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Last updated:
August 16, 2022
50+ Easy English Words You Need to Know
Let me tell you a little secret.
There’s a nice trick that can help you learn a language pretty fast.
In fact, I can promise you results within a few weeks.
Sound too good to be true?
Well, let me break it down for you.
No matter the language, there are some words and phrases that you’ll always end up using more often. Knowing these will help you express yourself in most situations, especially in everyday conversations.
And the best part is, most of these words are really simple and can be easily mastered with some practice.
In this post, I’ll discuss some very easy English words that every language learner must know. I’ll also explain their meanings and teach you exactly how to use them in sentences.
Are you excited already?
Let’s begin with the basics!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Basic Grammar Rules to Remember When Using Easy English Words
Before we move on to the important words, let’s do a quick grammar recap.
Remembering the simple rules and suggestions listed below will ensure that your sentences are free of careless mistakes.
I’m assuming you’re somewhat familiar with these basic grammar rules, but just in case any of them sound difficult feel free to look them up.
- A noun and a verb are all you need to form a sentence. As you must know, English grammar has many parts. A typical sentence usually includes a noun, a verb, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and more. However, the most important parts are the noun and the verb.
- Remember that a sentence needs a subject and a predicate. When you’re trying to express yourself, just keep in mind that every sentence usually has a doer, or the subject (the one doing the action), and an object, or predicate (the one receiving the action).
- Use simple conjunctions. When you’re trying to form slightly longer sentences, make sure you use conjunctions or connecting words like and, but and or.
- Always begin a question with any of the six main question words. In English, when we’re asking something, there are certain words we always use to indicate (show) what kind of question it is. These words are what, who, how, when, where and why.
- Add -ly to turn adjectives into adverbs. Adjectives are words that we use to describe nouns, while adverbs are used to describe verbs and adjectives. Many adjectives can easily be turned into adverbs simply by adding an -ly to them at the end. Later in this post, be on the lookout for adjectives that have been turned into adverbs!
You can also check out this video to quickly learn 30 easy English words in video format! Between the video and the following list of 50 plus words below, you’ll be well on your way to major vocabulary growth!
Nouns
Nouns, as you must know, are “naming” words. They can refer to people, things, places and ideas. Here are some of the most common ones that you need to know and that are perfect for beginners.
House
A house is a building or the place in which you live. There can be many types of houses, such as an apartment, a bungalow, a mansion, a hut, a shack and so on. A house is usually your “home” and is also called a residence.
I live in a large house with my sister.
Job
A job is what you do in order to earn money and keep on living. In most jobs, you often have to work in an office. Based on how much work you do, you get paid a certain amount.
Meena is looking for a new job.
Business
A business is an organization or a system where you buy or sell things in order to make money. If you run a business or work in one, then that’s your job.
She has been running her own business for five years now.
Food
Food is what you eat to remain fit and keep on living. If we don’t eat every day, we’ll get sick.
She asked me what sort of food I like the most, and I replied, “chocolate.”
Restaurant
A restaurant is a place where you often go to eat food by paying for it.
Yesterday, I had dinner with my friends at a restaurant near my house.
Telephone
A telephone is an object that you use to call someone when they’re too far away to speak to them in person.
Can I use your telephone to call my brother who recently moved away to another town?
Address
Your address tells someone exactly where you live. If someone requires proof of your existence or they want to send you something by mail, they’ll ask for your address.
My mailing address is 18 Park Street, Kolkata 700016.
Money
Money refers to the thin strips of paper or the metal coins that you use to pay for things. Generally, the more money you have, the richer you are.
Her business failed, so she has lost a lot of money recently.
Friend
A friend is someone you like, spend time with and can ask for help but who isn’t connected to your family.
I went to watch a movie with a friend from school.
Love
Love is what you feel when you care about someone or like something a lot.
I love this book so much that I’ve already read it five times.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that we use to replace a noun.
For instance, if we’re talking about a boy named Mahesh, we can use the pronouns he, him and his to refer to him, instead of using Mahesh all the time.
The rules are simple.
If you’re talking in the first person, you use pronouns like I, me and mine.
If you’re talking in the second person, you use you, yours and your.
If the sentence involves more than two people, you use we, us and ourselves.
If it’s in the third person, gender and number become important. If someone identifies as male, we use he, him, and his. For those who identify as female, we use she and her. If something has no gender, we use it, and if the gender doesn’t fit into the male/female binary, we often use their and they.
We also use their, they and them when we’re referring to more than one person.
Here are some examples:
I lost my wallet today.
