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A2 Vocabulary & Pronunciation • 20 Mins

🍄 Mushrooms and Fungi

Learn 10 key nature words, practice using them, and train your spoken English.

🌲

A close-up photograph of wild mushrooms and green mould growing on a wet wooden log in a damp green forest floor, soft n

💡 How to use this lesson

For Teachers

1. Use this 20-minute lesson to introduce nature words and guide basic pronunciation.

2. Check student progress using the automated exercise feedback and recording player.

For Learners

1. Read the Word Table carefully and use the memory tips to remember new meanings.

2. Complete the 16 practice questions, then test your voice in the Shadowing section.

Word table

Study these 10 words before starting the practice activities.

10 Words

🌱 Theme 1: The living thing

Word	Meaning	Common Collocations	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
fungus (n.)	A simple living thing like a mushroom that has no leaves.	wild fungus, green fungus	"A mushroom is a common fungus."	Think of a "fun" mushroom guy!
mould (n.)	A soft green or grey fungus growing on old food or wet walls.	bread mould, green mould	"The old bread has green mould."	Mould sounds like "old" food.
alive (adj.)	Living and growing, not dead.	stay alive, keep it alive	"Plants need water to stay alive."	A-LIVE = it lives!
common (adj.)	Easy to find; seen in many places.	common type, common name	"Mushrooms are common in wet woods."	Common = seen by everyone.

🪵 Theme 2: Where it lives

Word	Meaning	Common Collocations	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
log (n.)	A thick piece of wood cut from a tree.	fallen log, wet log	"Fungi grow on an old wet log."	A log is long old wood.
inside (prep.)	In the inner part of something.	inside the wood, deep inside	"Fungi grow inside wet tree stems."	INside = IN the box.
above (prep.)	In a higher place than something else.	grow above, high above	"The red mushroom is above ground."	Above = up towards the sky.

☣️ Theme 3: What happens

Word	Meaning	Common Collocations	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
rot (v.)	To break down slowly and turn soft.	rot away, start to rot	"Wet wood begins to rot in autumn."	Rot = rotten old apple.
spread (v.)	To move across or cover a larger area.	spread fast, spread across	"Mould can spread fast on warm bread."	Spread butter all over bread!
poison (v./n.)	To make a person or animal very sick or dead.	deadly poison, poison people	"Wild mushrooms can poison people."	Poison = dangerous to eat!

Practice

16 practice items from easy to hard. Try your best!

Questions 1–16

Part 1 Collocation Matrix (Match the words that go together)

1. Match the adjective wet to the word it usually pairs with:

____ poison ____ log ____ alive

2. Match the adjective green to the word it usually pairs with:

____ above ____ spread ____ mould

3. Match the adjective wild to the word it usually pairs with:

____ fungus ____ rot ____ inside

4. Match the adjective deadly to the word it usually pairs with:

____ common ____ poison ____ log

Part 2 Gap-fill with Word Bank

Word Bank: alive inside rot spread

5. Trees fall down in the forest and begin to ____ when they stay wet.

6. The white fungus grows deep ____ the dark wooden trunk.

7. Mould can ____ quickly across old wet bread.

8. Even without sunlight, this small mushroom stays ____.

Part 3 Choose the word (Select the word that fits the meaning)

9. We found a small red mushroom growing on an old wooden ___.

____ a. log ____ b. mould ____ c. poison

10. This type of brown mushroom is very ___ in wet forests.

____ a. above ____ b. common ____ c. inside

11. You can see green ___ growing on the kitchen wall.

____ a. mould ____ b. log ____ c. alive

12. Do not touch those wild plants because they can ___ animals.

____ a. spread ____ b. rot ____ c. poison

Part 4 Sentence-building (Put the given words in the right order)

13. Put these words in order: grows / ground / A / above / fungus

____

14. Put these words in order: very / Mould / fast / can / spread

____

15. Put these words in order: to / Old / rot / wood / starts

____

16. Put these words in order: are / Some / common / fungi / wild

____

🎙️ Shadowing

Listen, repeat, and record your voice for each item.

12 Audio Items

Click the text to hear the audio, then click the microphone box to record your pronunciation.

Collocation 1

🔊 a common fungus

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 2

🔊 green bread mould

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 3

🔊 inside a wet log

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 4

🔊 spread fast in summer

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 1

🔊 The old leaves begin to rot.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 2

🔊 This green plant is still alive.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 3

🔊 The red mushroom grows above ground.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 4

🔊 Mould spreads quickly in warm rooms.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 5

🔊 Do not touch the green mould.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Sentence 6

🔊 Small mushrooms grow deep inside wood.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Word Spotlight 1

🔊 fungus

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Word Spotlight 2

🔊 poison

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Vocabulary and Pronunciation: Mushrooms and Fungi

🍄 Mushrooms and Fungi

💡 How to use this lesson

Word table

Practice

Part 1 Collocation Matrix (Match the words that go together)

Part 2 Gap-fill with Word Bank

Part 3 Choose the word (Select the word that fits the meaning)

Part 4 Sentence-building (Put the given words in the right order)

🎙️ Shadowing

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