B1 Vocabulary — Animals, body parts & sounds
Useful words to talk about common animals, their bodies and the sounds they make.
B1 Intermediate
Nature & animals
Vocabulary
1. Common small animals
- puppy = a young dog. The children played with a tiny puppy in the park.
- kitten = a young cat. The kitten chased a ball of wool across the floor.
- bee = an insect that makes honey and visits flowers. A bee was buzzing around the roses.
- wasp = a yellow and black insect with a painful sting. A wasp flew past and everyone moved away.
- cricket = an insect famous for its high, musical sound. We could hear the crickets all evening.
- worm = a small, long, soft animal with no legs. The bird pulled a worm out of the soil.
- snail = a very slow animal with a soft body and a hard shell. The snail moved slowly across the path.
- tadpole = the young form of a frog. We watched the tadpoles swimming in the pond.
2. Birds, sea creatures & more
- pigeon = a common city bird. Pigeons were walking around the town square.
- hedgehog = a small animal with many short spines on its back. We saw a hedgehog in the garden at night.
- peacock = a bird with very colourful tail feathers. The peacock opened its beautiful tail.
- prawn / shrimp = small sea animals with many legs that we eat. We ordered pasta with prawns and shrimp.
- crab = a sea animal with a hard shell and claws. A crab walked sideways along the beach.
- seagull = a white and grey bird that lives near the sea. Seagulls flew above us looking for food.
- bat = a small night animal that flies with thin wings. We saw a bat in the sky at sunset.
3. Animal body parts (1)
- paw = the foot of an animal like a dog or cat. The cat touched the toy with its paw.
- claws = sharp, curved nails on an animal’s feet. The eagle caught the fish in its claws.
- hooves = hard feet of animals like horses or deer. The horse’s hooves were loud on the road.
- beak = the hard mouth of a bird. The parrot used its beak to open the nut.
- wings = body parts that birds and insects use to fly. The butterfly opened its colourful wings.
- fins = flat parts of a fish that help it swim. We saw the shark’s fin above the water.
4. Animal body parts (2)
- scales = small, hard pieces that cover fish and reptiles. The fish’s scales shone in the sun.
- gills = organs that let fish breathe under water. The fish opened and closed its gills.
- shell = a hard cover that protects animals like snails or turtles. The turtle hid inside its shell.
- horns = hard, pointed parts on the heads of some animals. The goat used its horns to protect itself.
- tail = the long part at the back of an animal’s body. The dog wagged its tail when it saw its owner.
- whiskers = long, thin hairs on the faces of cats and some other animals. The cat’s whiskers moved as it explored.
5. Animal sounds
Many animal sounds can be used as both verbs (actions) and nouns (the sound itself).
- meow = the sound a cat makes. The cat meowed loudly because it was hungry.
- bark = a short, loud sound made by dogs. The dog barked when it heard a noise.
- growl = a low, angry sound made by a dog or other animal. The dog growled when the stranger came closer.
- roar = a very loud, deep sound like a lion. We heard the lion roar in the distance.
- chirp = a short, high sound made by birds or insects. The birds chirped outside the window.
- hiss = a long “s” sound made by snakes. The snake hissed when it felt afraid.
- moo = the typical sound of a cow. We could hear the cows mooing in the field.
- neigh = the high, loud sound of a horse. The horse neighed when it saw its friend.
Exercises:
Animals, body parts & sounds
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
They got a little
and it is learning to bark and play with a ball.
Correct:
A puppy is a young dog.
2
The small
is chasing a piece of string and meowing softly.
Correct:
A kitten is a young cat.
3
There is a
on the flower, collecting nectar to make honey.
Correct:
A bee is an insect that collects nectar and makes honey.
4
A thin black-and-yellow
is flying around our drinks and might sting someone.
Correct:
A wasp is a black-and-yellow insect that can sting.
5
At night, a small
makes a loud “chirp, chirp” sound in the grass.
Correct:
A cricket is an insect that makes a high “chirping” sound.
6
After the rain, a long thin
came out of the soil onto the path.
Correct:
A worm is a long, soft animal that lives in the ground.
7
There is a
with a shell slowly moving across the garden path.
Correct:
A snail is a small animal with a shell that moves very slowly.
8
We saw a
in the pond; it looks like a tiny fish with a tail and will become a frog.
Correct:
A tadpole is a baby frog that lives in water and has a tail.
9
A grey
is walking around the city square, looking for crumbs.
Correct:
A pigeon is a bird that often lives in cities and town squares.
10
We saw a small
in the garden; it has sharp spines and can roll into a ball.
Correct:
A hedgehog is a small animal with many sharp spines on its back.
11
At the zoo, the
opened its huge, colourful tail to show off.
Correct:
A peacock is a large bird with a very colourful tail.
12
We ordered a plate of
salad at the seafood restaurant.
Correct:
A prawn is a small sea animal that people often eat in salads or with rice.
13
In the US, they usually say
for the small pink sea animals you eat with cocktail sauce.
Correct:
Shrimp is the usual American word for small prawns.
14
A
has a hard shell, big claws and often walks sideways on the beach.
Correct:
A crab is a sea animal with a hard shell and two claws.
15
At the seaside, a noisy
flew down and tried to take our chips.
Correct:
A seagull is a white and grey bird that lives near the sea.
16
At dusk we saw a
flying in circles; it looks like a small mouse with wings.
Correct:
A bat is a small animal that flies at night and looks a bit like a mouse with wings.
Animals, body parts & sounds
Match the sentences with the animal words
⏱ 0:00
• Moves: 0
• Matched: 0/0
• Pack: 1/2