She writes in her notebook every day.
Hilary broke her favorite toy and she is very sad about it.
They closed the business last week.
The stranger was following me at night, and I was afraid that they would do something bad to me.
Verbs
Verbs are action words. They show us the process of doing things.
A noun usually comes with a verb, and knowing the following 10 verbs is sure to come in handy (useful).
Talk
You talk whenever you speak to someone or say anything out loud.
I talk to my best friend every day, at night, over the telephone.
Do
We use this word whenever we refer to an action that we’re carrying out or accomplishing.
I will do the task as soon as I get home from work.
Go
We use this word whenever we move or travel from one place to another.
Ray will go to his sister’s house tomorrow by train.
Make
This verb is used when we refer to the act of creating something.
He is going to make a plan for a more successful business.
Walk
When we move from one place to another using our feet, we walk.
They walk home from school.
Eat
During every meal, you take food, put it into your mouth, chew it and swallow it. This action is called eating.
Mary loves to eat chocolate.
Drink
When it’s solid food, we eat. When it’s a liquid that we swallow, we drink. We drink water every day, for example.
It’s important to drink water after exercising.
Work
Work is what you do at your job to keep earning money. It’s an activity that requires (needs/uses) your mental and physical effort.
I work between seven and eight hours every day at my job.
Sleep
Sleep refers to the time when you’re lying down and resting. Your mind isn’t alert or aware of its surroundings when you’re sleeping.
John goes to sleep at 10.
Feel
This is a verb that we use to describe an emotion or a feeling, like love or anger, or a sensation, like heat or touch. It’s how we manage to relate to the environment and to ourselves.
I feel that something is wrong with her because she’s behaving strangely.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that we use to describe nouns.
They make whatever we say sound more precise and vivid, and they help us convey what we think with more accuracy.
Here are some of the most common adjectives that you can start using immediately.
Happy
When you’re feeling pleased, glad or delighted about something, the emotion that you’re feeling is called happiness. When you’re happy, you’re full of joy.
The playground was full of happy children.
Sad
The exact opposite of happiness is when you feel sad, like when something bad or terrible has happened and you’re filled with sorrow and pain.
After losing her job, Rita was feeling very sad.
Angry
When you have the strong feeling to hurt or shout at someone for the way they’ve behaved, chances are that you’re angry at them.
Joe’s mother was very angry and could be heard shouting at him because he didn’t do his homework.
Busy
When your mind is active and focused on one thing, you’re busy with that activity and cannot pay attention to anything else. This word is often used in the workplace.
I cannot meet you tonight, as I’m busy with office work.
Bored
When you feel that you have nothing to do and that nothing around you is interesting, you’re feeling bored.
She stayed at home during the weekend and became very bored, as she had nothing to do.
Annoyed
When you’re moderately (somewhat) angry at someone, chances are that you’re annoyed with them. You think that they’re a bother to you and you feel somewhat disturbed by them.
She was very annoyed that he kept making jokes the whole time and didn’t take her seriously.
Pleased
When you feel happy about something or you’re glad because of the way someone has behaved, you’re pleased. You’re satisfied and you feel content.
The boss was so pleased with the new employee’s work that he promoted her.
Excited
Excitement is that feeling you get when you know something good is going to happen and you can’t wait for it. When you’re looking forward to something, you often feel excited about it.
I was excited to see my brother after five years.
Lonely
When you’re alone and feel sad about being alone or when you have no one to talk to, the emotion that you’re feeling is loneliness. Remember, you don’t need to always be physically alone to feel lonely.
Reya didn’t know anyone at the party so she was feeling very lonely.
Tired
You know that feeling when you’ve had a really long day at work and you just can’t wait to go home and rest? Or, you feel so exhausted that you can barely move your body, and you just want to close your eyes and fall asleep? Yes, that’s called feeling tired.
I was very tired after doing all those new exercises at the gym.
Adverbs
As stated earlier, adverbs are used to describe verbs or adjectives. These adverbs are commonly used in everyday conversations.
Always
When something happens every time or all the time, the word we use is always.
The sun always rises in the east.
Carefully
When you pay attention to your actions and you’re very alert or aware of your surroundings, you’re being careful.
She told the maid to wash the dishes carefully, as they were made of glass.
Clearly
If something is very easy to perceive (see/smell/hear/touch/taste) or understand, it’s clear. It isn’t something complex, complicated or hidden.
Once the rain stopped, I could clearly see the mountain range from my window.
Often
If something happens on a more or less regular basis, we say that it happens often.
