Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 12
Vocabulary for everyday topics
Textbook English Form 1 KSSM (2016, older edition) — skills-based units for the UASA, pages Skills unit (UASA Paper format)
What this chapter covers
- I can name the four UASA themes and learn new words in topic groups with a word map (12.1)
- I can use words for my daily routine and school life, such as "catch the bus" and "sit for a test" (12.2)
- I can name family members, rooms and household chores, and use "do" and "make" with chores (12.3)
- I can describe food, cooking and health problems, such as "spicy", "fry" and "a sore throat" (12.4)
- I can use "play", "go" and "do" with hobbies and sports, and tell "win" from "beat" (12.5)
- I can talk about places, transport and trips, and tell "journey", "trip" and "travel" apart (12.6)
- I can use shopping and money words, such as "discount", "receipt", "borrow" and "lend" (12.7)
- I can describe the weather and talk about caring for the environment (12.8)
- I can use everyday technology words, such as "download", "log in" and "charge" (12.9)
- I can build word families with prefixes and suffixes, such as "care, careful, careless, carefully" (12.10)
- I can choose the right word partner (collocation) and avoid confusing pairs such as "bored / boring" (12.11)
- I can guess the meaning of a new word from the words around it (12.12)
Every part of the UASA English paper needs words. In Paper 1 you must understand the words in notices, emails and charts. In Part 2 you correct wrong word forms. In Paper 2 the examiner gives more marks for the right words used in the right way. This unit collects the A2 words that come up again and again in UASA texts, in topic groups, and shows you how words are built and which words go together.
12.1Vocabulary in the UASA and how to learn it
UASA texts are chosen from four big themes. Knowing the words of each theme makes every text easier.
| Theme | Topics you will meet | Units here |
|---|---|---|
| People and culture | daily routine, school, family, hobbies, sport, festivals | 12.2, 12.3, 12.5 |
| Health and environment | food, health, weather, rubbish, recycling | 12.4, 12.8 |
| Consumerism and financial awareness | shopping, prices, money, saving | 12.7 |
| Science and technology | phones, computers, the internet, apps | 12.9 |
| Part of the UASA | How vocabulary helps |
|---|---|
| Paper 1 Part 1 (short texts) | Options use other words with the same meaning: the text says "free", the answer says "does not pay". |
| Paper 1 Part 2 (error correction) | Some errors are word forms or word partners: "a |
| Paper 1 Parts 3 and 4 | Labels such as Venue, Fee or Organiser match different words in the text. |
| Paper 1 Part 5 (gapped text) | Topic words link a removed sentence to the sentences around the gap. |
| Paper 2 (writing) | The Language mark rewards a good range of everyday words used correctly. |
How to learn new words
- Learn words in groups, not one by one. Make a word map: write a topic in the centre (for example the canteen) and draw lines to words that belong to it (queue, tray, fried rice, RM3, spicy, crowded).
- Learn the partners of a word, not the word alone: not just homework, but do my homework.
- Learn the family: help, helpful, helpless, helper.
- Write one sentence about your own life with each new word. "I catch the bus at 6.40 a.m." is easier to remember than a list.
- Review often: look at your word maps for five minutes on three different days.
Keep a small vocabulary notebook with one page for each topic in this unit. Add words you meet in your Pulse 2 lessons, in the past papers and in signs around you.
12.2Daily routine and school
Daily routine
| Time of day | Useful phrases |
|---|---|
| Morning | wake up, get up, brush my teeth, take a shower / have a bath, get dressed, put on my uniform, have breakfast, pack my bag, catch the school bus |
| At school | attend the assembly, go to class, take notes, have recess, buy food at the canteen, join a club meeting |
| Afternoon and evening | go home, have lunch, take a nap, do my homework, revise for a test, help with the housework, have dinner with my family |
| Night | watch TV, read a book, set the alarm, go to bed, fall asleep |
Words for how often: always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom (rarely), never; every day, once a week, twice a month.
