English Language Practice: Animals, Vocabulary, and Reported Speech
Key Vocabulary Words
- disguise themselves
- scales
- hide
- poisonous
- tail
- jaw
- enemies
- bites
- paws
Animal Vocabulary: Correcting Common Phrases
❌ “Mice have got many tongues…”
✅ Mice have got many enemies, like cats, foxes, and snakes.❌ “A fish is usually covered with claws.”
✅ A fish is usually covered with scales.❌ “Maybe we will see some wild animals if we attack in the bushes.”
✅ Maybe we will see some wild animals if we hide in the bushes.❌ “Some animals defend themselves by producing a bad smell.”
✅ Some animals disguise themselves by producing a bad smell.
Reported Speech: Sentence Transformation
“The elephant must have an operation tomorrow,” said the vet.
→ The vet said that the elephant had to have an operation the next day.“We saw dolphins near here yesterday,” Dan said.
→ Dan said that they had seen dolphins near there the day before.“Will many endangered animals disappear by next year?” Sandra asked.
→ Sandra asked if many endangered animals would disappear by the next year.“The gorilla is eating fruit now,” he said.
→ He said that the gorilla was eating fruit then.“How often do you go to the zoo?” the teacher asked.
→ The teacher asked how often I went to the zoo.“Have you ever ridden an elephant?” the guide asked.
→ The guide asked if I had ever ridden an elephant.
Reported Speech: Completing Sentences
The professor laughed and told us that dung beetles did it all the time.
He said that while the beetle was dancing, it took a “picture” of the sky.
He said that the beetle then used it to navigate its way back home.
You laughed when I asked you if you wanted to come to the lecture.
I told you that I was going to a lecture about insects.
You said that I would be bored.
I asked people whether they had enjoyed it.
The professor asked if anyone in the room could navigate by the stars.
Everyone said they could never try to navigate anywhere.
Reported Speech: Orders, Requests, Offers, Suggestions
“I can help you with your homework…”
→ Offer → Louise said she could help me with my homework after school that day.“Don’t get close to the sharks!”
→ Order → Dan told me not to get close to the sharks.“Please help me wash the dog now.”
→ Request → Claire asked me to help her wash the dog then.“Let’s give the cat some of this food.”
→ Suggestion → Anne suggested giving the cat some of that food.
Animal Vocabulary: Definitions & Sentence Completion
1. Complete the Sentences
How long can a person stay alive without water?
Look! That bear is trying to catch a fish in the river.
That spider looks dangerous, but it is really quite harmless.
A bird built a nest in our garden and then laid some eggs.
Some birds make loud noises when they feel threatened.
Parrots have got colourful feathers.
Elephants usually give birth to only one baby elephant at a time.
2. Animal Definitions
Elephants have got this → trunk
Snakes move this way → crawl
Antelopes use these for fighting → horns
Cats have got these → whiskers
Fish use these to swim → fins
Some animals do this for food → hunt
An Amazing Trip to Africa: Wildlife Encounters
Last week, my friend Nick told me all about his amazing trip to Africa. He visited several national parks and saw wild animals in their natural environment. Nick watched lions resting, tigers quietly walking through the grass, and elephants playing in the water with their trunks. He even saw a bird building a nest, and some animals making loud noises when they felt threatened. One of the most exciting moments was seeing sharks trying to catch fish during a boat tour.
He said some animals looked dangerous but were actually harmless. Nick was amazed by the beauty of nature — the wide-open spaces, colourful feathers on parrots, the sunsets, and all the wild sounds. He told me he felt excited, a bit scared, but mostly lucky to have experienced it. It was a trip he’ll never forget — full of life, where animals give birth in the wild and do everything to stay alive.