Family and people

Family words tell us how people are related: ⟦mother⟧, ⟦brother⟧, ⟦aunt⟧, ⟦cousin⟧. We also need words to describe people: what they look like (⟦tall⟧, ⟦curly hair⟧) and what they are like (⟦kind⟧, ⟦funny⟧).

Key facts

  • Parents and children: ⟦mother⟧ (⟦mum⟧; American ⟦mom⟧), ⟦father⟧ (⟦dad⟧), ⟦son⟧, ⟦daughter⟧, ⟦brother⟧, ⟦sister⟧.
  • The wider family: ⟦grandmother⟧ (⟦grandma⟧), ⟦grandfather⟧ (⟦grandpa⟧), ⟦aunt⟧, ⟦uncle⟧, ⟦cousin⟧, ⟦nephew⟧, ⟦niece⟧.
  • Your parent's sister is your ⟦aunt⟧; your parent's brother is your ⟦uncle⟧; their children are your ⟦cousins⟧.
  • Many family words come in pairs, one for a male and one for a female: ⟦brother⟧ and ⟦sister⟧, ⟦uncle⟧ and ⟦aunt⟧, ⟦nephew⟧ and ⟦niece⟧. ⟦Cousin⟧ is for both.
  • Describing people: ⟦He is tall.⟧ ⟦She has long, curly hair.⟧ ⟦He wears glasses.⟧ ⟦She is very kind.⟧

Worked examples

Example 1

Fill the gap: ⟦My father's sister is my ___.⟧

  1. Your father's sister is in your parents' generation.
  2. A woman in that generation who isn't your mother is your ⟦aunt⟧.

Answer: ⟦aunt⟧

Example 2

Fill the gap: ⟦My uncle's son is my ___.⟧

  1. Your uncle's children are in your generation.
  2. They are your ⟦cousins⟧, boys or girls.

Answer: ⟦cousin⟧

Example 3

Complete the pair: ⟦nephew and ___⟧

  1. A ⟦nephew⟧ is your brother's or sister's son.
  2. The word for their daughter is ⟦niece⟧.

Answer: ⟦niece⟧