Technology – A2 English Vocabulary

Technology

In this Pre-intermediate Vocabulary Lesson about Technology, you will learn essential terms for digital devices, the internet, and related actions. The pictures, descriptions, and examples below will help you understand and remember the terms.

Devices and computer parts

1 A laptop is a small computer that you can carry around.

• I took my laptop out of my bag and switched it on.

2 A desktop is a big computer that stays on a desk.

• Joe was in his office, working on his desktop.

3 A tablet is a small computer with a screen you touch to control it.

• My tablet is smaller than my laptop, so it’s easier to carry.

4 A smartphone is a mobile phone that works like a small computer.

• I use my smartphone to make phone calls, send messages, and check emails.

5 A screen is the flat part of a computer where you see images and words.

• My laptop has a wide screen, so it’s great for watching movies.

6 A keyboard is the part with buttons where you type letters and numbers.

• I could hear Mike typing on his keyboard in his office.

7 A touchscreen is a screen you can touch to control a device.

• The touchscreen on my tablet is sensitive to the movement of my finger.

8 A touchpad is a small flat part on a laptop that you move with your finger.

• I use the touchpad on my laptop to move the cursor around the screen.

9 A mouse is a small device you move with your hand to control the computer.

• Sam’s hand was on the mouse next to his computer.

10 A pen drive or flash drive is a small device that stores files and can be plugged into a computer.

• I stored the files on a pen drive so that Jim could copy them to his laptop.

11 Headphones are devices you wear over your ears to listen to sound.

• Peter was listening to music with his headphones.

12 A speaker makes sound louder on a computer.

• The music wasn’t loud enough, so I plugged in my speaker.

The Internet

1 A website is a page or set of pages on the internet.

• You can find more information about the company on their website.

2 A URL is the address you type to go to a website.

• Here’s the URL for the restaurant’s website.

3 A browser is a program that helps you search the internet.

• The most popular browsers are Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

4 A link is some text or image that you can click to go to another web page.

• I included links to some helpful web pages at the bottom of the email.

5 A tab is a section at the top of a browser that opens another page.

• Open this web page in a new tab.

6 Social media are websites or apps where people communicate and share things.

• I use social media to keep in touch with friends and family.

7 An attachment is a file, photo, or document sent with an email.

• Alice sent me a file as an attachment in her email.

8 Streaming is watching or listening to online video content without downloading it first.

• I never watch TV. I watch films and series on streaming platforms.

Verbs

1 When you plug in a device, you connect it to a power source using a wire.

• The printer is not working because it’s not plugged in.

2 When you unplug a device, you disconnect it from electricity by removing a wire.

• When I’d finished using my laptop, I unplugged it and put it in my bag.

3 When you charge a computer or phone, you connect it to a power source to fill the battery with power.

• I need to charge my phone because my battery is low.

4 When you switch on a device, you press a button to turn it on and make it operate.

• As soon as I get to work, I switch on my desktop and check my emails.

5 When you switch a device off, you press a button to stop it from working.

• Remember to switch off the computer when you’ve finished using it.

6 When you sign in or log in to an account or program, you enter your name and password so that you can start using it.

• Before I could start shopping, I had to sign into my account.

7 When you sign out or log out, you exit an account after using it.

• After I’d finished shopping, I signed out of my account.

8 When you go online, you connect to the internet.

• I usually go online as soon as I wake up in the morning.

9 When you upload a file, you copy it from your device to the internet.

• Luke uploaded all his photos to his cloud account.

10 When you download a file, you copy it from the internet to your device.

• Is it OK to download this PDF file?

11 When you scroll up or down, you move the information on your screen or down.

• I scrolled up to the top of the page and clicked on the menu.
• I scrolled down to the bottom of the page to read the rest of the article.

12 When you share a file, you make it available for other people to use.

• Mike shared the document with me so that I could read it and make changes.

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