Weather, Nature and the Environment A2 Vocabulary Practice Tests Rules & Examples

Weather, Nature and the Environment

Do you talk about the weather every day? Most people do! In English, the weather is one of the most common topics of conversation. We also talk about nature – the world around us, including animals, plants, rivers, and forests – and the environment – the air, water, and land we all share.

In this lesson, you will learn useful vocabulary to describe the weather, talk about natural places, and say simple things about the environment. These words will help you in everyday conversations, on holiday, and when reading or listening to the news.

A Short Situation

Mia and Tom are planning a weekend trip to the countryside. Read their conversation:

"What's the weather going to be like on Saturday?" Mia asked.
"It might be cloudy in the morning, but sunny in the afternoon," said Tom.
"I hope it doesn't rain. I want to walk by the river and see the forest."
"Me too. Let's bring a jacket just in case. The temperature can drop quickly near the mountains."

Notice the weather and nature words in bold in the conversation above. Let's explore all of these words – and many more – in detail below.

Key Vocabulary & Meaning Breakdown

1. Weather Words

Word / Phrase	Part of Speech & Meaning	Example Sentence	Collocations / Notes
sunny	adjective – bright with a lot of sunshine	It was a sunny day, so we had a picnic in the park.	a sunny day, sunny weather, sunny afternoon
cloudy	adjective – with many clouds in the sky	The sky was cloudy all morning, but it didn't rain.	cloudy skies, a cloudy day, partly cloudy
rainy	adjective – with a lot of rain	I don't like rainy days because I get wet.	a rainy day, rainy season, rainy weather
windy	adjective – with a lot of wind	It was very windy at the beach, so my hat flew away.	a windy day, strong wind, windy conditions
snowy	adjective – with a lot of snow	The mountains were snowy and beautiful in winter.	snowy weather, a snowy landscape, snowy roads
foggy	adjective – with a lot of fog (thick cloud close to the ground)	It was foggy this morning, so I drove slowly.	a foggy morning, foggy weather, thick fog
stormy	adjective – with heavy rain, strong wind, and sometimes thunder	The sea was stormy, so the boats stayed in the harbour.	a stormy night, stormy weather, stormy sea
temperature	noun – how hot or cold something is, measured in degrees	The temperature today is 22 degrees Celsius.	high/low temperature, temperature drops/rises
degree	noun – a unit for measuring temperature	It is minus five degrees outside. Put on a coat!	degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit
forecast	noun – a prediction of what the weather will be like	According to the weather forecast, it will snow tomorrow.	weather forecast, the forecast says…
shower	noun – a short period of rain	There might be a few showers in the afternoon, but it won't rain all day.	heavy/light shower, a shower of rain
thunder	noun – the loud noise in the sky during a storm	I heard thunder last night and then the storm started.	thunder and lightning, a clap of thunder
lightning	noun – a bright flash of light in the sky during a storm	We saw lightning in the distance before the rain started.	thunder and lightning, a flash of lightning
humid	adjective – warm and with a lot of moisture in the air; it feels sticky	August is very humid here. I always feel sweaty.	hot and humid, humid climate, humid weather
freezing	adjective – extremely cold	It was freezing last night – the temperature dropped to minus ten.	freezing cold, freezing temperatures, it's freezing outside