Common mistakes: "I bath at 6 a.m." → I take a shower / I have a bath. "I sleep at 10 p.m." is understood, but go to bed is better for the time you get into bed. "I open the light" → I switch on (turn on) the light. "Wake up late" in the past → I woke up late.
School
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| People | principal, senior assistant, class teacher, form teacher, prefect, class monitor, librarian, counsellor, classmate, deskmate |
| Places | classroom, staffroom, school hall, library, canteen, field, science laboratory (lab), computer lab, surau, sickbay, co-curriculum room |
| Subjects | English, Malay (Bahasa Melayu), Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Islamic Education, Moral Education, Design and Technology, Physical Education (PE), Art, Music |
| Things | timetable, textbook, exercise book, stationery, ruler, calculator, whiteboard, notice board, uniform, name tag |
| Events | sports day, Teachers' Day, prize-giving day, club meeting, school trip, camp, quiz, competition, holidays |
| Say | Do not say |
|---|---|
| sit for / take an exam | |
| pass / fail a test | |
| do homework, do an exercise | |
| hand in / submit a project | |
| join a club, take part in a competition | |
| be absent from school |
Choose the right word: (a) Hana ( did / made ) her Science homework after dinner. (b) All Form 1 students will ( take / make ) the test on Monday. (c) Raj was ( absent / absence ) from school because he had a fever.
Show answerHide answer
(a) did (b) take (sit for or sit is also correct; make is not) (c) absent (absent is the adjective; absence is the noun)
12.3Family and home
| Family member | Meaning |
|---|---|
| parents | your father and mother |
| grandparents | your parents' parents (grandfather, grandmother) |
| siblings | your brothers and sisters |
| uncle / aunt | your parent's brother / sister |
| cousin | your uncle's or aunt's child |
| nephew / niece | your brother's or sister's son / daughter |
| the eldest / the youngest | the oldest child / the child born last in the family |
| an only child | a child with no brothers or sisters |
In Malaysia we say abang, kakak and adik. In English you say elder brother (or older brother), elder sister and younger brother / sister.
The home and household chores
| Room | Things in it |
|---|---|
| living room | sofa, television, fan, curtains, carpet |
| kitchen | stove, fridge (refrigerator), sink, rice cooker, kettle, cupboard, pots and pans |
| bedroom | bed, pillow, blanket, wardrobe, study table, lamp |
| bathroom | shower, tap, mirror, towel, soap, toothbrush |
| outside | porch, garden, gate, fence, compound |
| Chore | Pattern |
|---|---|
| sweep the floor, mop the floor, vacuum the carpet | verb + the + thing |
| wash the dishes, wash the car, water the plants | verb + the + thing |
| do the laundry, do the dishes, do the housework, do the ironing | do + the + job |
| make the bed, make breakfast, make a cup of tea | make + the thing you produce |
| take out the rubbish, hang out the clothes, tidy up my room | phrasal verbs |
Common mistakes: "My uncle is my mother's sister" → my aunt. "I make the housework" → I do the housework. "She wash the clothes yesterday" → She washed. "Close the fan" → Switch off (turn off) the fan.
Fill in one word: (a) Amir is my aunt's son. He is my ______. (b) Please ______ out the rubbish before the lorry comes. (c) I always ______ my bed after I wake up.
Show answerHide answer
(a) cousin (b) take (put out the rubbish is also correct) (c) make
12.4Food and health
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| Meals | breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, supper, snack |
| Taste | sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy (hot), bland, delicious (tasty) |
| Texture | crispy, crunchy, soft, chewy, juicy, creamy |
| Cooking | fry, deep-fry, boil, steam, grill, bake, stir, chop, slice, mix, pour |
| At a stall or restaurant | menu, order, set, portion, takeaway (to take away), bill, waiter, stall, food court |
| Healthy living | balanced diet, fruit, vegetables, protein, fibre, plain water, exercise, enough sleep |
| Health problems | fever, cough, cold, flu, headache, stomachache, toothache, sore throat, rash, allergy, injury |
| Getting better | see a doctor, go to the clinic, take medicine, rest, recover, get well |
Use have with an illness: I have a fever. She has a sore throat. He had a bad cough. Use feel with an adjective: I feel sick / tired / better.
