Quick Vocabulary Activities

Vocabulary Activities as seen on the Teacher Support Ezine.
Please note: these instructions will be updated regularly whenever new games or activities are introduced in the ezine.
CONTENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Memory Game (Pelmanism)............................................................................................................... 2 Hangman ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Replace the synonym Money Adjectives ......................................................................................... 3 Antonyms dominoes Money Adjectives ........................................................................................... 5 Dominoes blanks ............................................................................................................................. 6 Mixed letters Money Adjectives ....................................................................................................... 7 Crossword Work Verbs.................................................................................................................... 8 Word Families Work Verbs ............................................................................................................ 12 Word Families blank ...................................................................................................................... 13 Mixed Sentences Work Verbs ................................................................................................... 14 Wordsearch Weather words ...................................................................................................... 16 Speed Definitions Weather words ............................................................................................. 20 Speed Definitions blank ............................................................................................................. 21 Pictionary ...................................................................................................................................... 22
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Vocabulary Games & Activities
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1. Memory Game (Pelmanism)

1. You can play the Memory Game with one learner, in pairs or in small groups. 2. Prepare a set of cards. This set contains pairs of words. 3. Deal the cards face down on the table. 4. Players take it in turns to turn over two of the cards. 5. If the cards are a pair, the player takes them. 6. If they are not a pair, they are turned over face down. 7. The game finishes when all the pairs have been found.
If you are making your own set of cards, it can be very difficult to include only one possible way of combining words. Dont worry. Tell learners to look for common combinations or only for combinations covered in the lesson
2. Hangman
1. Choose a word, phrase or sentence. e.g. technology 2. Draw one dash for each letter of the word. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. Each player guesses one letter at a time. If the letter is in one of the words fill it in everywhere it appears. e.g. If the first player player picks e add the e then the second player picks o add the os drawing of a person. Here is an example sequence of drawings, but you can use any drawing you like. _e________ _e___o_o__
If a player guesses a letter that does not appear in the word then add a line to the
4. If the drawing of the person is completed before the word or words are guessed, the guessing players lose. If the players guess the word or words first, they win.
3. Replace the synonym Money Adjectives

Use the words in the box to find synonyms for the words in bold. budget cheap economical expensive financial free half-price poor precious reasonable rich well-paid
1.
He is a successful and wealthy man.
2.
Food is usually inexpensive in supermarkets.
3.
Being a professional football player is a very lucrative job.
4.
He decided that owning two cars was not good value for money.
5.
He didn't buy the shirt because it was too pricey.
6.
He always uses low-cost airlines to save money on holiday.
7.
I am so sorry because I broke the valuable vase you had in your bedroom.
8.
Members all receive a complimentary copy of the monthly newsletter.
9.
Most of these people are very badly off. They cannot find any work.
10.
She paid a fair price for the hotel room.
11.
The railcard allows students and young people to travel with a 50% discount on most trains.
12.
They're having a few money related difficulties at the moment.
ANSWERS 1. rich 2. cheap 3. well-paid 4. economical 5. expensive 6. budget 7. precious 8. free 9. poor 10. reasonable 11. half-price 12. financial
NOTES You can make a similar activity for any adjectives by looking up synonyms in a thesaurus. However, be aware that: some adjectives do not have a one word synonym, so you might have to use a phrase. For example in question 4 we have replaced economical with good value for money some adjectives have a different register. In other words, some adjectives are formal and some less formal. For example in question 5 the word pricey is less formal than the word expensive some adjectives are only used in combination with certain nouns. For example the words budget and low-cost are often used in combinations such as budget/low-cost airline, budget/low-cost holiday and budget/low-cost hotel some adjectives have the same meaning in one context, but not another. For example you can call a vase both precious and valuable. However, a footballer can be described as valuable but not precious. You might want to highlight these points to your students when you use worksheets like this with your class.
When you are making your own activities, it is a good idea to: use real examples from native speakers/writers whenever possible. You can find these in course books, newspapers, magazines and good dictionaries check the meaning and examples in at least two dictionaries, if you are not sure, to make sure that the synonyms are compatible.
4. Antonyms dominoes Money Adjectives