2. Nature Words

Word / Phrase	Part of Speech & Meaning	Example Sentence	Collocations / Notes
forest	noun – a large area of land covered with trees	We walked through a beautiful forest and saw many birds.	tropical forest, a walk in the forest, forest path
river	noun – a large natural stream of water that flows to the sea	We went fishing in the river near our village.	a river bank, along the river, a wide/deep river
mountain	noun – a very high area of land	We could see snow on top of the mountain.	climb a mountain, mountain top, mountain village
lake	noun – a large area of water surrounded by land	We swam in the lake on a hot summer day.	by the lake, a lake view, swim in a lake
ocean	noun – a very large area of salt water	The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.	the ocean floor, across the ocean, ocean water
beach	noun – an area of sand or stones next to the sea	We spent the afternoon on the beach building sandcastles.	on the beach, a sandy beach, go to the beach
island	noun – a piece of land completely surrounded by water	We took a boat to a small island off the coast.	a tropical island, live on an island, island holiday
countryside	noun – land outside cities and towns, with fields, forests, and hills	I love walking in the countryside at the weekend.	in the countryside, countryside walk, open countryside
field	noun – a flat area of land, usually covered with grass or crops	The farmer grew wheat in the field next to our house.	a green field, a field of flowers, open field
hill	noun – a raised area of land, smaller than a mountain	We walked to the top of the hill and had a great view.	up/down a hill, a rolling hill, on top of the hill
plant	noun – a living thing that grows in the ground; has leaves, a stem, and roots	She waters the plants in her garden every morning.	water a plant, grow a plant, indoor/outdoor plant
animal	noun – a living creature that can move and breathe	My favourite wild animal is the fox.	wild animal, pet animal, farm animal
sky	noun – the space above the earth that we see when we look up	The sky was bright blue and there were no clouds.	clear sky, blue sky, the night sky, look at the sky
season	noun – one of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, autumn, winter	My favourite season is autumn because of the colourful leaves.	the four seasons, rainy season, growing season

3. Environment Words

Word / Phrase	Part of Speech & Meaning	Example Sentence	Collocations / Notes
environment	noun – the natural world, including the air, water, land, and all living things	We should all try to protect the environment.	protect the environment, damage the environment, the natural environment
pollution	noun – harmful substances in the air, water, or land	Air pollution in big cities can cause health problems.	air pollution, water pollution, cause/reduce pollution
recycle	verb – to use old materials again to make new things	We recycle paper, plastic, and glass in our house.	recycle paper/plastic/glass, a recycling bin
waste	noun – things that you throw away; rubbish	We need to reduce the amount of waste we produce.	food waste, reduce waste, plastic waste
rubbish	noun – things you throw away; (British English for "trash" or "garbage")	Please don't drop rubbish on the street – use a bin.	put out the rubbish, a rubbish bin, drop rubbish
energy	noun – power used to make machines work, heat homes, etc.	We save energy by turning off the lights when we leave a room.	save energy, use energy, solar energy, wind energy
natural	adjective – coming from nature; not made by people	Honey is a natural product made by bees.	natural resources, natural light, natural environment
flood	noun – when a large amount of water covers land that is usually dry	Heavy rain caused a flood in the town centre last week.	a serious flood, cause a flood, flood damage
drought	noun – a long period without rain, when the land becomes very dry	The drought damaged many crops and farmers lost money.	a severe drought, cause a drought, drought conditions
climate	noun – the typical weather conditions of an area over a long time	The UK has a mild climate with cool summers and wet winters.	warm/cold/tropical climate, climate change

Collocations & Useful Expressions

Collocations are words that naturally go together in English. Learning them helps you sound more natural when you speak or write.

Weather Collocations

heavy + rain / snow / fog
There was heavy rain last night and the roads were flooded.

strong + wind
A strong wind blew the leaves off the trees.

bright + sunshine / sunlight
We enjoyed the bright sunshine on the beach.

the temperature + drops / rises / reaches
The temperature drops at night in the mountains.
The temperature rose to 35 degrees yesterday.

What's the weather like?
"What's the weather like today?" "It's warm and sunny."
This is the most common way to ask about the weather in British English.

It's + weather adjective
It's sunny. / It's cloudy. / It's windy. / It's freezing.

It + weather verb (rain, snow, blow)
It rained all day. / It snowed last night. / It's blowing outside.

Nature Collocations

climb + a mountain / a hill
We climbed the mountain and stayed at a small hotel at the top.

walk along + the river / the beach / the coast
We walked along the river and watched the boats go by.

go to + the beach / the countryside / the forest
We often go to the countryside at weekends to relax.

in the + countryside / forest / mountains
There is no mobile signal in the mountains.

by the + lake / river / sea / ocean
We sat by the lake and watched the sunset.

Environment Collocations

protect + the environment / nature / wildlife
Governments must protect the environment for future generations.

reduce + pollution / waste / energy use
We can all help reduce pollution by using public transport.

save + energy / water / the planet
Turn off the tap to save water.

recycle + paper / plastic / glass / bottles
Do you recycle plastic bottles in your country?

cause + pollution / floods / damage
Old factories can cause a lot of pollution.

