Vocabulary · Lesson 8

Family members

Name close and extended family relationships with specific words such as mother and brother, or neutral words such as parent and sibling. Connect people with my, his, her, our, their, and possessive 's: my sibling, Omar's brother, their children.

45–55 min corespecific and neutral wordsmy · his · her · our · their · 's15–20 min optional practice

NoticeRead a short family description.

DiscoverSpecific words, neutral words, and one irregular plural.

BuildMatch meanings, choose, and build chunks.

UseDescribe a real, pictured, or invented family.

Mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and children are standard or more formal choices. In U.S. English, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and kids are common informal choices. Use the family words each person uses for their own relationships.

Two-minute retrieval

Bring possessives, plurals, and be into the lesson

Use earlier lessons. Complete each full family description, then say it aloud.

1Ana says, “This is sister.”

2I have two .

3Ana's parents here.

Meet the family

Use the written label under each representative picture: This is my mother. This is my brother. A person's appearance does not tell you their family role, so learn the label and relationship, not the face or clothing.

grandmother

grandfather

mother

father

sister

brother

son

daughter

husband

wife

family

Notice before the rule

Read about Sofia's fictional family

"My mother is a nurse. My father is a teacher. I have one sister and one brother. My sister's husband is Diego."

Which words give a specific relationship and gender: mother, father, sister, brother, or family?
For Sofia, mother and father are both types of parent. Sister and brother are both types of sibling. Which neutral word names each pair?
Look at my sister's husband. The little 's shows a family relationship. What is Diego’s relationship to Sofia’s sister?

Discovery check: read the clue, then choose the word

Each clue describes one person. Choose the family word that matches.

1Sofia says, “Rosa is my female parent.” Rosa is Sofia's .

2Sofia says, “Luis is my male parent.” Luis is Sofia's .

3Rosa and Luis are both Sofia's parents. Together, they are her .

4In this story, Marta and Sofia have the same parents. Marta is their daughter and is not Sofia. Marta is Sofia's .

5In this story, Leo and Sofia have the same parents. Leo is their son and is not Sofia. Leo is Sofia's .

The system: specific words, neutral words, and one special plural

Some family words give a specific relationship and gender. A neutral word can describe the relationship without giving gender. Use the word that matches how the person describes their family:

relationship	specific words	neutral or general word
parent	mother / mom · father / dad	parent
sibling	sister · brother	sibling
child	daughter · son	child
married partner	wife · husband	spouse
partner	use the word the person gives you	partner
grandparent	grandmother / grandma · grandfather / grandpa	grandparent
parent's sibling	aunt · uncle	say my parent's sibling if needed
aunt or uncle's child	cousin	cousin

Pronunciation focus: family words hide a few sounds

Some family words are easier to understand when you learn their spoken parts. Say each one slowly once, then use it in a natural chunk such as my brother or her daughter.

word	sound help	example chunk
mother · father · brother	put the tongue gently between the teeth and use your voice for the th sound	my BROTHer
daughter	DAW-ter; gh is silent, and in many U.S. accents the t sounds like a quick d	their DAWter
children	CHIL-dren; two spoken parts	three CHILdren
cousin	CUZ-in; the second part is light	my CUZin Ana
sibling	SIB-ling; the first part is strong	her SIBling
aunt	both “ant” and “ahnt” are common in American English	my aunt Maria

In long family words, the first part is usually the clear beat: GRANDmother · GRANDfather · PARents.

Possessive 's joins closely to a name. After a voiced sound, it often sounds like z: Omar's sounds like Omarz. Say the relationship as one chunk: Omar's brother · Ana's spouse.

Families and meanings

How do we say more than one child? Not childs. The plural of child is children (warmly, kids).
One person is a parent; two or more are parents. A family may have one parent, two parents, or another structure. A grandparent is a parent's parent.
Sibling, parent, child, spouse, partner, grandparent, and cousin do not state gender. They are useful when gender is not relevant or when they are the words a person uses.
In this A0 lesson, an aunt or uncle is a parent's sibling. People also commonly use these words for the spouse or partner of a parent's sibling.
Families can be connected by birth, adoption, marriage, partnership, or other committed family relationships. Do not guess a relationship from appearance; listen for the word the person uses.

Hear the family relationship

Keep the script closed while you listen. Your teacher reads each sentence once, then once more. Choose the exact relationship word or plural you hear.

Listening check: complete the description

1This is my .

2They have two .

3Her is a doctor.

4Omar's lives nearby.

5My are in Texas.

6Ana's is twenty.

Show the family connection my · his · her · 's

Put a possessive adjective before the family word to show the relationship. Keep the chunk together:

my mother · her brother · his spouse · our children · their cousin

For a name, add possessive 's to the name that identifies the connection:

Omar's brother · Ana's spouse · my sister's son

Omar's brother shows a relationship; it does not mean Omar owns a person. Do not use both systems together: say Omar's brother, not Omar's his brother.

Drill 1: choose the family word

The clue and the possessive tell you exactly who the person is

1In this fictional family, my mother Rosa says, “Elena is my mother.” Elena is my .

2In this fictional family, my father Luis says, “Tom is my brother.” Tom is my .

