B1 Vocabulary — Age & life stages
Useful words to talk about how old people are and which stage of life they are in.
B1 Intermediate
People & society
Age & stages of life
1. From baby to teenager
- baby = a very young child, usually under one year old. Their baby started crawling last week.
- toddler = a small child who is just learning to walk (about 1–3 years old). The toddler is learning to walk on his own.
- child = a young person, usually from about 3 to 12. The child drew a picture at school.
- preteen = a child who is almost a teenager (around 10–12). Her preteen daughter loves reading adventure books.
- teenager / teen = a person from 13 to 19 years old. Their teenager spends a lot of time with friends.
- adolescent = a more formal word for a teenager who is changing into an adult. The school has special programmes for adolescents.
2. Young adults & decades
- young adult = a person who is just starting adult life (about 18–25). Many young adults move out and start working.
- in your 20s / 30s / 40s... = between 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, etc. He’s in his 50s and works as a teacher.
- in your early 20s ≈ 20–23 years old. She’s in her early 30s and has just had a baby.
- in your mid 20s ≈ 24–26 years old. He got married in his mid 40s.
- in your late 20s ≈ 27–29 years old. She changed jobs in her late 30s.
We often use in his / her / my with these expressions: in her late 20s, in his early 50s, etc.
3. Middle age & older people
- middle-aged = usually between about 45 and 65. My middle-aged neighbour enjoys gardening.
- retired person = someone who has stopped working, usually because of age. His retired parents travel a lot now.
- pensioner (UK) = a retired person who receives a pension. Many pensioners enjoy quiet hobbies.
- old / elderly person = a person of advanced age, often 75+. The elderly person needed help crossing the road.
- senior citizen = a polite phrase for an older person, used in public services. Senior citizens get free bus passes in many cities.
Senior citizen and elderly are more polite than simply saying old about someone.
4. Talking about life stages
- childhood = the period of life when you are a child. She spent most of her childhood in the countryside.
- teenage years = the time from 13 to 19. He changed a lot during his teenage years.
- adulthood = the stage of life when you are an adult. Adulthood usually brings more responsibility.
- working life = the part of your life when you have a job or career. She spent her working life as a doctor.
We can say: throughout her childhood, during his teenage years, at the start of adulthood, at the end of his working life, etc.
Exercises:
Age and life stages
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
Their daughter is only six months old – she is a
.
Correct:
A baby is a very young child, usually under one year old.
2
He is two years old and is just learning to walk and talk – he is a
.
Correct:
A toddler is a child about 1–3 years old who is learning to walk.
3
Their
is seven and goes to primary school.
Correct:
A child is a young person, usually from about 3 to 11–12 years old.
4
She is eleven, not a small child but not a teenager yet – she is a
.
Correct:
A preteen is a child around 10–12 years old, before the teenage years.
5
He is sixteen, goes to high school and listens to loud music – he is a
.
Correct:
A teenager / teen is a person between 13 and 19 years old.
6
In more formal or medical English, we often use the word
for a young person whose body is changing in the teenage years.
Correct:
An adolescent is a young person during the teenage years, in a more formal style.
7
She is twenty-one, has just started university and is not a teenager anymore – she is a
.
Correct:
A young adult is someone in the first years of adulthood, around 18–25.
8
When you are between 20 and 29 in general, you are
.
Correct:
If you are 20–29 years old, you are in your 20s.
9
When you are between 30 and 39 years old, you are
.
Correct:
If you are 30–39 years old, you are in your 30s.
10
People who are between 40 and 49 are
.
Correct:
If you are 40–49 years old, you are in your 40s.
11
When you are between 50 and 59 years old, you are
.
Correct:
If you are 50–59 years old, you are in your 50s.
12
Maria is twenty-two – she is
now.
Correct:
If you are about 20–23, you are in your early 20s.
13
He is twenty-five, not very young and not almost thirty – he is
.
Correct:
If you are about 24–26, you are in your mid 20s.
14
She is twenty-eight and will be thirty soon – she is
now.
Correct:
If you are about 27–29, you are in your late 20s.
15
He is about forty-five, not young but not old – he is
now.
Correct:
A middle-aged person is usually around 40–60 years old.
16
He stopped working at sixty-five and doesn’t have a job now – he is a
.
Correct:
A retired (person) is someone who has finished working, usually because of age.
17
Every month he gets money from the government because he is old – he is a
now.
Correct:
A pensioner is an older person who receives a pension.
18
My grandfather is ninety, so he is an
now.
Correct:
An old person is someone in the last part of their life.
19
We often use the polite phrase
instead of “old person”.
Correct:
An elderly person is a polite way to talk about an old person.
20
The sign on the bus says: “Free tickets for all
s over 65.”
Correct:
A senior citizen is a polite, official term for an older person.
21
The period of your life when you are a baby or child is called your
.
Correct:
Childhood is the time when you are a child.
22
The time in your life between 13 and 19 is your
.
Correct:
Your teenage years are the years when you are a teenager (13–19).
23
After you stop being a teenager and are fully grown, you enter
.
Correct:
Adulthood is the period of life when you are an adult.
24
The years when you have a job, from your first job until you retire, are your
.
Correct:
Your working life is the period when you are employed and have a job.
Age and life stages
Match the sentences with the age words
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