Challenger 2

I hope you have completed Challenger 1 in your vocabulary notebook.

Challenger 2
Write down 20 phrases or useful chunks that you come across through your reading. If you are not reading anything interesting, then, you will have to search actively in the magazines and newspapers.

I have just finished reading Marley and Me by John Grogran. Some useful chunks that I have collected in my journal are:

1 my perseverance paid off
2 prized possession
3 hard, unrestrained, from-the-gut sobbing
4 rambunctious, wired dog
5 I slinked around town self-consciously, convinced all eyes were on me. My ears burned imagining people talking about me.


After you have collected these chunks, try to use them in your own writing. Soon, these phrases will become a part of you.

Vocabulary Challenger 1

This week, I will be giving you a series of challenges which will help you develop your vocabulary.

Challenger 1:

Know Your Verbs

Can you name a verb for every alphabet from A - Z?

A - adopt

B - buy

C -

Alternatively, you can also play this game with your friends.

My Vocabulary Notebook

Finally, now that you have all the sections for your vocabulary book, it is time to put it into good use. Of course, the first thing to do is to always make sure your vocabulary notebook follows you to school. Everytime you learn a new word, decide which section the word should be recorded. Is it an idiom, a proverb or a new word? When you are at home, look at the notebook and see how you can add to it. Is there a synonym or antonym of a word you can check out? Can you draw a mindmap out of new word you have just learnt? Do this for three weeks in a row and you would have formed a new habit.

Useful chunks

One of the fastest way to learn English is see how good writers write. Have a special section called 'useful chunks' where you copy down interesting words and phrases each time you read the newspaper, articles from magazines or essays. These useful chunks show you how the words are used and comes in handy when you write your essays. I am not saying you should copy whole chunks into your essay. That is plagiarism. Rather, you should read those phrases and let it sink into your memory and become part of your working vocabulary.