Join Ariannita at the Cincinnati Zoo as she asks staff about elephants, big cats, tortoises, gorillas, birds, and other animals. This lesson follows the route through the zoo and highlights practical ways to ask for information, describe what you see, and talk about animal habitats. The video also contains an older Cake app promotion; its prices, ratings, and feature claims are historical and may no longer be current.
Read the full lesson summary
Teaching English at the Zoo is a guided learning foundations lesson for English learners who want to understand and use language in this real-life situation. The short description introduces the lesson; this expanded guide draws its details from the transcript and its phrase notes, so it focuses on what this particular video actually covers rather than a generic channel overview.
What the lesson covers
The lesson moves through Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants; Asking zoo staff about the elephants; Learning about elephant dung and its uses; Using a zoo map to find the big cats; Describing cougars and tiger camouflage; Asking a keeper about tigers; Comparing lions and their calls; and further related moments. Following that sequence helps learners connect each expression to what the speakers are doing, asking, or responding to, instead of memorizing vocabulary as a disconnected list. Listen for how the meaning changes with the situation and how the speaker's wording keeps the exchange moving.
Language to take away
once you get your ticket — After you have received or purchased your ticket; once introduces the next step in a sequence. Neutral, practical narration.Use it when: Explain what happens after someone obtains a ticket or completes a first step.When it may not fit: If the steps happen at the same time or the order is unimportant, after may be simpler.Example: “Once you get your boarding pass, head to security.”
scan it — Read information from a ticket or code with an electronic scanner. Neutral service and technology language.Use it when: Describe checking a barcode, QR code, or pass at an entrance.When it may not fit: For a paper ticket checked by a person without a device, say check or collect the ticket.Example: “The attendant will scan your pass at the gate.”
a long trunk — An elephant’s extended nose, which it uses for breathing, smelling, and handling objects. Neutral descriptive vocabulary.Use it when: Describe an elephant’s distinctive nose.When it may not fit: Trunk has other meanings, such as a car’s storage compartment; make the animal context clear.Example: “The elephant used its trunk to pick up a branch.”
A way to use this lesson
Try using “once you get your ticket” in a sentence about entering the zoo and meeting the elephants. Replay the relevant moment, then adapt the language to a real conversation you expect to have. Keep the original situation in mind: the goal is not simply to repeat a sentence, but to choose wording that suits the people, purpose, and tone of the exchange.
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Transcript
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Select an expression for its meaning · 0:00
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants
Hey everybody! It's Ariannita la Gringa and welcome back to my YouTube channel. And in today's video I will teach all of you Zoo vocabulary at one of the best zoos in the United States. This is the Cincinnati Zoo. I already bought my ticket it costs $22 and then they will and then you will enter the zoo. Can you guys tell me the name of that animal? That animal is an elephant, but specifically, it's an Asian elephant. An elephant has that is very strong. It's used for breathing, smelling, and it can pick
Try it: Try using “once you get your ticket” in a sentence about entering the zoo and meeting the elephants.
Phrase cheat sheet
All phrases at a glance
Review each expression, hear it, save it, or jump to where it appears in the video.
29 phrases
Showing 29 of 29 phrases
once you get your ticket
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants · expression
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.
Example“Once you get your boarding pass, head to security.”
scan it
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants · expression
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.
Example“The attendant will scan your pass at the gate.”
a long trunk
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants · collocation
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.
Example“The elephant used its trunk to pick up a branch.”
throwing dirt
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants · expression
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.
Example“The elephant was throwing dirt over its back.”
only male elephants have tusks
Entering the zoo and meeting the elephants · cultural reference
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.
Example“At this exhibit, the guide explained that female Asian elephants have tushes.”
goes right straight through
Asking zoo staff about the elephants · expression
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.
Example“Most of the water goes straight through the filter.”
built-in fertilizer
Asking zoo staff about the elephants · collocation
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.
Example“The compost adds built-in fertilizer to the garden beds.”
check out some lions
Learning about elephant dung and its uses · phrasal verb
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.
Example“Let’s check out the new exhibit after lunch.”
where to go
Learning about elephant dung and its uses · expression
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.
Example“The information desk can tell us where to go.”
on the way to see
Learning about elephant dung and its uses · expression
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.
Example“We stopped for coffee on the way to see the waterfalls.”
camouflage in the wild
Using a zoo map to find the big cats · collocation
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.
Example“The insect’s coloring helps it camouflage in the wild.”
hoofed animals
Using a zoo map to find the big cats · collocation
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.
Example“The reserve is home to several hoofed animals, including antelope.”
a mane
Describing cougars and tiger camouflage · expression
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.
Example“The young lion is beginning to grow a mane.”
their diet consists of
Describing cougars and tiger camouflage · expression
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.
Example“The panda’s diet consists mainly of bamboo.”
cool down
Asking a keeper about tigers · phrasal verb
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.
Example“Let’s sit in the shade and cool down.”
a clear view
Asking a keeper about tigers · collocation
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.
Example“We had a clear view of the stage from our seats.”
nothing blocking me
Asking a keeper about tigers · expression
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.
Example“There was nothing blocking me from seeing the scoreboard.”
rather than
Comparing lions and their calls · expression
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.
Example“We took the train rather than driving into the city.”
all rescued
Cooling off before visiting the gorillas · expression
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.
Example“All the birds at this center were rescued.”
prevent them from flying
Cooling off before visiting the gorillas · expression
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.
Example“The injury prevented him from competing.”
sleep standing up
Cooling off before visiting the gorillas · expression
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.
Example“Some horses can sleep standing up.”
blend in with the leaves
Archived Cake app sponsor segment · phrasal verb
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.
Example“The green caterpillar can blend in with the leaves.”
go on a safari
Archived Cake app sponsor segment · expression
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.
Example“They went on a safari to see elephants in the wild.”
all the way around
Archived Cake app sponsor segment · expression
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.
Example“The walking path goes all the way around the lake.”
I would have to go with
Archived Cake app sponsor segment · expression
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.
Example“For a weekend trip, I would have to go with the coast.”
hang out with
Archived Cake app sponsor segment · phrasal verb
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.
Example“We like to hang out with our neighbors on the patio.”
a herd of horses
Visiting the hippos and bald eagles · collocation
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.
Example“A herd of horses crossed the open field.”
a pride of lions
Visiting the hippos and bald eagles · collocation
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.
Example“We spotted a pride of lions resting in the shade.”
a tower of giraffes
Visiting the hippos and bald eagles · collocation
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.
Example“A tower of giraffes stood near the watering hole.”
Knowledge check
Practice the phrases you heard
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Use it in a sentence · “scan it”
You reach the entrance and need staff to read the code on your ticket. What might they do?