Common mistakes: "I am fever" → I have a fever. "Eat medicine" → take medicine. "The food is very hot" can mean temperature, so say spicy for chilli. "Healthy is important" → Health is important (noun).
Example: a canteen menu
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Nasi lemak with fried egg | RM2.50 |
| Steamed chicken rice | RM4.00 |
| Crispy curry puffs (3 pieces) | RM1.50 |
| Fresh orange juice (no sugar) | RM2.00 |
Which item is the healthiest drink? The words fresh and no sugar tell you: the orange juice. Which food is cooked in steam, not oil? Steamed chicken rice.
Which word does not belong? (a) fry, boil, bake, order (b) cough, fever, salty, headache (c) sour, bitter, chewy, sweet
Show answerHide answer
(a) order (the others are ways of cooking) (b) salty (a taste, not an illness) (c) chewy (a texture; the others are tastes)
12.5Hobbies and sport
| Verb | Use it with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| play | games with a ball or with other players; musical instruments (with the) | play badminton, play football, play chess, play video games, play the guitar |
| go | activities ending in -ing | go swimming, go cycling, go fishing, go jogging, go hiking, go camping, go shopping |
| do | activities without a ball, often alone | do yoga, do silat, do karate, do gymnastics, do exercise |
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| Hobbies | reading, drawing, painting, baking, gardening, collecting stamps, taking photographs, coding, making videos, playing the kompang |
| Places | badminton court, football field (pitch), swimming pool, running track, sports complex, stadium, gym |
| Equipment | racket, shuttlecock, net, ball, goal, helmet, goggles, jersey, sports shoes |
| People | player, team, captain, coach, referee, opponent, fan, champion |
| Results | win, lose, draw, score a goal, beat, first place, runner-up, medal, trophy |
Common mistakes: "We won SMK Seri Indah" → We beat SMK Seri Indah (you beat a person or team; you win a game, a match or a prize). "I like to play swimming" → go swimming. "I am interesting in football" → I am interested in football. "My hobby is collect stamps" → collecting.
Fill in play, go or do: (a) My cousins ______ fishing at the lake every Sunday. (b) Mei Ling wants to ______ the piano at the concert. (c) We ______ silat after school on Wednesdays.
Show answerHide answer
(a) go (b) play (c) do
12.6Places and travel
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| In town | post office, police station, fire station, hospital, clinic, pharmacy, bank, market, shopping mall, mosque, temple, church, petrol station, bus station, train station, community hall, playground, park |
| Nature and holidays | beach, island, waterfall, hill, forest, river, lake, cave, campsite, resort, homestay, zoo, museum, theme park |
| Transport | by bus, by car, by train, by LRT, by plane, by ferry, by motorcycle; on foot |
| Travel words | ticket, passenger, platform, departure, arrival, delay, luggage, map, tourist, guide, souvenir, sightseeing |
| Directions | turn left / right, go straight, opposite, next to, between, at the end of, at the junction, at the traffic lights |
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| travel (usually a verb) | go from place to place | We travelled to Sabah by plane. |
| journey (noun) | the act of going from one place to another | The journey from Ipoh to Johor Bahru took six hours. |
| trip (noun) | a short visit to a place and back | Our class went on a trip to Zoo Negara. |
Useful verbs: catch / miss the bus, get on / get off the train, get into / get out of the car, book a room, check in / check out, arrive at a place, arrive in a city or country.
