If you know these, you're C1.

Summary

The video is a visual vocabulary quiz designed to help viewers gauge whether they may have C1-level English. The presenter emphasizes that it is a guide, not an official test. It covers 15 words across three themes: landscapes, animals, and weather. Viewers are encouraged to keep score and practise unfamiliar words in their own sentences.

1. Landscapes

1. Estuary — the wide part of a river where it meets the sea. Example: “There’s a lot of wildlife in the Thames estuary.” The presenter notes that the word may be pronounced with three or four syllables.

2. Peninsula — an area of land almost surrounded by water, connected to a larger landmass on one side. Example: “The Iberian Peninsula contains Spain and Portugal.” Pronunciation varies: British speakers may use a “y” sound after the s, while many North American speakers do not. Some British speakers also pronounce the s more like “sh.”

3. Swamp — very wet, soft land, often covered with water and vegetation. Example: “As we waded through the swamp, we kept our eyes out for alligators.”

4. Desolate — empty and without people; a landscape like this may feel sad or frightening. Example: “They walked for hours through a desolate landscape.”

5. Arid — extremely dry, with little rain and little vegetation. Example: “Farming is almost impossible in an arid landscape.”

2. Animals

1. Hoof — the hard part of an animal’s foot, such as a horse’s or cow’s. The plural is hooves. Example: “The horse’s hooves clattered loudly against the cobbled street.”

2. Horn — the hard, pointed structure growing from the head of animals such as goats and bulls. Example: “The bull lowered its horns and charged.”

Related terms:

  - **Antlers** grow on the heads of male deer, or stags.
  - **Paws** are the feet of animals such as dogs, cats, and bears.

1. Claw — a sharp, curved nail on an animal’s foot. Some birds’ claws are called talons. Example: “The bear left deep claw marks on the tree.”

2. Trunk — an elephant’s long, flexible nose, used for breathing, smelling, touching, and picking things up. Example: “The elephant used its trunk to spray water over its back.” In North American English, trunk also means the storage space at the back of a car; in British English, this is called a boot.

3. Foal — a young horse. Example: “The foal was born a few hours ago.” A pony is a small type of horse, not necessarily a young one. A calf is a young cow, and a tadpole develops into a frog or toad.

3. Weather

1. Snowdrift — a deep pile of snow formed when wind blows snow together. Example: “Snowdrifts built up along the fences.” A snowdrop is a flower, a snowplow clears roads, and a snowball is a ball of snow.

2. Hailstone — a small ball of ice that falls from the sky; hailstones can sometimes grow very large. Example: “A huge hailstone broke my car windscreen.” Hail is also used as the general name for this type of weather.

3. Mist — a fine cloud of water near the ground that reduces visibility. It is thinner than fog. Useful expressions include shrouded in mist, the mist lifts, and the mist clears. Example: “The fields were shrouded in mist this morning, but it cleared when the sun came out.”

4. Gale — a sustained, very strong wind, rather than a brief gust. Expressions include blowing a gale and gale-force winds. Example: “The gale blew tiles off the roof and knocked down several trees.”

5. Dry spell — a period with very little or no rain. More generally, a spell is a short period of particular weather. A dry or cold spell may last days or weeks. Sunny spells means short periods of sunshine. Example: “The region experienced a long dry spell.”

Learning and course information

• The quiz is intended as a rough indicator of advanced vocabulary knowledge, not a formal C1 assessment.
• The presenter suggests making sentences with new words as a way to practise.
• She also mentions a five-day C1 boot camp and a forthcoming C2 programme. These are promotional references rather than part of the vocabulary lesson.

Speakers and sources featured

• Lucy, presenter of English with Lucy.
• No other speakers or external sources are featured.