Teaching English at the Zoo

After you have received or purchased your ticket; once introduces the next step in a sequence.

Tone and use: Neutral, practical narration. Explain what happens after someone obtains a ticket or completes a first step.

May not fit: If the steps happen at the same time or the order is unimportant, after may be simpler.

Read information from a ticket or code with an electronic scanner.

Tone and use: Neutral service and technology language. Describe checking a barcode, QR code, or pass at an entrance.

May not fit: For a paper ticket checked by a person without a device, say check or collect the ticket.

An elephant’s extended nose, which it uses for breathing, smelling, and handling objects.

Tone and use: Neutral descriptive vocabulary. Describe an elephant’s distinctive nose.

May not fit: Trunk has other meanings, such as a car’s storage compartment; make the animal context clear.

Tossing or scattering soil through the air.

Tone and use: Neutral description of an animal’s action. Describe an animal moving or tossing soil around.

May not fit: Use digging if the animal is moving soil to make a hole rather than tossing it.

Here this refers to the Asian elephants in the exhibit; females can have smaller tusk-like protrusions called tushes.

Tone and use: Informational animal vocabulary, not a general rule for all elephant species. Discuss this Cincinnati Zoo group while keeping the species distinction clear.

May not fit: Do not generalize this to African elephants or assume every male Asian elephant has prominent tusks.

Passes through the body or system without being fully used or changed; right and straight add emphasis.

Tone and use: Informal spoken emphasis. Describe something passing directly through, often in an explanation of a process.

May not fit: In polished writing, goes straight through is less repetitive and more concise.

A naturally included material that can enrich soil; built-in suggests it is part of the process already.

Tone and use: Informal, slightly playful description. Explain how an existing natural process provides a useful extra benefit.

May not fit: For a technical or safety discussion, identify the material and its treatment precisely.

Go see or take a look at the lions; check out is informal for examine or visit.

Tone and use: Casual and conversational. Suggest visiting an exhibit or looking at something interesting.

May not fit: In formal instructions, use visit or view instead.

The place or direction someone should choose or follow.

Tone and use: Neutral, useful when asking for or explaining directions. Ask where a route leads or where you should head next.

May not fit: If you need the precise route, ask which path or turn to take.

Traveling toward a place or person with the intention of seeing them.

Tone and use: Common conversational travel phrase. Say what destination or attraction you are heading toward.

May not fit: Use on the way to work when naming a destination, but on the way to seeing someone when followed by an -ing activity.

Blend into the natural environment so it is harder to notice.

Tone and use: Neutral descriptive language, often used for animals and military contexts. Explain how an animal’s appearance helps it remain less visible in its habitat.

May not fit: Do not use camouflage to mean simply hiding behind an object; it usually involves blending with surroundings.

Animals that have hooves, such as horses and deer.

Tone and use: Neutral zoological description. Group animals by this physical feature, especially when discussing prey or habitat.

May not fit: For a general audience, give familiar examples because the term may be unfamiliar.

The long, thick hair around the head and neck of some animals, especially a male lion.

Tone and use: Neutral descriptive vocabulary. Describe a lion’s hair or a horse’s neck hair.

May not fit: Do not use mane for ordinary human hair; it often sounds playful or figurative there.

The foods that make up an animal’s diet are the items that follow this phrase.

Tone and use: Neutral and slightly formal explanatory language. List the main components of an animal’s food or a person’s eating plan.

May not fit: In casual conversation, their diet is mostly may sound more natural.

Become less hot or make your body temperature feel lower.

Tone and use: Everyday phrase, especially useful after exercise or in hot weather. Talk about resting, drinking water, or finding shade when overheated.

May not fit: For lowering an object’s temperature, cool it down is also possible; specify what is cooling.

An unobstructed sightline that lets you see something easily.

Tone and use: Neutral and common when describing a location or vantage point. Explain that nothing blocks what you are looking at.

May not fit: If visibility is poor because of fog or darkness, say the view is limited or unclear.

No object or barrier is in the way of the speaker’s view or movement.

Tone and use: Conversational and context-dependent. Explain why you can see or reach something without an obstruction.

May not fit: In formal descriptions, unobstructed may be more concise.

Instead of; it contrasts one choice or approach with another.

Tone and use: Neutral and useful in both speech and writing. Compare a preferred option with the alternative being rejected.

May not fit: If the choices are not alternatives, use and or as well as.

Every animal in the group was rescued; all emphasizes the whole group.

Tone and use: Neutral factual phrasing. Clarify that each member of a group has the same status or history.

May not fit: If only some members fit, say some were rescued or most were rescued.

Stop them from being able to fly; prevent someone from doing something is followed by from and an -ing verb.

Tone and use: Neutral explanatory pattern. Explain a cause that keeps a person or animal from doing an action.

May not fit: Do not confuse it with prevent them to fly, which is not the standard pattern.

Rest while remaining on one’s feet instead of lying down.

Tone and use: Neutral description; the exact sleeping behavior can vary by species. Describe an animal that sleeps while standing.

May not fit: For people, this usually suggests exhaustion or a joke rather than ordinary sleep.

Look similar enough to the leaves that it is difficult to distinguish from them.

Tone and use: Common descriptive phrase for camouflage or fitting into surroundings. Describe an animal or object that becomes less noticeable against a background.

May not fit: For social behavior, blend in means fit into a group, not visually disappear.

Take a trip to observe wild animals, often in their natural environment; here it names a zoo attraction.

Tone and use: Common travel expression; the setting determines whether it is a wildlife trip or an attraction. Talk about joining a guided wildlife outing or visiting a safari-style exhibit.

May not fit: Do not imply a zoo train is the same as a safari in the animals’ natural habitat.

Along the complete route or full circle, rather than stopping partway.

Tone and use: Everyday phrase for routes, movement, and extent. Describe a trip that follows an entire loop or reaches the far end.

May not fit: If you only mean nearby, say around the corner or through the area.

A conversational way to choose one option, often after considering alternatives.

Tone and use: Friendly and slightly tentative; common in interviews and recommendations. Name your preference when someone asks you to pick a favorite.

May not fit: For a firm decision or formal vote, say I choose or I select.

Spend relaxed, informal time with someone.

Tone and use: Casual and social. Talk about spending free time with friends or people you enjoy.

May not fit: In professional or formal contexts, spend time with is usually more appropriate.

A collective noun phrase for a group of horses.

Tone and use: Neutral vocabulary; collective nouns can have alternatives depending on context. Describe a group of horses, especially when moving or living together.

May not fit: For a formal count, simply say a group of horses or state the number.

A traditional collective noun for a group of lions.

Tone and use: Established animal vocabulary, often taught as a memorable phrase. Name a group of lions in general or educational contexts.

May not fit: In scientific writing, specify the actual group and its members rather than relying on a poetic collective noun.

A traditional collective noun sometimes used for a group of giraffes.

Tone and use: Playful and memorable; collective-noun usage can vary. Use in a vocabulary quiz or light animal description.

May not fit: For clarity, especially with unfamiliar listeners, say a group of giraffes.