I often see her sitting in the cafe with a book.
Well
When we use well as an adverb, we mean that something is or has been good or satisfactory.
Sheila’s job has been going well and she’s making a lot of money.
Generally
We use this adverb when we’re referring to something that usually happens. It’s also used to refer to most people or things.
Generally, it’s faster to reach the city if you take the train.
Really
This adverb is used to refer to something that’s true or to put emphasis on something.
They didn’t believe her, but she really didn’t commit the crime.
Sometimes
When we’re referring to something that doesn’t happen often or always but still takes place from time to time, we use the word sometimes.
Sometimes, I go to the library after lunch if I’m free.
Certainly
If you’re talking about something and you’re absolutely sure about it or you feel very confident about it, you use the adverb certainly.
I will certainly meet you next week for the interview.
Already
When something has happened, you use the word already.
I already finished my homework.
When you’re learning a language, try to take things slow.
Practice making simple sentences with only a few words. In time, you’ll gain more confidence and be able to frame more complex thoughts.
Keep revising (reviewing) the basics as often as you can, even when you move on to newer and more difficult things.
And above all, don’t give up when you make mistakes or get stuck. That’s a crucial part of our learning experience, and without it, we’d make very little progress. Stay optimistic and be dedicated, and you’ll be fluent in English in no time!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Listen 🔉 Read 🔎 Repeat 🔁
be | 🙂 | Be happy. |
have | 🖐️ | Have a good day. |
do | 💪 | Do the work. |
say | 🗨️ | Say, “Hello.” |
get | 🛠️ | Get to work. |
make | 👩🍳 | Make some food. |
go | 🛵 | Go for a drive. |
know | 🎓 | I know a lot. |
take | 🎫 | Take a number. |
see | 👓 | I can see. |
come | 🧲 | Come to me. |
think | 🤔 | I think so. |
look | 👀 | Look at that. |
want | 😋 | I want to eat. |
give | 🎁 | Give me a gift. |
use | 🍴 | Use a fork. |
find | 🔍 | Find the answer. |
tell | 🎤 | Tell your story. |
ask | 🙋 | Ask a question. |
work | 🔨 | I work hard. |
seem | 🤔 | You seem lost. |
feel | 🤗 | I feel happy. |
try | 😣 | Try again. |
leave | 🚶♂️ | I will leave. |
call | 📱 | Call me. |
Listen 🔉 Read 🔎 Repeat 🔁
person | 😃 | This person is happy. |
man | 👨 | The man is nice. |
woman | 👩 | The woman is young. |
child | 🧒 | The child is small. |
time | ⏰ | The time is 7am. |
year | 🎉 | The year is 2019. |
week | 📅 | A week is 7 days. |
day | 📆 | This is a good day. |
way | 🛣️ | Come this way. |
thing | ❔ | What is that thing? |
world | 🌎 | The world is big. |
life | ⚕️ | Life is good. |
hand | ✋ | My hand is clean. |
part | 🧩 | I like this part. |
eye | 👁️ | My eye is open. |
place | 🗺️ | This is the place. |
work | 🔨 | My work is important. |
case | 📁 | USCIS case number |
point | 📌 | I see your point. |
government | 🏛️ | I like the government. |
company | 🏭 | Her company is new. |
number | 🔢 | This is my number. |
group | 👨👩👦 | The group is big. |
problem | 🤦 | I have a problem. |
fact | 📚 | That is a fact. |
Listen 🔉 Read 🔎 Repeat 🔁
good | 👍 | Good work. |
new | 🌅 | It is a new day. |
first | 🥇 | This is my first job. |
last | 🤷 | That was last time. |
long | ✈️ | It was a long way. |
great | 👷♀️ | She is a great boss. |
little | 🚗 | I have a little car. |
own | 🏠 | I want my own home. |
other | 🏨 | I like the other place. |
old | 🏚️ | It is an old house. |
right | 📲 | This is the right number. |
big | 👪 | It was a big group. |
high | 🔢 | It is a high number. |
different | ⌚ | I have a different time. |
small | 🌎 | It is a small world. |
large | 🏬 | That is a large place. |
next | 📅 | That is next week. |
early | 🤤 | I like early lunch. |
young | 🧒 | He is a young child. |
important | 👩✈️ | She is an important person. |
few | 🗓️ | Give me a few days. |
public | 🏞️ | It is a public place. |
bad | 😥 | You have a bad problem. |
same | ⏲️ | Come at the same time. |
able | 🧰 | I am able to work. |
Listen 🔉 Read 🔎 Repeat 🔁
to | Go to work |
of | a lot of people |
in | Get in place |
for | Come for the day |
on | Be on time |
with | Stay with my child |
at | Good at work |
by | Wait by the car |
from | I am from New York |
up | Go up to the place |
about | Tell me about life |
into | Come into work soon |
over | Go over there next week |
after | Call me after work |
Listen 🔉 Read 🔎 Repeat 🔁
the | the child |
and | man and woman |
a | a day |
that | that place |
I | I like you |
it | It is nice. |
not | Not my place |
he | He is nice. |
as | as a child |
you | You are nice |
this | This is the place |
but | But not today |
his | His car |
they | They are here |
her | Her mother |
she | She is nice |
or | Yes or no |
an | an eye for an eye |
will | I will call you |
my | My first job. |
one | One at a time |
all | All the same |
would | I would like that |
there | There is a place to stay |
their | Their home is nice |
Tired of staring at huge lists of words in English?
