it cost an arm and a leg.

    a leg up
    an advantage
    She only studied law because her uncle could give her a leg up when she qualified.

    foot the bill
    to cover the cost of an expense
    I guess I’ll have to foot the bill again.

    drag one’s heels
    to do something slowly and reluctantly
    Governments around the world are dragging their heels in addressing climate change.

B2+

C1

Ready for C1

C2