Families

aunt - My aunt tells me funny stories about my mother's youth.

brother - My brother is very competitive.
cousin - My cousin left for college last year.
daughter - She has one daughter and one son.
father - My father spent a lot of time on the road for work.
grandchild - That 90 year old woman has twenty grandchildren!
granddaughter / son - His granddaughter gave him a birthday card with a bunny.
grandfather / mother - Do you remember your grandmothers and grandfathers?
great-grandchild - She has four great-grandchildren and is very happy to be alive to have met them!
husband - She sometimes argues with her husband, but that's normal in every marriage.
ex-husband - She had to divorce her ex-husband because he cheated on her.
in-laws - Many people don't get along with their in-laws.
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Vocabulary
ESL
Family Law
English Lesson Plan
Relatives
Others are happy to have a new family!
son-in-law, etc. - Her daughter-in-law told her to mind her own business.
mother - Mother knows best, or at least that's my mother always said.
niece - His niece works in a shop in Seattle selling eyewear.
nephew - I have a nephew who lives in town. It's nice to have lunch every once in a while.
parents - All of us have two biological parents. Many grown up with adopted parents.
sister - His sister drove him crazy with her constant complaining about the parents.
son - Many people say that sons are harder to raise than daughters because they cause more trouble.
step-father - She gets along wither her step-father, but she prefers to not call him 'Dad'.
step-daughter, etc. - If you marry him, you'll have two step-daughters and one step-son.
twin - It's amazing how similar some twins are. They look, act, and talk alike.
uncle - My uncle lives in Texas. He's nothing like my father.
widow (woman) - She became a widow twenty years ago and never remarried.
widower (man) - The widower is very sad because he's all alone now.
wife - My wife is the most amazing woman in the world because she puts up with me.
ex-wife - His ex-wife took all his money.

Marital Relationships

divorced - Jennifer is divorced, but she's happy to be single again.

engaged - Helen is engaged to be married next June. She's all caught up making plans.
married - I've been married for over twenty-five years. I consider myself lucky.
separated - In many countries, couples must be separated for more than a year in order to divorce.
single - He's a single man living in New York. Need I say more?!
widowed - Hank became widowed last year. He hasn't been the same since.

Becoming Family
get divorced (from) - My husband and I got divorced three years ago. Now, we're best friends, but we know
marriage was a mistake.
get engaged (to) - I got engaged to my wife after just two months of dating.
get married (to) - We're planning on getting married in May.
get on (well) with someone - My wife gets on well with my best friend. That makes me happy!
marry someone - She married Tom fifty years ago today.
start / end a relationship with someone - I think we should end our relationship. We're not happy with each
other.

Other Related Words

acquaintance - I have many acquaintances from all over the world.
boss - My boss is a nice guy, but he's my boss.
colleague - I have great colleagues at work.
employee - All employees should keep their mouths shut and work hard.
employer - In today's work environment, employers are unfair to their employees.
fiance - My fiance works as a physical fitness instructor.
friend - Friends are just as important as family.
best friend - My best friend plays the violin and is a successful entrepreneur.
neighbor - It's important to keep up a friendly relationship with your neighbor if possible.
partner - Many of those who choose not to get married live with their partners for years.
To practice this vocabulary, here is a family relationships lesson plan. There's also a dysfunctional family
gap fill activity to further your related vocabulary.

Related

Exploring Relationships
English vocabulary dating and marriage from the first date to the 50th anniversary
15 + short stories to learn idioms and expressions in context
Process Description - Vocabulary Lesson

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By Kenneth Beare
English as 2nd Language Expert

There are all kinds of human relationships and these relationships will pay a role in discussions you will
have. This page will help you explore a variety of relationships including romantic relationships, your
friends and family and relationships at work. Start off by learning new vocabulary in groups and then
applying that vocabulary in sentences, gap fills and conversation.
Learning Vocabulary
Discuss with your partner each of the vocabulary words and phrases below. Try to use each vocabulary item
in a sentence.
Romance - People
casual / steady date
boy/girlfriend

Romance - Events
date
one night stand

Romance - Verbs
have a crush on
date

significant other
husband / wife
lover
mistress
unrequited love
love-interest

fling
engagement
marriage
breakup
separation
divorce

Examples:

Examples:

My date was late for the

dance!
Feel free to bring along your
significant other to the party

Tom and Betty's marriage is

inspiring!
Unfortunately, the marriage
ended in divorce.