Exhausted from carrying heavy vocabulary books around all day?
Let me show you seven easy ways to learn English words.
English students hate learning new vocabulary.
It’s no wonder. It’s boring and takes hours and hours to make just a little progress.
What if I were to tell you that there is a much better, much faster, far more productive way of learning new words?
If you have had enough of gazing at lists of English words then read on.
English Vocabulary Books are Terrible!
Many English students spend a lot of time and money on English vocabulary books in their attempt to learn English words. While this might be an admirable effort on their part, they could use their time and energy more productively.
I am not saying these huge vocabulary books are useless but you have to use them in the right way.
Going from word to word, your lips moving as you read out each line in your head, is not the best way to learn English vocabulary. It is certainly not the fastest.
I have outlined below seven fantastic methods of building word power. Follow these steps and you will gain great stacks of vocabulary that you can use in speaking and writing immediately.
It just requires a small amount of commitment and a little work. Not hard work but some work nonetheless.
Start by putting all of these steps into action today.
1. Read, Read and Read Some More
Reading is by far the best way to improve your English vocabulary. Even as a native English speaker, the more I read the more I expand my vocabulary every day without even trying.
But many English students have no idea how to do this.
Whenever I give students this advice they always ask me: What should I read?
And my answer is always the same — read whatever you want!
If you are interested in basketball, read about basketball. Read basketball websites, basketball magazines, basketball news and books about basketball.
Trust me, you are going to learn a lot of new words — and not just words that you can use in the context of basketball. Words that can be used in many other ways.
You can do this for any topic that you are interested in. People have more than one area of interest so start reading about anything you like.
Once you feel more confident, start reading other topics. Read the news, read novels, read biographies. You can choose from hundreds of daily news websites. And there are websites where you can read all the novels you want for free.
There is also this place called the library.
Ever heard of it?
Go down there and they will let you borrow dozens of books.
You can also use these great websites for reading practice.
News
Breaking News English
This site has hundreds of reading comprehension articles. All based on news and divided into different levels.
NPR
CNN
This is an easy to read version of CNN news.
New York Times
This is an easy to read version of The New York Times.
Other Sites for Reading Practice
Rong-Chang
This is mainly for very young students to high school students. But a great source of articles:
IXL
And two more aimed at English students:
Digital Counter Revolution
English Online
More Advanced Longer Articles
New Yorker
Talking Points and Short Stories
And you can always check out my Talking Points series and my short story lesson plans.
Download all of them for free right here:
Talking Points
Short Stories
Reading is by far the best way for you to learn new English words and the choice of reading material is unlimited.
Get to it.
Do you like my articles and lesson plans?
Why not join my mailing list and I can send you new articles and lesson plans when they come out?
Join here – ManWrites Newsletter
2. Use a Dictionary
It amazes me how many students do not use a dictionary. I have met students that simply do not know how to use one. Or parents who refuse to allow their children to use a dictionary as it is considered cheating.
Well, guess what? I use a dictionary every day.
I often encounter words that I don’t know or don’t know the exact meaning of it. So I look it up.
For English students, the best dictionary is a book dictionary. But if you don’t have one of those use a dictionary app or a website.
Do not use a dictionary that translates from English to your own language!
This is a very lazy method and you are not practising anything in English. Use an English-only dictionary as this will also help to expand your vocabulary.
Every time you read something and come across a word you don’t know — look it up in the dictionary.
Take a look at the following links for online dictionaries (these were kindly submitted by one of my regular subscribers Sérvulo — thank you, Sérvulo!)
