Core words by topic

Nature and habitats
planet, ecosystem, habitat, wildlife, forest, ocean, river, lake, coastline, desert, mountain, biodiversity

Pollution
air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, litter, waste, plastic, smoke, fumes, toxic, sewage, noise

Climate and weather
climate, climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, drought, flood, heatwave, storm, rainfall

Energy and resources
energy, electricity, fossil fuel, coal, oil, gas, renewable energy, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, battery, grid

Waste and recycling
garbage, trash, rubbish, landfill, recycling, compost, biodegradable, packaging, reusable bag, single use

Conservation and action
protect, conserve, restore, reduce, reuse, recycle, plant, clean up, campaign, awareness, regulation, policy

High value collocations

• reduce carbon emissions, cut air pollution, improve air quality
• save water, conserve energy, protect wildlife, restore habitats
• renewable energy sources, solar panels, wind farms
• recycling program, waste management, plastic free policy
• climate action plan, environmental regulation, public awareness

Model lines

• Our city launched a recycling program to cut plastic waste.
• Solar panels can reduce electricity bills and carbon emissions.

Phrasal verbs for the environment

• cut down on = reduce. Cut down on plastic bags.
• throw away = discard. Do not throw away batteries with normal trash.
• clean up = remove litter. Volunteers cleaned up the beach.
• run out of = use all of. Some regions ran out of water in the drought.
• break down = decompose. Food waste breaks down in compost.
• switch off = turn off. Please switch off lights when you leave.

Useful sentence frames

Stating a fact

• The river has high levels of pollution in summer.

Explaining a cause

• Traffic causes poor air quality near schools.

Giving a solution

• The council should add more bins and run a clean up day.

Making a suggestion

• People could switch to reusable bottles and bags.

Asking for information

• Where can I drop off e waste and old batteries

Common mistakes and fixes

• ❌ The nature is beautiful here.
  ✅ Nature is beautiful here.
• ❌ People throw litters on the street.
  ✅ People throw litter on the street. Litter is uncountable.
• ❌ Government should make strict rules about plastic.
  ✅ The government should introduce strict rules about plastic.
• ❌ Climate is changing day by day because of the carbons.
  ✅ The climate is changing because of carbon emissions.
• ❌ We must save the electricity at night.
  ✅ We must save electricity at night.

Small grammar notes

• Uncountable: pollution, litter, traffic, wildlife, energy, electricity, equipment, research. Use some or a lot of, not many.
• Prepositions: harmful to wildlife, damage to forests, depend on rainfall, invest in renewables, ban on plastic bags.
• Articles: the environment when we speak in general policy. The government, the public.
• Numbers and units: 5 percent reduction, 2 liters of water, 3 kilowatts of power.

Mini dialogues

A. On campus

• Student: Where can I recycle glass
• Staff: Use the green bin near the library. The blue bin is for paper.

B. Community meeting

• Resident: Traffic causes noise and fumes on our street.
• Officer: We will test air quality and add a bus lane.

C. At home

• Parent: Please switch off the fan when you leave the room.
• Child: Sure. I will also fill a bottle and stop buying single use water.

Quick practice with answers

A. Choose the best option

1. We should (cut down on or cut off) plastic packaging.
2. Volunteers will (clean up or break down) the park on Friday.
3. Food waste (runs out or breaks down) in compost.
4. The city plans to (save or spend) water during the dry season.
5. Many homes will (switch off or switch to) solar energy.

Answers

1. cut down on
2. clean up
3. breaks down
4. save
5. switch to

B. Complete the collocation
6) reduce carbon ______ → emissions
7) renewable energy ______ → sources
8) protect ______ → wildlife or forests
9) public ______ → awareness or transport
10) waste ______ → management

C. Fix the sentence
11) There is many pollutions in the river.
12) People threw the garbage to the road.
13) The company installed solar on the roof.

Suggested answers
11) There is much pollution in the river.
12) People threw the garbage on the road.
13) The company installed solar panels on the roof.

Writing frames you can reuse

Email to city council
Subject: Request for more recycling bins
Dear Council,
Our market area has heavy litter on weekends. Please add five recycling bins and two general waste bins near the south gate. This change will improve cleanliness and reduce plastic in the river. I can help with a community clean up day.
Kind regards,
Name

Short opinion paragraph
Public transport should be expanded because it reduces traffic and emissions. If buses are frequent and affordable, more people will use them. The city can build bus lanes, add shelters, and offer a day pass to encourage riders.

Ten minute drills

• Write ten collocations with energy, water, or waste.
• Make five sentences using cut down on, clean up, switch off, throw away, break down.
• Record a sixty second summary of one local environmental issue and one solution.
• Create eight flashcards: term on the front, definition and example on the back.

Seven day review plan

• Day 1 nature and habitats
• Day 2 pollution types
• Day 3 climate and weather
• Day 4 energy and resources
• Day 5 waste and recycling
• Day 6 phrasal verbs, mistakes, pronunciation
• Day 7 write a 120 word environment report using 12 target items