Practice
English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with F
Sign in to saveA word list can look simple until you need one of the words in a message or conversation. These six F words have different jobs. Read the whole sentence to see which meaning fits.
Understand and use six B1 English words beginning with F: fair, familiar, flexible, focus, frequent, and fresh.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
a flexible schedule /ə ˈflek.sə.bəl ˈʃed.juːl/
The short answer
Fair means reasonable or equal. Familiar means known to you. Flexible can change to fit a situation. Focus means give attention. Frequent means happening often, and fresh means new or recently made, picked, or prepared.
The company offered a fair price for the repair.
Why it works: Fair describes a price that seems reasonable for the work. It does not simply mean low.
5 more examples
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The street looked familiar after I checked the map.
Familiar means known or recognized. The map helps the speaker remember the street.
Not this:The street
looked unfamiliarafter I checked the map. What changes: Unfamiliar means the speaker does not recognize the street. -
A flexible schedule lets staff start earlier or later.
Flexible means able to change when people need a different time.
Not this:
A fixed schedulegives staff the same start time every day. What changes: Fixed describes a schedule that does not change in the same way. -
Please focus on the main question before you write.
Focus on means give your attention to one thing.
Not this:Please
mention the main questionbefore you write. What changes: Mention means say or write a small amount about something. Focus means give it careful attention. -
Heavy rain is frequent here in winter.
Frequent means happening often. The sentence describes a repeated weather pattern.
Not this:Heavy rain
is rarehere in winter. What changes: Rare means happening very few times. It gives the opposite pattern. -
We bought fresh fruit for the picnic.
Fresh fruit has been picked or bought recently and is ready to eat.
Not this:We bought
canned fruitfor the picnic. What changes: Canned names a way of storing food. Fresh describes its recent condition.
Read the full guide
Start with the part of the sentence that tells you the situation. A price can be fair, a place can be familiar, and a schedule can be flexible. For a verb such as focus, ask what the person needs to give attention to.
Read the context first
Do not choose a word from its first letter alone. Read the whole sentence and find the thing being described. A price, a street, a schedule, and food all need different words. The noun gives you a useful clue.
The company offered a fair price for the repair.
Does fair tell you only that the price is small?
No. Fair tells you that the price seems reasonable. A low price may or may not be fair.
Use fair and familiar
Use fair for equal treatment or a reasonable result. You can talk about fair rules, a fair decision, or a fair price. Use familiar when you recognize a person, place, sound, or idea because you have met it before.
The street looked familiar after I checked the map.
A familiar street is one you recognize. An unfamiliar street is one you do not recognize.
Use flexible and focus
Flexible describes a plan, rule, schedule, or person that can change when needed. Focus is the attention you give to one thing. As a verb, it usually needs on: focus on the task, not focus the task.
A flexible schedule lets staff start earlier or later.
Please focus on the main question before you write.
Use frequent and fresh
Frequent means happening often. It can describe visits, calls, delays, or rain. Fresh often describes food that is new or recently prepared. It can also describe clean air or a new idea, so check the noun beside it.
Heavy rain is frequent here in winter.
We bought fresh fruit for the picnic.
Frequent means often. Fresh fruit is about condition and how recently it was picked or bought.
Make a new sentence
Choose one F word and put it into a situation you know. Keep the same meaning. You might write about fair rules at work, a familiar route home, flexible plans, a task that needs focus, frequent calls, or fresh food.
Write a sentence with frequent. What happens often in your sentence?
One possible sentence is: We have frequent meetings on Monday mornings. Frequent describes how often the meetings happen.
Before you go
Remember this
Use fair for a reasonable price or equal treatment, familiar for something you recognize, and flexible for something that can change. Focus on means give attention. Use frequent for something that happens often and fresh for something new or recently prepared.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with F"
What does fair mean in English?
Fair can mean reasonable or equal. A fair price seems suitable for what is offered, while fair rules treat people in the same way. The noun beside fair helps you choose the intended meaning.
The company offered a fair price for the repair.
What is the meaning of familiar?
Familiar means known or recognized because you have seen, heard, used, or experienced something before. A familiar face, place, sound, or idea is one that you know already.
The company offered a low price for the repair.
How do I use flexible in a sentence?
Use flexible for something that can change when needed, such as a schedule, plan, rule, or arrangement. It often comes before a noun, as in flexible working hours or a flexible plan.
The street looked familiar after I checked the map.
What does focus on mean?
Focus on means give your attention to one task, subject, or problem. Use on after focus when you name the thing that needs attention, such as focus on the main point.
The street looked unfamiliar after I checked the map.
What is the difference between frequent and fresh?
Frequent means happening often, so it can describe events, visits, or delays. Fresh usually describes something new or recently prepared, picked, or made, especially food. The words describe different ideas.
A flexible schedule lets staff start earlier or later.