Common mistakes: "We went there by foot" → on foot. "Have a nice travel" → Have a nice trip (or journey). "We reached to Kuantan at noon" → We reached Kuantan / We arrived in Kuantan. "I followed my father to Penang" (meaning "went with") → I went to Penang with my father.
Choose: (a) We were late, so we ( lost / missed ) the 7.00 a.m. ferry. (b) The ( trip / travel ) to Melaka was fun. (c) Please ( get off / get out ) the bus at the third stop.
Show answerHide answer
(a) missed (b) trip (c) get off
12.7Shopping and money
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| price / cost | how much money you pay for something: The price is RM20. It costs RM20. |
| discount, sale, 20% off | a lower price than usual |
| buy 1 free 1 | you pay for one and get a second one free |
| cheap / expensive | a low price / a high price |
| affordable | cheap enough for people to buy |
| cash, card, e-wallet, online banking | ways to pay |
| change | the money you get back: I paid RM10 for a RM7 book, so my change was RM3. |
| receipt | the paper that shows what you paid |
| customer, cashier, shopkeeper | the buyer, the person at the till, the owner of a shop |
| pocket money, savings, budget | money from parents, money you keep, a plan for spending |
| Pair | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| spend / save | use money / keep money | I spend RM3 a day and save RM2. |
| borrow / lend | take for a short time / give for a short time | Can I borrow your ruler? Can you lend me your ruler? |
| pay for | give money for a thing | She paid RM12 for the T-shirt. |
| afford | have enough money for | We cannot afford a new laptop this year. |
Common mistakes: "Can you borrow me RM5?" → Can you lend me RM5? "The price is very expensive" → The price is very high (or: The bag is very expensive). "I spent my money in the bank" → I saved my money in the bank. "She paid the T-shirt" → She paid for the T-shirt.
A notice says: "Back-to-school sale! All school bags 30% off. Buy two pencil cases and get the third one free." (a) Do the school bags cost more or less than usual? (b) How many pencil cases do you pay for if you take home three?
Show answerHide answer
(a) less (30% off means 30% is taken away from the price) (b) two
12.8Weather and environment
| Noun | Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sun | sunny | It is sunny and hot today. |
| rain | rainy | The rainy season starts in November. |
| cloud | cloudy | It was cloudy all morning. |
| wind | windy | It is too windy to fly a kite. |
| haze | hazy | The sky was hazy, so we stayed indoors. |
| storm | stormy | The fishermen stayed home on the stormy night. |
More weather words: humid (hot and wet air), shower (short rain), heavy rain, thunderstorm, lightning, thunder, flood, drought (no rain for a long time), monsoon, temperature, forecast.
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| Problems | pollution (air, water), litter, rubbish, open burning, haze, flash flood, landslide, cutting down trees |
| Solutions | reduce, reuse, recycle, plant trees, save water, save electricity, switch off, use reusable bags, take part in a gotong-royong |
| Places and things | recycling bin, rubbish bin, drain, compost, plastic bottle, aluminium can, food waste, wildlife |
Common mistakes: "Today is very hot weather" → The weather is very hot today / It is very hot today. "There was a heavy wind" → a strong wind (but heavy rain). "We must reuse back the bags" → reuse the bags.
Complete with the right word: (a) There was ______ rain last night, and some roads were flooded. (b) Please put the empty cans into the ______ bin so that they can be made into new things. (c) It is hot and ______ today, so I feel sticky.
Show answerHide answer
(a) heavy (b) recycling (c) humid
12.9Technology
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| Devices | smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, printer, speaker, earphones, charger, power bank, screen, keyboard |
| The internet | website, app, search engine, social media, online, offline, Wi-Fi, link, email, message, video call, account, password |
| Actions | switch on / off, log in / log out, sign up, download, upload, install, update, search for, type, click, save, share, post, charge |
| Safety | personal information, strangers online, screen time, cyberbully, scam, privacy |
| Opposite pairs | Example |
|---|---|
| download / upload | I downloaded the worksheet and uploaded my answers to Google Classroom. |
| log in / log out | Always log out of your account on a school computer. |
| online / offline | You can play this game offline, without the internet. |
Common mistakes: "My phone is no battery" → My phone's battery is flat / My phone needs charging. "On the computer" (as a verb) → Switch on (turn on) the computer. "I search it on Google" → I searched for it on Google. "Don't share your password to strangers" → Don't share your password with strangers.
