Lesson

Family Events - Growing Up

Vocabulary for life stages

≈ 15 min 8 block(s)

Text

What are Family Events — Growing Up?

This lesson focuses on common family events and milestones related to growing up. These words describe celebrations, ceremonies, and stages from infancy through adulthood. Learning them helps you describe personal histories, write CVs or biographies, and understand social invitations.

  • Family events: specific occasions involving relatives (birth, graduation, wedding).
  • Milestones: important stages in development (first steps, first day of school).
  • Use the right collocations (have a party, celebrate a milestone) and prepositions (at, on, for).

Table

Family Events — Reference Table

Term Definition Example
birth The moment when a baby is born; also used for the event surrounding it. They announced the birth of their daughter last week.
baby shower A party to celebrate the expected or recent birth of a baby. The team organized a baby shower for Maria at the office.
first steps A child's earliest attempts to walk independently. Recording a child’s first steps is a common family memory.
first day of school The initial day a child attends school; a major milestone. He took a photo of his son on his first day of school.
milestone birthday A significant birthday that marks a new stage (e.g., 16, 18, 21, 50). They threw a big party for her milestone 50th birthday.
coming-of-age ceremony A cultural or legal celebration marking the transition to adulthood. The community hosted a coming-of-age ceremony for the teenagers.
graduation The completion of a course of study and the ceremony that follows. After graduation, she started a job in marketing.
wedding A ceremony and often a party where two people marry. They invited all close relatives to the wedding.

Tip

Key collocations and usage

Remember these points when using family event vocabulary:

  • Use 'have' or 'hold' for events: have a baby shower, hold a graduation ceremony.
  • Use 'on' with specific days: on her birthday, on graduation day.
  • Use 'at' for locations: at the wedding, at the party.
  • Use 'celebrate' with milestones: celebrate a milestone birthday, celebrate graduation.

Pair terms with the correct verbs and prepositions to sound natural.

Example

Examples in context

We celebrated his graduation with a dinner at the hotel.

The company sent flowers for her milestone 50th birthday.

They hosted a baby shower in the conference room after work.

Her first day of school was on a Monday; she looked nervous but excited.

Tip

Common mistakes to avoid

Watch out for these universal errors when talking about family events:

  • Incorrect preposition: saying 'in her birthday' instead of 'on her birthday'.
  • Wrong verb collocation: using 'make a graduation' instead of 'hold a graduation' or 'graduate'.
  • Missing article: saying 'We attended wedding' instead of 'We attended the wedding'.
  • Confusing event and role: 'He was the graduation' instead of 'He was the graduate' or 'He attended the graduation'.

Check prepositions, verb choices, and articles to ensure natural English.

Quiz

Which event marks the completion of studies at a university?

Hint: Think about an academic ceremony and receiving a diploma.

Quiz

Complete: After the engagement, they started planning the _____ .

Hint: Think of a major family celebration that often follows an engagement.

Quiz

Which phrase is the most natural English collocation?

Hint: Consider the verb commonly used with celebrations and parties.

Key Points

Vocabulary

birth

noun CEFR A2 //bɜːrθ//

The event of being born; the beginning of life for a person or animal.

The hospital announced the birth of a healthy baby boy.

Vocabulary

baby shower

noun CEFR B1 //ˈbeɪbi ˌʃaʊər//

A party to celebrate an expected or recent birth, often with gifts for the baby.

Colleagues planned a baby shower for their coworker before her maternity leave.

Vocabulary

first steps

noun CEFR A2 //fɜːrst stɛps//

A child's initial attempts to walk; an important developmental milestone.

They filmed their daughter's first steps and shared the video with family.

Vocabulary

first day of school

noun CEFR A2 //fɜːrst deɪ əv skuːl//

The first day a child attends school; a memorable milestone for families.

She bought a new backpack for her son's first day of school.

Vocabulary

milestone birthday

noun CEFR B1 //ˈmaɪlstoʊn ˈbɜːrθdeɪ//

A birthday that represents a significant age or life stage (e.g., 18, 21, 50).

The company hosted a dinner to celebrate her milestone birthday.

Vocabulary

coming-of-age ceremony

noun CEFR B2 //ˈkʌmɪŋ əv eɪdʒ ˈsɛrəməni//

A cultural or legal ritual marking the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Several families attended the community coming-of-age ceremony last Saturday.

Vocabulary

graduation

noun CEFR B1 //ˌɡrædʒuˈeɪʃən//

The act of completing an academic program and the ceremony that marks it.

After graduation, he moved to another city to start his career.

Vocabulary

wedding

noun CEFR A2 //ˈwɛdɪŋ//

A ceremony where two people are married and often followed by a celebration.

They booked a venue for the wedding next summer.