Recreation is how we relax and have fun in our free time. In this unit, you will learn new words about hobbies and leisure activities, and you will study how to talk about future plans with going to and the Present Continuous. At the end, you will read a short text about a weekend outing with friends.
Key Vocabulary
| Word | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hobby | noun | an activity you do for fun in your free time | Drawing is my favorite hobby. |
| trip | noun | a journey to a place and back | We are planning a trip to the mountains. |
| weekend | noun | Saturday and Sunday | I usually relax with my family at the weekend. |
| holiday | noun | a period of rest away from school or work | We spend our summer holiday at the beach. |
| camping | noun | sleeping outdoors, often in a tent | We are going camping near the forest next month. |
| concert | noun | a musical show performed for an audience | My cousin is going to a concert on Friday. |
| outing | noun | a short trip made for pleasure | Our class is planning an outing to the park. |
| leisure | noun | free time used for rest and enjoyment | Reading is a relaxing leisure activity. |
Grammar Focus: Going to and Present Continuous for Future Plans
We use two structures to talk about the future, depending on how certain the plan is.
- be going to + base verb: an intention or a plan you have already decided.
- Present Continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing): a fixed arrangement, often with a time or a place already set.
| Structure | Formation | Use |
|---|---|---|
| going to | am/is/are + going to + base verb | a plan or intention |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are + verb + ing | a fixed arrangement with a time or place |
Example sentences about recreation:
- We are going to visit my grandparents this weekend. (a plan)
- I am meeting my friends at the park at five o’clock. (a fixed arrangement)
- She is going to learn a new hobby this year. (an intention)
- They are leaving for their camping trip on Friday morning. (already arranged)
Both forms talk about the future, but the Present Continuous usually sounds more definite because a time or place has already been fixed.
Reading & Vocabulary in Context
This weekend, Hamza and his friends are going to have a special outing. They are going camping near a lake outside the city. Hamza is bringing his guitar because his friends love music around the campfire. They are meeting at the bus station at eight in the morning, and the bus leaves at half past eight.
Hamza’s sister is not coming with them because she is going to a concert with her classmates on Saturday evening. Everyone is excited about their leisure time this weekend. Hamza says that spending time outdoors with friends is the best way to relax after a long week of school and homework.
- outing: a short trip made for pleasure
- campfire: a fire made outdoors, often for cooking or warmth
- excited: feeling very happy about something that will happen
- outdoors: outside, not inside a building
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Match the word with its meaning: hobby, outing, leisure, camping.
Exercise 2 — Complete the sentence with a vocabulary word: My uncle enjoys fishing; it is his favorite ______.
Exercise 3 — Put the verb in brackets into the correct future form: We (go) ______ camping this weekend, and I (meet) ______ my friends at eight o’clock.
Exercise 4 — Write one sentence about your own weekend plan, using be going to.
Exercise 5 — According to the reading passage, why is Hamza’s sister not going camping with him?
Exercise 6 — Find a word in the reading passage that means ‘feeling very happy about something that will happen’ and use it in your own sentence.
Answer Key
Answer 1 — hobby = an activity you do for fun in your free time; outing = a short trip made for pleasure; leisure = free time used for rest and enjoyment; camping = sleeping outdoors, often in a tent
Answer 2 — hobby
Answer 3 — We are going camping this weekend, and I am meeting my friends at eight o’clock.
Answer 4 — Answers will vary. Example: I am going to visit my cousins next Sunday.
Answer 5 — Because she is going to a concert with her classmates on Saturday evening.
Answer 6 — excited. Example sentence: I am excited about our trip to the mountains.