Complete: (a) I cannot use the app until I ______ up for an account. (b) My phone is almost dead. Can I ______ it here? (c) Never tell anyone your ______.
Show answerHide answer
(a) sign (b) charge (c) password
12.10Word formation: building word families
A word family is a group of words made from the same base word. You add a prefix at the front or a suffix at the end. The prefix usually changes the meaning; the suffix usually changes the word class (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
Prefixes that mean "not" or "again"
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un- | not | unhappy, unhealthy, unkind, unfair, unusual, untidy |
| dis- | not, the opposite | dislike, disagree, dishonest, disappear |
| im- / in- | not | impossible, impolite, incorrect, independent |
| re- | again | rewrite, recycle, reuse, replay, rebuild |
Suffixes that change the word class
| Suffix | Makes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -er, -or, -ist | a person (noun) | teach → teacher, visit → visitor, art → artist, cycle → cyclist |
| -ment, -tion, -ness | a noun (an idea or thing) | enjoy → enjoyment, celebrate → celebration, kind → kindness |
| -ful | an adjective: full of | help → helpful, colour → colourful, care → careful |
| -less | an adjective: without | care → careless, home → homeless, use → useless |
| -y, -al, -ous, -able | an adjective | health → healthy, music → musical, danger → dangerous, enjoy → enjoyable |
| -ly | an adverb (how) | quick → quickly, careful → carefully, happy → happily |
Word family table
| Noun | Verb | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
| success | succeed | successful | successfully |
| care | care | careful / careless | carefully / carelessly |
| enjoyment | enjoy | enjoyable | |
| beauty | beautiful | beautifully | |
| pollution | pollute | polluted | |
| danger | endanger | dangerous | dangerously |
| excitement | excite | excited / exciting | excitedly |
Worked example: choosing the word form
"The children waited patient for the bus."
- Look at the job of the gap. The word tells us how the children waited. It describes a verb.
- Choose the word class. A word that describes a verb is an adverb.
- Build the form. patient + -ly = patiently.
Other clues: after a / an / the / my you often need a noun (the celebration); before a noun or after is / feel / look you need an adjective (a colourful kite; she looks tired).
Common mistakes: "Smoking is bad for your healthy" → health (noun after your). "She sings beautiful" → beautifully (adverb after a verb). "He was very success" → successful. "Spelling: beautyful, carefull" → beautiful (y changes to i), careful (only one l).
Write the correct form of the word in brackets: (a) Thank you for your ______ (kind). (b) The haze is ______ (danger) for people with asthma. (c) Please drive ______ (slow) near the school.
Show answerHide answer
(a) kindness (noun after your) (b) dangerous (adjective after is) (c) slowly (adverb: how to drive)
12.11Collocations and confusing words
A collocation is a pair of words that English speakers always use together, such as heavy rain or make a mistake. There is often no rule: you learn them as one chunk.