1. Cut up 1 set of dominoes for each group of 3/4 people. (Note that each adjective appears on two dominoes). 2. Each student takes four dominoes. The remaining dominoes are put in a pile face down. 3. One player plays a domino and the next player has to add an opposite. When a player plays a domino, they must make a sentence using one of the adjectives. If they cannot make a correct sentence, they cannot use that domino and must wait until their next turn. 4. If the player cannot play a domino, they take one from the pile and wait for their next turn. 5. The winner is the person who gets rid of all their dominoes first.
budget cheap duty-free economical half-price inexpensive poor precious professional reasonable wealthy well-paid
badly-paid needy unreasonable amateur worthless rich high-priced full-price wasteful duty-paid expensive pricey
badly-paid needy unreasonable amateur worthless rich high-priced full-price wasteful duty-paid expensive pricey
budget cheap duty-free economical half-price inexpensive poor precious professional reasonable wealthy well-paid
5. Dominoes blanks
Here is a blank set for you to copy and use to design your own dominoes. Or, as an alternative, why not get your students to create them?
6. Mixed letters Money Adjectives

A really fun way to review vocabulary at the end of the lesson or the week is to mix up the letters of each word. Write a word or words on the board. The students then race to identify the vocabulary.
cheap expensive poor free half-price rich duty-free financial inexpensive professional reasonable valuable budget economic economical precious wealthy well-paid
peach neevipexs ropo refe carelfhip hirc feudtyre cannilifa sineevenipx elpasofirson abaloneres bluelava betdug iconcome micecono icepusor tealwhy dewillpa
7. Crossword Work Verbs Instructions

Here are two ways of using the same crossword.
Traditional This method is useful for setting the crossword as homework or to enable students to work more quietly on their own or in pairs. 1. Each student works alone or in pairs to solve the crossword with clues provided by the teacher. This crossword and the solution are on pages 9 and 10.
Interactive This method involves students working together to produce clues and then to solve the answers 1. Put the students into two groups, Group A and Group B. 2. Give each group a crossword with only half of the answers completed (see page 11) 3. Each group works together to review the meaning of the words in their half of the crossword. 4. Each group then works together to write clues for each word. The best clues for students to produce are dictionary type definitions and/or example sentences with a gap for the target word (see hints on making crosswords below). 5. Pair one student from a Group A with one student from a Group B. They then take it in turns to ask each other clues and to complete their crosswords.
Hints on creating crosswords

There are many free programmes on the internet for creating your own crosswords. Searching for the phrase free crossword maker will bring up many useful links. In the traditional crossword, the clues are all definitions. You can save a lot of time by taking the definitions from dictionaries. These definitions were all taken or adapted from the Cambridge Dictionary Online Dictionaries are also an excellent place to find example sentences. These can then be used to find gap fill type clues. e.g. Clue: Answer: We ___________ a large number of cars from Japan We import a large number of cars from Japan
Across
2. 5. 7. 8. 11. 13. 15. 16. 17. to organize or control something to be in control of an office, shop, team, etc. to produce goods in large numbers, usually in a factory using machines to begin to operate (a business or organization) to send goods to another country for sale to begin to to employ someone to give someone money for the work that they do to buy or bring in products from another country to leave your job and stop working, usually because you are old
Down
1. 3. 4. 6. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. to give someone a more important job in the same organization to get money for doing work to officially tell your employer that you are leaving your job to request something, usually officially, especially by writing or sending in a form to teach someone how to do something, usually a skill that is needed for a job to spend most of your time doing one type of business to have someone work or do a job for you and pay them for it to formally establish a new company, organization, system, way of working, etc. to do a job, especially the job you do to earn money
Solution
Across
2. 5. 7. 8. 11. 13. 15. 16. 17. RUN MANAGE MANUFACTURE START EXPORT HIRE PAY IMPORT RETIRE
Down
1. 3. 4. 6. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. PROMOTE EARN RESIGN APPLY TRAIN SPECIALIZE EMPLOY SETUP WORK
Group B
8. Word Families Work Verbs