3Omar's wife is Leyla. They say, “Nina is our female child.” Nina is their .

4My brother says, “Maya and I are married, and Maya is my wife.” Maya is his .

5My aunt says, “Leo is my son.” Leo is my .

6A fictional coworker has two sons and one daughter. The three people are the coworker's .

Build the meaning, then the sentence

Drill 2: match each meaning to its family word

Tap a word, then tap the meaning that fits it

Drill 3: build the sentence

You introduce the woman next to you. Build the sentence, then say it.

Drill 4: build the sentence with 's

Leyla says, “I am Omar's wife.” Report Leyla's words with Omar's before wife.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 5: does the word match the person?

Tap the word that does not match. She is a woman.

Drill 6: one special plural

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 7: name the person, then say it

Read the relationship clue and say the family word aloud first. Reveal only after you answer.

1 my father's father → one word

my grandfather (grandpa)

2 my parents' son, not me → one word

my brother

3 my uncle's daughter → one word

my cousin

4 I have a brother. → use Ana's name: Ana has a…

Ana's brother (Ana has a brother.)

5 the man married to my sister → my sister's…

my sister's husband

Read and choose

My family

“This is my family. My mother’s name is Rosa and my father’s name is Luis. I have one brother and two sisters. My grandmother lives with us. Her name is Elena.”

Read, then choose

1. What is the mother’s name?

2. How many sisters does the writer have?

3. Who is Elena?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Pick-up list for Nina

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

School form56 wordsAbout 1 min

Student: Nina Haddad, age 7. These people can take Nina home. Leyla Haddad is her mother. Omar Haddad is her father. Sara Haddad is Nina’s grandmother. She is Omar’s mother.

Karim Nasser is Nina’s uncle. He is Leyla’s brother. Nina has a sister, Rania. Rania is fifteen. Nina’s parents work until five. Please call them first.

Find it

Tap the 8 family words. One word appears twice.

Check your understanding

1. Who is Karim?

2. Who is Sara?

3. How old is Rania?

Crossword

Family words

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Memory

Family word partners

Flip two cards. Each pair names the same relationship: one female word and one male word. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Unscramble

Build the family sentence

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Introduce your father’s father.
2. Put Ana’s before the family word.
3. Say how many children a couple has.
4. Say where the parents live.

Use it in real life

Choice and privacy: you do not need to share real names, ages, family structure, living arrangements, photos, or coworker information. Use the fictional people on this page, public fictional characters, or an invented family whenever you prefer.

A close family: Name four real, pictured, or invented people with a full sentence each. This is Carla, a parent. This is her son, Luis.

A fictional household: Choose who lives in one invented home. Maya lives with her partner and their two children. Leo lives with his grandparent.

An invented coworker's family: Use a name, a possessive adjective, and possessive 's. Omar has a spouse, Leyla. Omar's cousin lives nearby. Their child is six.

A fictional family picture: Point and name each labeled person. This is the grandmother. These are her two children.

Ask and answer in role: Choose a fictional identity. Answer in full sentences: Do you have siblings? How many cousins do you have? Who is the oldest person in this family?

Final production: explain a fictional family map

Draw or arrange five fictional people. Explain every connection so your partner can rebuild the same map without seeing it. Then compare the two maps and repair one unclear sentence.

Success criteria: use at least one neutral relationship word and one specific relationship word; use one correct plural, including children if it fits; use two possessive adjectives; use a name with possessive 's; and never ask your partner to guess a role from appearance.

Reflect

Explain the choices

Complete this aloud: “A mother or father is a ______. A sister or brother is a ______. A husband or wife is a ______. The irregular plural of child is ______.”

Then use a real, pictured, or invented family. Say two sentences with possessive adjectives and one sentence with a name plus possessive 's.

Final quiz: name the family member

1. In a fictional family, my father Luis says, “Rafael is my father.” Rafael is my ___.

2. In this family, my mother Rosa says, “Maya is my sister.” Maya is my ___.

3. Sofia says, “Rosa is my mother and Luis is my father. Both are my ___.”

4. A fictional coworker has two sons and a daughter. The coworker has three ___.

5. Ana says, “Nina is my daughter.” Nina is Ana's ___.

6. Leyla says, “I am Omar's wife.” Which phrase writes that relationship correctly?

7. Maya says, “I am your sister, and I use she.” Which sentence reports her words?

8. My aunt says, “Leo is my son.” Leo is my ___.

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the relationship words or possessive chunks that still feel slow.

Next-day retrieval

Keep the main lesson closed. Retrieve neutral family words, the irregular plural children, and possessive 's.

Choose the exact relationship from memory

1Maria says, “Rosa is my mother.” Rosa is Maria's .

2Tom says, “Leo is my brother.” Leo is Tom's .

3Rosa and Luis have one son and one daughter. They have two .

4Maya says, “Lee and I are married.” Lee is Maya's .

Repair the possessive connection

Leyla says, “I am Omar wife.” Tap the name that needs possessive 's.

Say it without choices

Say the neutral word for mother or father, sister or brother, and husband or wife. Then say the plural of child.

Thirty-second production

Invent three people and explain two family connections. Use one neutral word and one name with possessive 's. Your teacher repeats the map back; repair any unclear connection.