Friends / Enemies - People

good / close / best friend
enemy
companion
acquaintance
platonic relationship
rival
nemesis

Friends / Enemies - Verbs

compete with
get along with
hit it off with
gang up on
trust / distrust
hang out with

flirt with
go out with
break up with
live together
marry / get married
Examples:
Peter flirted with Maria during the
class.
Helen went out with Andrea for more
than three years.

Examples:

Examples:

Peter and Alan hit it off at the

We're not dating. We have a meeting last week.
I like to hang out with Carl on the
platonic relationship.
weekends.
My rival in tennis beat me
last week.
Work - People
coworker
colleague
business partner
boss
director
customer
client
management
staff
Examples:

Work - Events
meeting
presentation
interview
sales call
convention

Work - Verbs
do business with
meet
schedule
contact
delegate
compete with
Examples:
be responsible for
present
Alexander made a presentation at
apologize to
the convention last week.
I have a meeting at three o'clock Examples:
this afternoon.

The director sent a memo

out to staff.
My coworker got married last
weekend.
Family - People

James is responsible for sales in

California.
Let's schedule a meeting next week.
Family - Events

Family - Verbs

mother / father / brother /

sister in-law
uncle
aunt
cousin
blood / distant relatives

wedding
reunion
get together
funeral
holiday

get along with

rebel against
argue with
have a good relationship with
obey / disobey
punish
emulate
look up to

Examples:

Examples:

It's funny how we only see distant

I don't often see my distant relatives at weddings and
Examples:
funerals.
relatives.
Her mother-in-law drives her We had a nice family get together She looks up to her father. The
last weekend.
crazy!
children disobeyed their parents and
were punished.
CONTINUE READING BELOW OUR VIDEO

What Are The Seven Wonders Of The World

0:11
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3:49

Vocabulary Exercises
Exercise 1. - Use a word or phrase to fill in the gaps. Each word or phrase is used only once.
love-interest, blood, nemesis, friendship, love, crush, casual, distant, unrequited love, acquaintance, steady,
business partner
Love is very different from _______. If you've got a _______ on someone you can't wait to see them. If it's
just an ________ you can probably wait until tomorrow, or the day after. One thing is for sure: You'll
probably see your ______ relatives every day! Luckily, you don't need to see your _______ relatives quite as
often, though. When it comes to business, you'll probably see your _________ daily, but you'll stay away
from ________ as often as you can.
Let's face it: ______ is complicated. I've heard from a number of people who have experienced
_____________, and they're never the same! There are also all kinds of considerations. For example, if
you've had a _______ date, do you want to go out again? Are you tired of your ________ date? Well, maybe
it's time for a new __________!
Exercise 2. - Use a verb to fill in the blanks in the sentences. Remember to conjugate the verb depending on
the situation, and don't forget your prepositions!
1. My nemesis and I _______________ each other on a daily basis!
2. I can remember the first time I met my wife. We ____________ immediately and life
was never the same.
3. Students who __________________ their parents after the age of 30 are ridiculous.
4. I __________________ my father for my whole life. He's a wonderful example of a
kind-hearted person with good judgement.
5. Yesterday, she ________________ her colleague for criticizing her work. She said she
was very sorry.

6. Ever since he ____________ Angela, he's been a changed man!

7. Mary ________________ her boyfriend last week. She couldn't stand his complaining
anymore.
8. They _____________________ for more than twenty years. They see no reason to get
married.
Answers to Exercises
Exercise 1
friendship
crush
acquaintance
blood
distant
business partner
nemesis
love
unrequited love
casual
steady
love-interest
Exercise 2
compete with
hit it off
live with
have looked up to
apologized to
went out with
broke up with
have lived together