Age and life stages – B1 English Vocabulary

Age and life stages

In this Intermediate Vocabulary Lesson about Age and Life Stages, you will learn useful words and expressions to describe people at different ages and talk about the different stages of life. The pictures, descriptions, and examples below will help you understand and remember the terms.

Describing people by age

1 A baby is a very young child, usually under one year old.

• Their baby started crawling last week.

2 A toddler is a young child who is just starting to walk, usually aged 1 to 3.

• The toddler was learning how to walk.

3 A child is a young person, usually between the ages of 3 and 12.

• The child drew a picture at school.

4 A preteen is a child who is almost a teenager, usually 10 to 12 years old.

• Her preteen daughter loves reading.

5 A teenager or teen is someone between the ages of 13 and 19.

• My teenager spends a lot of time with friends.

6 An adolescent is a young person who is becoming an adult. It is a more formal word for ‘teenager’.

• Schools often have special programmes for adolescents.

7 A young adult is a person between the ages of 18 and 25.

• Many young adults move out and start working.

8 When you are in your 20s, you are aged between 20 and 29. You can use the same expression for 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.

• He’s in his 50s and works as a teacher.

9 If you are in your early 20s, you are about 20 to 23 years old.

• She’s in her early 30s and just had a baby.

10 If you are in your mid 20s, you are about 24 to 26 years old.

• He got married in his mid 40s.

11 If you are in your late 20s, you are about 27 to 29 years old.

• She changed jobs in her late 30s.

12 A middle-aged person is usually between 45 and 65 years old.

• My middle-aged neighbour enjoys gardening.

13 A retired person no longer works, usually because of age.

• His retired parents travel a lot.

14 A pensioner is a very common noun in the UK to refer to a retired person.

• Many pensioners enjoy quiet hobbies.

15 An old person or elderly person is someone who is advanced in age, usually 75 or older.

• The elderly person needed help crossing the road.

16 A senior citizen is a polite way to talk about an older person, often used in public services.

• Senior citizens get free bus passes.

Life stages

17 Childhood is the time when you are a child.

• She spent most of her childhood in the countryside.

18 The teenage years are the time when someone is 13 to 19 years old.

• He changed a lot during the teenage years.

19 Adulthood is the stage of life when a person is an adult.

• Adulthood comes with more responsibilities.

20 Working life is the part of your life when you have a job or career.

• She spent her working life as a doctor.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on Age and Life Stages, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flashcards to revise and help you memorize the terms.