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Family and Friends Vocabulary

The document introduces essential vocabulary for the IELTS exam related to family and friendships, emphasizing the importance of variations and formal/informal terms. It explains different family relationships, including step-relatives, marital statuses like divorce, and new friendship-related terms. The summary also highlights changes in English, particularly how 'friend' has evolved into a verb in social media contexts.

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Related topics:
Learning English• English Speaking•
Essential IELTS Vocabulary
Going beyond the basics
Be aware of variations on the same word: Granny = Grandmother (informal) (formal) Dad = Father (informal) (formal)
Don’t just express the basic relationships. Think in terms of different relationship types: Step-family:  Step-brother or step-sister  Step-mother or step-father A step-relative is related legally but not biologically.
Marriage will make a family larger and also more difficult to describe.  Spouse = a husband or wife  In-laws = your spouse’s family Example: A: My mother-in-law is really annoying. She always criticizes me. B: That’s a shame. My in-laws are really nice. I play golf with my father-in-law all the time.
You know “husband” and “wife.” But what about these?  Fiancé = a man to whom a woman is engaged  Fiancée = a woman to whom a man is engaged
Not all marriages last forever.  Divorced = when a marriage is ended  Separated = when a couple is apart but the marriage is not legally ended  Ex-wife/ Ex-husband = the former partner Example: My parents were separated for a year before they got divorced. She’s still friends were her ex-husband. Can you imagine that?!
Sometimes a marriage doesn’t just end in divorce.  Widow = a woman whose husband has died  Widower = a man whose wife has died
 Only child = the one child in a family  Nuclear family = a couple and their children  Twins = two children born of the same birth  Bachelor = an unmarried man  Adoptee = a child who has been adopted
Talking about your friends
English is changing every day. We have some new but common words:  BFF = “best friends forever”  Bestie = short for “best friend” Example: Sarah and Carol are BFFs. I’m going to the cinema with my bestie tonight.
Another new development is “friend” becoming a verb. It means to add someone on social media.  I friended her on Facebook last week.  After the party, he was friended by 23 people he could barely remember.
What do you do with your friends? If you just spend time together and do different things, you can use these expressions:  Hang out  Chill Example: At the weekend I like to hang out with my friends. We just chill at someone’s house and talk.