Everyday English · Fall yard work: raking leaves into piles, bagging them for collection day or compost, and tidying the yard before winter.
Raking Leaves: 16 Everyday English Words for Fall Yard Work
Learn everyday fall words such as rake, lawn, pile, compost, gloves and wheelbarrow, and talk about raking leaves and tidying the yard in November.
What to do
In November, many trees in Canada are bare. The leaves have fallen onto the lawn, the driveway and the porch. Families often spend a Saturday morning raking them up.
You gather the leaves with a rake into a big pile. Wear gloves to protect your hands and boots if the grass is wet. Some leaves go into paper bags for collection day. Others go in a wheelbarrow to the compost, where they rot and feed the soil.
Wind can blow a pile apart in seconds, so many people sweep the porch and driveway at the end. A tidy yard is ready for the first snow. Children often help, and a pile of leaves is also great for jumping in.
These words are here so you understand them when you hear them, not to memorise in one day. You will meet many of them again in later scenes.
Core everyday words
yard
noun · yardthe grass and open space around a house
Example: Our yard is full of leaves in the fall.
leaf
noun · leefa flat, green part of a tree or plant; in fall it turns red, orange or yellow
Example: A red leaf landed on my shoe.
leaves
plural noun · leevzmore than one leaf
Example: The leaves fall from the maple tree in October.
rake
noun / verb · rayka tool with long teeth for gathering leaves; to gather leaves with it
Example: I will rake the front lawn after lunch.
lawn
noun · lawnthe area of short grass in a yard
Example: The lawn is covered with wet leaves.
pile
noun / verb · pylea heap of things on top of each other; to put things in a heap
Example: We made a big pile of leaves.
bag
noun · baga container made of paper or plastic for carrying or holding things
Example: Put the leaves in a paper bag.
gloves
plural noun · gluvzcoverings for your hands with a place for each finger
Example: Wear gloves so your hands stay warm.
sweep
verb · sweepto clean a surface with a broom
Example: Please sweep the leaves off the porch.
broom
noun · brooma brush with a long handle for sweeping
Example: The broom is in the shed.
shed
noun · sheda small building in a yard for tools and equipment
Example: The rake is in the shed.
wheelbarrow
noun · WEEL-bair-oha small cart with one wheel and two handles for carrying heavy things
Example: Dad pushed the wheelbarrow to the back of the yard.
compost
noun / verb · KOM-pohstold leaves and food scraps that rot and become food for soil; to make this
Example: We put the leaves in the compost.
branch
noun · brancha part of a tree that grows out from the trunk
Example: A branch fell in the wind.
windy
adjective · WIN-deewith a lot of wind
Example: It was windy, so the leaves blew everywhere.
tidy
adjective / verb · TY-deeneat and in order; to make a place neat
Example: We tidied the yard before the first snow.
Recognise the word
Recognise the word
Choose the meaning or the word that fits.
1. What is a rake?
- a machine that cuts grass
- a large bag for leaves
- a tool with long teeth for gathering leaves
- a small building for tools
2. What is a lawn?
- an area of short grass in a yard
- a path where a car is parked
- a pile of wet leaves
- a tall fence around a garden
3. Where do people usually keep a rake and a broom?
- in a wheelbarrow
- in a gutter
- on a porch roof
- in a shed
4. What does compost become?
- a bag for leaves
- food for soil
- a kind of branch
- a pile of wet snow
5. Which word means to clean a surface with a broom?
- pile
- sweep
- tidy
- rake
Use the word in a situation
Use the word in a situation
Pick the word that fits the scene.
6. “We pushed the leaves to the back of the yard in a ___.”
- lawn
- glove
- compost
- wheelbarrow
7. “It was so ___ that the leaves blew out of the pile.”
- windy
- tidy
- chilly
- bare
8. “Maya wore ___ so her hands stayed clean and warm.”
- boots
- a tarp
- gloves
- a shed
9. In “a branch fell from the tree”, what is a branch?
- the thick main stem of a tree
- a leaf that has turned red
- the dirt around a tree
- a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk
10. Dad says, “Let's make a pile of leaves.” What will you do?
- tie the leaves to a branch
- put the leaves together in a heap
- throw the leaves into the gutter
- spread the leaves over the lawn
Quick-check answers
- 1. a tool with long teeth for gathering leaves
A rake has long teeth that gather leaves. A mower cuts grass, a bag holds leaves and a shed stores tools. - 2. an area of short grass in a yard
A lawn is short grass. A driveway is for cars, a pile is a heap of leaves and a fence is a wall around a yard. - 3. in a shed
A shed is a small building for tools. A wheelbarrow carries things and is not storage, and a gutter is on a roof edge. - 4. food for soil
Compost is old leaves and food scraps that rot into food for soil. It is not a bag, a branch or snow. - 5. sweep
To sweep is to use a broom. To rake gathers leaves with a different tool, to pile is to make a heap, and tidy means neat. - 6. wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a cart with one wheel for carrying heavy things. A lawn is grass, a glove covers a hand, and compost is rotting leaves. - 7. windy
Windy means there is a lot of wind, which blows leaves around. Tidy means neat, chilly is a little cold, and bare means without leaves. - 8. gloves
Gloves cover your hands. Boots are for your feet, a tarp is a sheet and a shed is a building. - 9. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk
A branch grows out from the trunk. The trunk is the thick main stem, and soil is the dirt around the tree. - 10. put the leaves together in a heap
A pile is a heap. Spreading leaves out is the opposite, and the other choices do not make a heap.