English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 14: Growing up

Word List
  • adult
  • alive
  • allow
  • almost
  • birth
  • bring sb up
  • childhood
  • early (20s/30s, etc.)
  • in your teens
  • late (50s/60s, etc.)
  • let [allow]
  • manage [succeed in doing sth]
  • mid (30s/40s, etc.)
  • middle-aged
  • nearly
  • retired
  • stay out late
  • teenager
  • teens
  • toddler
  • at first
  • elderly
  • in the end
  • retirement
  • strict
Exercises

14.1 ‣ Complete the sentences.

  1. Isabella is only six months old – she’s still .
  2. Louis was 22 a few months ago, so he’s in his _____.
  3. Amelia is 35, so she’s in her _____.
  4. Abigail will be 13 this year, so she’ll soon be a _____.
  5. William is 53 and his wife is 47, so they’re both _____.
  6. Joan is 80 this year, so she is quite _____.
  7. Michael was a bus driver for 40 years but he’s now _____.
  8. Leon is 18 this year, so legally he becomes _____.
  9. The boys are 14 and 16, so they’re both in their _____.
  10. Holly is just over a year old and she’s starting to walk, so she’s a _____ now.

14.2 ‣ Are the sentences true or false about Mary’s life on the opposite page? If a sentence is false, change it to make it true.

  1. Mary was brought up in the city.
  2. She grew up in Wales.
    _____
  3. Her parents let her do what she wanted.
    _____
  4. She wasn’t allowed to listen to the radio.
    _____
  5. Life was easy when she went to Cardiff.
    _____
  6. She couldn’t get a job in Cardiff.
    _____

14.3 ‣ Rewrite the sentences without using the underlined words and phrases. Keep a similar meaning.

  1. My parents are dead now.
  2. It was hard but finally I did it.
  3. She’s approximately my age.
  4. They’re almost thirty now.
  5. I had to do what my parents wanted.
  6. My parents let me stay up and watch TV.
  7. My mum looked after me in Scotland.
  8. I was able to pass my exams but it wasn’t easy.
  9. I didn’t go home until late.
  10. I was allowed to wear what I liked.
  11. I was happy as a child.
  12. My grandparents don’t work any more.

14.4 ‣

Over to you

Answer the questions. If possible, ask a friend and write their answers.

  1. Where were you brought up?
  2. What do you particularly remember about your childhood?
  3. Were your parents strict? What weren’t you allowed to do when you were a child?
  4. How late were you allowed to stay out when you were a teenager?
Answer Key
A ‣ Ages and stages in the UK

AgeStage
0birth [the moment a baby is born]
Up to 12 monthsa baby
12 months – 3 yearsold a toddler
3–12 years olda child: this period is your childhood
13–18 approximatelya teenager: during this period you are in your teens
18+an adult
40+ approximatelypeople are middle-aged [in the middle of their lives]
60 or 65retirement [when people stop work; they are retired]
80+old age (we usually describe people as elderly)
B ‣ Approximate ages

I’m in my early twenties [21–23].

My parents are in their mid-fifties [54–56].

My grandmother is in her late seventies [77–79].

My grandfather is nearly/almost eighty [he’s probably 79].

My English teacher’s approximately/roughly thirty. [about 30 / more or less 30]

Common mistakes

We can say, he’s 30 or he’s 30 years old. (NOT he has 30 or he’s 30 years)

Also: a 30-year-old man (NOT a 30-years-old man)

C ‣ Past and present

My grandmother’s name was Mary. She’s dead1 now. She died about ten years ago when I was in my teens, but I remember her well. She was brought up2 on a farm in Wales, and her parents were very strict: as a teenager, they didn’t allow3 her to listen to the radio or go to parties in the village. In the end4, she decided to leave home and get a job in Cardiff. At first5 it wasn’t easy, but she managed6 to find work, and she also met the man who became her husband: my grandfather. My mother was born four years later. She had a very different childhood. She grew up in the city, she was allowed to go to parties, and when she was in her teens, her parents let7 her stay out late8. My mum is the same with me.

1not living; opp alive
2looked after until you are an adult
3give permission
4finally, after a lot of time or thought
5at the beginning
6was able (but it was difficult)
7allowed
8not go home until late

Language help

Let and allow have the same meaning. Let is slightly more informal, and allow is often used in the passive.

My dad let me drive his car. I was allowed to drive my dad’s car.

You’re not allowed to smoke in that room. (NOT It’s not allowed to smoke in that room.)

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