Merriam-Webster
Cambridge
The Free Dictionary
Macmillan Dictionary
3. Keep a Vocabulary Notebook
So you find a new word while reading.
- You look the word up in the dictionary.
- Now make a note of it.
Make this into a routine. Yes, it can be boring to do this. But after 30 days it will become a regular daily habit.
This is how you should make notes of new vocabulary.
- Write the English word down.
- Look the word up in your dictionary.
- Write down the meaning — in English. If you need to write down the word in your own language do that too.
- Use the word in a sentence of your own. This can help you use the word in the right context.
So for example;
Beautiful — adjective, having beauty, to describe something that has qualities we like to see or hear.
The girl was wearing a beautiful dress.
I like this music. It is very beautiful.
Continue doing these three steps and your vocabulary will grow at a fantastic rate.
4. Learn Words by Category or Theme
In vocabulary books, the publisher often creates lists of words divided into categories or themes. For example; transportation — and then a list of words that are connected to transportation. Car, truck, motorbike, traffic jam, etc.
But you can do this by yourself.
Just create your own categories and themes. Make lists of new words for these categories and this will help you in the learning process.
Let’s use the theme vacation. Now you have to think of words that are based on that theme. So you have the words hotel, trip, airport, book, tour guide, etc.
The simple act of creating your own list and looking up the meaning of the words by yourself reinforces the new words into your memory.
Combine this step with reading.
Use your list about vacation. Now find an article online. Just search using the terms: vacation reading article ESL.
You should be able to find a reading exercise to use.
Now you are making lists centred on a topic or theme, writing down the meaning of the words and example sentences. And then you read an article based on the category.
5. Make Collocations
Collocations are words or groups of words that belong together. Common collocations are go shopping, study English, practice writing, play tennis.
Usually, a collocation includes a verb and a noun.
These are great for everyday English.
Take words from your vocabulary notebook — or from your category or theme lists — and try to make collocations with them. This may be hard at first but you will find that very soon you could have huge lists of collocations. Things that you can use in your daily life in English.
For example; I have to return these library books, my car has run out of gas, I need to buy some more milk, etc.
Check my article on learning collocations right here.
6. Word Formation
This is a little more advanced but it can make your English more fluent and standardised.
Many English words have a root word at the beginning. This root can change each time to make the word into a noun, a verb, an adjective and an adverb,
Let’s look at the word collection. This is the noun form.
But we can also have collect — a verb.
And collective — an adjective.
And collectively — an adverb.
If you want your English to sound clearer then you really need to learn all the forms of these words.
Not all words have all four forms, some only have three. But you need to learn them and understand the different uses.
Use your dictionary and find the adjective form, verb form and adverb form of a noun. Quite often if you look up a word, the dictionary will show the adjective and verb forms of this word.
You know what to do next — write them all down in your notebook and make example sentences.
7. Write a Blog
One of the best ways to practice new vocabulary is to use it in writing. And a great way to practice writing is by making a blog.
There are so many free blogging platforms out there, but Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr and Medium are four popular platforms. Free to join and easy to start.
Write about whatever comes to mind.
Write stories, things about your daily life, something about your own country and share with the world.
You will find that you are reinforcing all the new vocabulary you learned into your memory. And the added advantage is that writing is a great skill to have in your life.
And that is it. Seven great ways for you to learn and improve your English vocabulary.
Start today and see how far your vocabulary grows in the next 30 days.
Picture Vocabulary Lessons and Word Games For Beginners
Learn and practise recognising simple English words with these easy picture vocabulary lessons and matching games for adult beginners, young learners, and elementary students.
Our online lessons and activities are mobile/tablet friendly, and are suitable for classroom use or self-study at home.
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Word Lists
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Word Games
New and Popular Picture Vocabulary Lessons and Games
Easy Picture Vocabulary Lessons for English Beginners
Picture Vocabulary Lessons for Elementary English Students
Easy Picture Vocabulary Matching Games For English Students
What's the catch?
Care for another?
Have you met?
Improve your English conversation skills easily and quickly using these ten short questions. Once you start to use these in your speech, you will sound more like a native speaker, because they are all so commonly used. Since they are short, they are easy to learn too! We use these questions at home, at work, and in social situations. If you have been in an English speaking country or watch English television, you’ve probably already heard these questions, but you might not understand what they mean. I’ll explain each expression, give you examples of how they are used, and let you practice them in a short exercise with me. I believe that by the end of this short video, you’ll be able to use these standard questions yourself. Have fun learning these and good luck with your English learning!
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.
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