| make | do | have | take |
|---|---|---|---|
| make a mistake make a noise make friends make a decision make a cake make money | do homework do the housework do your best do exercise do a project do someone a favour | have breakfast have a party have fun have a good time have a fever have a look | take a photo take a bath / a shower take a break take medicine take care take the bus |
| Adjective + noun | Verb + noun |
|---|---|
| heavy rain, heavy traffic, strong wind, fast food, fresh air, a busy road, a long queue, a close friend, a healthy lifestyle | keep a secret, tell the truth, tell a story, say sorry, pay attention, give a talk, catch a cold, break a rule, save time |
Pairs that confuse many learners
| Pair | Difference | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bored / boring | -ed: how you feel; -ing: the thing that makes you feel it | The film was boring, so I was bored. |
| say / tell | say something; tell someone something | She said hello. She told me a story. |
| see / look at / watch | see: notice with your eyes; look at: on purpose; watch: something that moves for a time | I saw a cat. Look at the board. We watched the match. |
| hear / listen to | hear: a sound reaches you; listen to: on purpose | I heard thunder. I listen to music. |
| fun / funny | fun: enjoyable; funny: makes you laugh | The camp was fun. His joke was funny. |
| lose / miss | lose: cannot find or did not win; miss: be late for, or feel sad without | I lost my key. I missed the bus. I miss my grandmother. |
| bring / take | bring: to here; take: to there | Bring your book to class tomorrow. Take this letter to the office. |
| win / earn | win: get in a competition; earn: get by working | She won RM100 in the quiz. He earns RM50 a week. |
Common Malaysian mistakes: "I am agree" → I agree. "We discussed about the trip" → We discussed the trip. "I make a mistake yesterday" → I made a mistake. "Very boring, I want to go home" (about yourself) → I am very bored. "Open / close the light" → switch on / switch off the light. "He tell me that he is sick" → He told me (or said that).
Choose: (a) Please ( make / do ) less noise in the library. (b) The magic show was ( fun / funny ); everyone laughed at the clown. (c) Can you ( say / tell ) me the time, please?
Show answerHide answer
(a) make (b) funny (c) tell (tell + a person)
12.12Guessing meaning from context
In the UASA you cannot use a dictionary. When you meet a new word, the context (the words and sentences around it) often tells you what it means.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1. Find the word class | Is it a thing (noun), an action (verb) or a describing word (adjective)? Look at the words before and after it. |
| 2. Look for a clue word | or, such as, like, that is give an example or a meaning; but, although give an opposite; because, so give a reason or a result. |
| 3. Look at the parts | Do you know a prefix, suffix or base word in it? un + believ + able = cannot be believed. |
| 4. Try your guess | Put a simple word in its place. Does the sentence still make sense? |
Worked example
"After the hike, Danial was exhausted, so he went straight to bed and slept for ten hours."
- Word class: after was, so it describes Danial. It is an adjective.
- Clue word: so gives the result: he went straight to bed and slept for ten hours.
- Guess: someone who sleeps for ten hours after a hike is very tired.
- Test: "After the hike, Danial was very tired, so he went straight to bed." It makes sense.
exhausted = very tired.
Guess the meaning of the word in bold. (a) "The canteen was packed; there was not one empty seat." (b) "Please do not litter. Put your rubbish in the bin." (c) "Our trip was postponed because of the storm. We will go next week instead."
Show answerHide answer
(a) very full of people (b) throw rubbish on the ground (c) moved to a later time
Summary
- UASA texts come from four themes: people and culture; health and environment; consumerism and financial awareness; science and technology. Learn their words in topic groups with word maps.
- Learn each word with its partners: do homework, sit for a test, take medicine, catch the bus, heavy rain, strong wind.
- play ball games and instruments, go + -ing activities, do yoga or silat. You win a match but beat a team.
- Pairs to keep apart: borrow / lend, spend / save, trip / travel / journey, lose / miss, say / tell, bored / boring, fun / funny, bring / take.
- Prefixes change the meaning (un-, dis-, im-, re-); suffixes change the word class (-ness, -ment, -tion for nouns; -ful, -less, -y, -ous for adjectives; -ly for adverbs).
- Choose the word form from its job: a noun after a / the / my, an adjective before a noun or after is / feel, an adverb to say how something is done.
- Guess new words from context: word class, clue words (or, such as, but, so), word parts, then test your guess.
- Avoid: "I am agree", "discuss about", "open the light", "I am fever", "borrow me", "by foot", "play swimming".