Important Differences & Confusing Words

Weather vs Climate

Weather describes what is happening outside right now or this week. It can change every day.

Climate describes the typical or usual weather conditions of a place over many years.

• ✅ "The weather is rainy today." (happening now)
• ✅ "Spain has a warm, sunny climate." (typical conditions over time)
• ❌ "The climate is rainy today."

Rain vs Shower vs Storm

Rain – general word for water falling from clouds. It can be light or heavy, and short or long.

Shower – a short period of rain. It stops and starts again.

Storm – very bad weather with strong wind, heavy rain, and sometimes thunder and lightning.

• ✅ "There will be some showers this afternoon, but mostly dry."
• ✅ "The storm last night broke some tree branches."
• ✅ "Bring an umbrella – it looks like rain."

Forest vs Wood(s) vs Jungle

Forest – a large area of trees. You can use this word in most situations.

Woods / woodland – a smaller area of trees, usually near towns or villages.

Jungle – a tropical forest with very thick, tall trees and a lot of plants. Found in hot, wet countries.

• ✅ "We had a picnic in the woods near our town." (small, local area)
• ✅ "The Amazon jungle is in South America." (tropical, very large)
• ✅ "The forest fire destroyed thousands of trees." (general)

Ocean vs Sea

Ocean – one of the five very large areas of salt water that cover most of the Earth (e.g. the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean).

Sea – a smaller area of salt water, often part of an ocean and near land (e.g. the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea). In everyday conversation, people also use "sea" to mean the water near the beach.

• ✅ "We sailed across the Atlantic Ocean."
• ✅ "Let's go for a swim in the sea." (at the beach)

Rubbish vs Waste vs Pollution

Rubbish – things you throw away in everyday life; the physical objects you put in a bin.

Waste – a broader word; materials that are left over and not used. Often used in more official or environmental contexts.

Pollution – harmful substances that damage the air, water, or land. It is caused by rubbish, chemicals, fumes, etc.

• ✅ "Please put your rubbish in the bin."
• ✅ "This factory produces a lot of industrial waste."
• ✅ "Car fumes cause air pollution."

Common Mistakes

❌ The weather is sun today.
✅ The weather is sunny today. – Use the adjective sunny, not the noun sun.

❌ It is doing a rain.
✅ It is raining. – Say it is raining, not it is doing a rain. Rain is used as a verb: to rain.

❌ The temperature is very high degrees today.
✅ The temperature is 35 degrees today. – Always give a number with degrees. Don't say "very high degrees".

❌ I went to the forest for make a picnic.
✅ I went to the forest to have a picnic. – Use to + infinitive to say why. We have a picnic, not make a picnic.

❌ There was a very strong rain last night.
✅ There was very heavy rain last night. – We say heavy rain, not strong rain. Use strong for wind: strong wind.

❌ The climate today is terrible.
✅ The weather today is terrible. – Use weather for daily conditions. Climate describes long-term patterns.

❌ We must protect the nature.
✅ We must protect nature. – Do not use "the" before nature when you mean nature in general.

❌ I saw a thunder last night.
✅ I heard thunder last night. – Thunder is a sound, so we hear thunder. We see lightning.

Weather, Nature and the Environment: Quick Summary & Review

Here is a quick summary of the key vocabulary from this lesson:

• Weather adjectives: sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, snowy, foggy, stormy, humid, freezing
• Weather nouns: rain, shower, storm, thunder, lightning, temperature, degree, forecast
• Nature nouns: forest, river, mountain, lake, ocean, sea, beach, island, countryside, field, hill, sky, plant, animal, season
• Environment nouns: pollution, waste, rubbish, energy, flood, drought, climate
• Environment verbs: recycle, protect, reduce, save, cause
• Key collocations: heavy rain, strong wind, bright sunshine, climb a mountain, walk along the river, protect the environment, save energy, reduce pollution
• Key grammar: It is raining. / It snowed. / The weather is sunny. / The temperature dropped.

Remember: use weather for today's conditions and climate for long-term patterns. Say heavy rain but strong wind. We hear thunder and see lightning. And always say it's raining, not it's doing rain!

Now practise your Weather, Nature and the Environment vocabulary in the exercises below.