Here is a completed word family for verbs related to work. On the next page there is a blank chart that you can give to your students to complete.
Verb work earn apply employ manage pay promote retire run set up export hire import manufacture resign sack specialize start train
Noun work earnings application employment management pay promotion retirement export hiring import manufacturing resignation sack specialization start training
Adjective working earned employed / employable managed paid promoted retired run set up exported hired imported manufactured resigned sacked specialized trained
Person worker earner applicant employer/ee manager payer/ee retiree exporter hirer importer manufacturer specialist trainer/ee
9. Word Families blank
Verb
Noun
Adjective
Person
10.
Mixed Sentences Work Verbs
Rearrange the words to make complete sentences.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
there / for / Ive / a / job / applied 50,000 / more / a / earns / year / she / than employ / company / how / your / does / many / people ? cheeses / exported / French / different / are / countries / many / to hire / image / we / relations / should / public / improve / consultant / to / our / a Japan / import / large / of / number / we / cars / from / a King Street / used / she / to / manage / bookshop / the / on that / works / a / for / he / company / manufactures / parts / car boring / pays / it / at / my / is / job / but / least / well been / shes / promoted / just / manager / to / senior / sales she / headteacher / as / resigned 1990 / in / retired / he ran / she / own / her / restaurant / five / years / for set / own / up / business / plans / he / to / his lawyer / a / who / shes / specializes / cases / criminal / in company / software / his / started / own / he / computer / staff / training / system / how / use / to / we / the / are / our / in / new he / for / company / computer / works / a
Mixed Sentences - Answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. I've applied for a job there. She earns more than 50,000 a year. How many people does your company employ? French cheeses are exported to many different countries. We should hire a public relations consultant to help improve our image. We import a large number of cars from Japan. She used to manage the bookshop on King Street. He works for a company that manufactures car parts. My job is boring but at least it pays well. She's just been promoted to senior sales manager. She resigned as headteacher. He retired in 1990. She ran her own restaurant for five years. He plans to set up his own business. She's a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases. He started his own software company. We are training all our staff in how to use the new computer system. He works for a computer company.
NOTE :
Dictionaries are an excellent place to find example sentences, which can be used for many exercises. These examples were taken from the Cambridge Dictionary Online.
11.
Wordsearch Weather words
Instructions
The aim of a wordsearch is to find the words hidden in a grid of letters. The words may be placed horizontally, vertically and diagonally. They are always in a straight line. Words might overlap each other.
Traditional This method is useful for setting the wordsearch as homework or to enable students to work more quietly on their own or in pairs. 1. Each student works alone to solve the word search crossword with clues provided by the teacher. This word search and the solution are on pages 17 and 18.
Interactive These methods involve students working together and interacting to solve the puzzle. 1. The students work in pairs to complete the gap fill sentences on page 19
(Answers to gap fill: a. cold, b. humid ,c. hot, d. icy, e. cloudy, f. rainy, g. foggy, h. pouring, i. snowy, j. mild, k. stormy, l. chilly, m. breezy, n. frosty, o. cool, p. misty, q. freezing, r. boiling)
2. In the same pairs the students try to find the answers to the gap fill in the word search. For more energetic students 1. Put the students into teams. 2. Give each team a different colour pen. 3. Project the word search puzzle onto the whiteboard. 4. The teacher tells the class one of the words. 5. The students look at the board to try and find the word. Once they have found it, one of the team runs to the board and marks the word. 6. The winning team in the one that marks the most words.
Hints on creating wordsearches

