Family Life in English: Relatives, Routines & Celebrations

1. My niece Poppy is learning the violin, and my nephew Alfie has just joined the scouts.
2. I get on really well with my brother-in-law — we support the same football team.
3. Rosa was brought up in a tiny village, so she finds city life exciting.
4. Everybody says Amara takes after her grandmother: the same laugh, the same green eyes.
5. As an only child, Tomasz spent a lot of his childhood with his cousins.
6. My elderly neighbours treat me like one of their own relatives.
7. The twins had a joint birthday party with two separate cakes — one each!
8. Karim proposed during a walk along the beach, and they got engaged that evening.
9. The groom forgot his speech, so his brother told funny stories instead.
10. We're hosting a big family gathering for my grandparents' golden wedding anniversary.
11. The wedding reception went on until two in the morning.
12. Little kids often look up to their older brothers and sisters.
13. Grandma told the dog off for stealing a sausage roll from the table.
14. After a decade abroad, Yusuf decided to settle down near his parents in Leeds.
15. The whole family gets together on the first Sunday of every month for lunch.

Match each word (1–8) with the correct definition (a–h). Write your answers in your notebook.

Complete each sentence with one word or phrase from the box. You will not need every item, and some verbs need to change form.

1. My sister's son — my — starts university in September.
2. Hana was by her aunt after her parents moved abroad for work.
3. They last month; the wedding will be next summer.
4. You really your father — you even walk like him!
5. We always at my uncle's house for New Year.
6. The couldn't stop smiling as the bride walked in.
7. It's their tenth wedding tomorrow — a whole decade!
8. I don't have any brothers or sisters; I'm an .
9. The teacher the boys for running in the corridor.
10. Sofia and Elena look identical because they're .
11. He wants to travel first and later, maybe in his thirties.
12. Do you your mother-in-law? Mine is lovely.
13. Many young players the captain because she trains harder than anyone.
14. After the ceremony, the was held in the hotel garden.
15. My neighbour is ninety-one and still grows all her own vegetables.

Choose the best option, A, B or C. Then check the explanations — understanding why is what moves you from B1 to B2.

1. My mum's new husband is my ______.
   A brother-in-law   B stepfather   C nephew
2. I've always ______ my grandad — he's the wisest person I know.
   A looked up to   B told off   C taken after
3. Only your mother and father are your ______.
   A relatives   B relations   C parents
4. She ______ in a house full of books, so she became a writer.
   A grew up   B brought up   C got up
5. He got down on one knee and ______.
   A settled down   B proposed   C celebrated
6. Dad ______ for breaking the window.
   A told off us   B told us off   C told off to us
7. We're celebrating my grandparents' fiftieth wedding ______.
   A reception   B ceremony   C anniversary
8. My aunt's daughter is my ______.
   A cousin   B niece   C sister-in-law
9. I ______ really well with my flatmates — we never argue.
   A get on   B take after   C look up
10. When I was little, we ______ visit my great-aunt every Sunday.
    A used to   B use to   C are used to

1. Who do you take after in your family — in looks, and in personality?
2. Is it better to grow up as an only child or with lots of brothers and sisters? Why?
3. How often does your extended family get together? What do you usually do?
4. Who did you look up to when you were a child? Do you still?
5. At what age do people usually settle down in your country? Is that changing?

Student A is a podcast host making a show called Households. Student B is this week's guest. A interviews B about their family for three minutes, using at least six words from this lesson. Then swap roles. Challenge: the host must ask one follow-up question ("Really? Why is that?") after every answer.

• The seating plan. You are organising a wedding reception for eighty guests. Your uncle doesn't get on with your stepmother, and the twins refuse to sit apart. Negotiate the seating plan with your partner.
• The anniversary surprise. With your partner, secretly plan a party for your grandparents' fortieth anniversary: venue, guests, food, one big surprise. You have a small budget — you must agree on what to cut.

Comprehension questions

1. Why was Priya's mother worried about Grandad?
2. Where did the invitation to move in take place?
3. What TWO things caused tension in the first weeks?
4. How does Priya's brother feel about Grandad now?
5. According to Priya, what is "the easy part" — and what is difficult?

Every August, the Okonkwo family takes over the village hall in a small town near York. It started twelve years ago, when Chidi and his wife Grace celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. They expected thirty guests; ninety-four arrived, some flying in from Lagos and Toronto. The hall's tables were pushed together into one enormous line, and a tradition was born.

Now "The Longest Table" happens every year, anniversary or not. Grace's brother — a chef — cooks for three days beforehand. The oldest guest is Chidi's mother, who is ninety and insists on making the jollof rice herself, telling off anyone who touches her pot. The youngest last year was a six-week-old niece who slept through the entire party.

For the younger generation, the day can feel overwhelming. "I'm an only child," says nineteen-year-old Ada, "so suddenly having forty cousins in one room is a lot. But honestly? I look forward to it all year. My grandmother tells stories about growing up in Enugu, and I realise how much I take after her — we're both stubborn, apparently."

Chidi believes gatherings like this are becoming rarer. "Families are scattered across the world now. If you don't create a reason to get together, the years slip past. So we created one — and we put it in everyone's calendar in permanent ink."

Comprehension questions

1. What event started the tradition twelve years ago?
2. Why is the event called "The Longest Table"?
3. Who makes the jollof rice, and how does she protect her recipe?
4. Why does Ada sometimes find the day overwhelming?
5. In what way does Ada take after her grandmother?
6. What is Chidi's argument for organising the gathering every year?

Task (about 100 words): An English-speaking friend has written to you: "I hear you had a big family celebration recently! Who was there? What did you do? Was there anything funny or surprising?"

Write a reply. Include:

• at least three relative words (e.g. niece, brother-in-law, stepmother)
• at least two phrasal verbs from this lesson
• one sentence with used to

Challenge (B2 reach): Rewrite your ending so the last sentence looks forward to the next family gathering.