There are many free programmes on the internet for creating your own word searches. Searching for the phrase free word search maker will bring up many useful links.
Dictionaries are an excellent place to find example sentences. These can then be used to create gap fill sentences.
Weather Words Wordsearch - Puzzle Can you find these weather words in the puzzle?
u p o u r i n g h s c j c f f
f f z w w a m u t k u c o b r
b d r y g i z o m b h g b r e
z o y o s n r z v i g y v e e
d f i t s m j c l y y n v e z
p j y l y t o l c e b m j z i
n h a a i o y w c o j d n y n
m u m v l n z f c o x x t c g
i m p i u n g l g s l i h b r
l i t p x a o x h m w d r y p
d d i m e u l i m c f d h h v
b e i e d f u a x a z y h f d
c c p y c l g g v a b o t r e
y u r a i n y j k z t f c i o
t y o v t s n o w y x k i o p
cold hot cloudy foggy snowy stormy breezy cool freezing humid icy rainy pouring mild chilly frosty misty boiling
Weather Words Word Search - Solution
- - b - - - - m i l d - - y p f - o - - h u m i d - c - o - r - i y - - - - - i - r u - - o t l - - - - - - y a r - - s s y i l - - - d - i i - i - m t o n - - u - - n s n m - r - o y - g o - - - y n g - o - c l - - l - - - - - o - t - - l - c c - - - - - - w s - - i y - - o - - - - - - y - - h g - - - - l - - - - t - c g - - - - - - d - - o - - o - - - - - - - - - h - - f b r e e z y - - - - - - - f r e e z i n g - - - - - - -
Weather Words Word Search Gap fill sentences
a. You'll feel . if you don't wear a coat. b. Singapore is very hot and in the summer. c. It was a .sunny day, so we had a picnic.
d. She fell off her bike on the .street. e. It was about to rain and the sky was very .. f. On a ..night, I was walking down the street with an umbrella.
g. It was so . that I couldnt see the car in front. h. Its too wet to play tennis - it's ! i. j. We had a very ..winter this year. The kids were able to go skiing a lot. We've had a very ..winter this year. It hasnt been very cold
k. It was a dark and . night. Lightening flashed across the sky. l. It was a . October day so I put on a jacket.
m. It was a .. day, just right for sailing. n. It was a cold and . morning and the windows were covered in ice. o. A nice .. breeze made us feel more comfortable on the hot beach. p. It was in the morning, so it was difficult to see the top of the mountain. q. It was a day, so I wore two jumpers and a coat. r. In the summer at midday it is ...
12.
Speed Definitions Weather words
1. Divide the students into small groups. 2. Write each word on separate small pieces of paper. Prepare 1 set of words for each group. Fold up the pieces of paper and place each set in a hat or similar container. 3. Place one hat/container on the table in the middle of each group. 4. Each student is given a 30 second time limit. 5. The student takes one piece of paper at a time from the hat/container. The student tries to explain the word on the paper to their group. 6. If the group guess the word, the student gets one point and takes another piece of paper from the hat/container. 7. If the group cannot guess the word, the student folds the piece of paper and replaces it in the hat/container and takes another piece of paper. 8. The game is over when all of the words have been guessed. 9. The winner is the student with the most points. Here are two sets of pre-prepared weather words. On the next page there are two blank sets for you to use with your own words.
cold hot cloudy foggy snowy stormy breezy cool freezing
humid icy rainy pouring mild chilly frosty misty boiling
cold hot cloudy foggy snowy stormy breezy cool freezing
humid icy rainy pouring mild chilly frosty misty boiling
13.
Speed Definitions blank
14.
Pictionary
1. Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a large sheet of paper. 2. Write each word on separate small pieces of paper. Prepare 1 set of words for each group. Fold up the pieces of paper and place each set in a hat or similar container. 3. Place one hat/container on the table in the middle of each group. 4. Each student is given a 30 second time limit. 5. The student takes one piece of paper at a time from the hat/container. The student draws a picture that represents the word. 6. If the group guess the word, the student gets one point and takes another piece of paper from the hat/container. 7. If the group cannot guess the word, the student folds the piece of paper and replaces it in the hat/container and takes another piece of paper. 8. The game is over when all of the words have been guessed. 9. The winner is the student with the most points.
This game is similar procedure to 12. Speed Definitions, so you can use the same pre-prepared cards as those in 12. Speed Definitions
Here is an alternative way to play.
1. Divide the class into three or four teams. 2. In turn, a member from each team comes to the board. 3. Give the student a vocabulary word either in writing, or for students that can't read, just whisper it in their ear. 4. Then the student has 1 minute to draw the word you gave them. 5. Each students team shouts out guesses. 6. If after 1 minute the team can't guess the word, the person stops drawing, and the other teams, each get one guess.
Make the student put their writing hand behind their back and use their other hand to draw. This is a good way of making teams equal if some of the students are better at drawing than others The students have to race to the board to draw their pictures. This is effective if your students are more energetic.

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Vocabulary Activities as seen on the Teacher Support Ezine.

Vocabulary Games & Activities

1. Memory Game (Pelmanism)

Vocabulary Games & Activities

3. Replace the synonym Money Adjectives

He is a successful and wealthy man.

Food is usually inexpensive in supermarkets.

Being a professional football player is a very lucrative job.

He didn't buy the shirt because it was too pricey.

He always uses low-cost airlines to save money on holiday.

Members all receive a complimentary copy of the monthly newsletter.

She paid a fair price for the hotel room.

They're having a few money related difficulties at the moment.

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

4. Antonyms dominoes Money Adjectives

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

6. Mixed letters Money Adjectives

Vocabulary Games & Activities

7. Crossword Work Verbs Instructions

Hints on creating crosswords

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

8. Word Families Work Verbs

Vocabulary Games & Activities

9. Word Families blank

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Mixed Sentences Work Verbs

Rearrange the words to make complete sentences.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Mixed Sentences - Answers

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Wordsearch Weather words

Hints on creating wordsearches

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Weather Words Word Search - Solution

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Weather Words Word Search Gap fill sentences

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Speed Definitions Weather words

cold hot cloudy foggy snowy stormy breezy cool freezing

humid icy rainy pouring mild chilly frosty misty boiling

cold hot cloudy foggy snowy stormy breezy cool freezing

humid icy rainy pouring mild chilly frosty misty boiling

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Speed Definitions blank

Vocabulary Games & Activities

Here is an alternative way to play.

Vocabulary Games & Activities

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