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Examples of Vocabulary Activities

The following vocabulary activities are just examples of ways to incorporate a variety of

different tasks that are designed to work on the students’ receptive and productive (depending on

the task) skills. Several activities are good for introducing the target words, and others are good

for review. There are a few activities that work on collocations, and a few that work on word

forms. Use the key at the bottom of the page for an indication of which type of skill each task

targets, or whether it is good for introducing the words, reviewing the words, or doing a post-

reading activity.

Table of Contents

I. Word Meanings (p. 2)

II. Affixes (p. 8)

III. Collocations (p. 10)

IV. Partner Activities (p. 11)

V. Word Forms (p. 15)

VI. Original Sentence Writing Activities (p. 20)

Key:

Note: The following activities are from a mix of lessons and are not targeting the same words.

I – introduction PR- post-reading R- review D–discussion of words

C-collocations WF – Word Forms A – affixes S–Original sentences

REC – receptive skills PRO- productive skills P – Pronunciation

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Part I. Word Meaning

Task 1. REC, R, I, PR

Target Words:

prospect odds enable insight anticipate

conversions despite ratio

1. Welcome to Math for Everyday Life—Math 102. Raise your hand if you aren’t excited about

the prospect of this course.

a. a particular event which will probably or definitely happen in the future - used

especially when you want to talk about how you feel about it

b. chances of future success

2. Look around. About how many hands are up? Nearly all, right? Let’s say 90 percent of you.

Looks like the odds of having an enthusiastic class are against me.

a. the opposite of even

b. weirdness

c. how likely it is that something will or will not happen

3. Increasing your knowledge about some simple formulas will enable you to calculate the gas

mileage of your car and determine how much a clothing item costs when it’s 15 percent off.

a. to make it possible for someone to do sth.

b. to make stronger and more noble

4. & 5. You’ll gain more insight as to how that credit card bill is always higher than anticipated

when it arrives after the company has tacked on its interest rates. Moreover, knowing

percentages will empower you to compute the amount you need to leave a server at a

restaurant.

4. a. internal vision b sudden clear understanding of sth.

5. a. against the law b. expected that sth. would happen and was ready for it

6. In addition to percentages, we’ll also study conversions. Not only will you be able to convert

foreign currencies on your next vacation, but you’ll also be able to figure out the temperature.

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a. when people change from one religion to a different one

b. when the ball changes possession in a sporting event

c. changing sth. from one form to a different one

7. Welcome to the United States, a country that uses Fahrenheit instead of Celsius and, despite

efforts over many years, rarely uses the metric system.

a. used to say that sth. happens or is true even though sth. else might have prevented it

b. when sth. is very bad, it is used to express disagreement

Part 2. Find a word in each paragraph that is similar in meaning to the word or definition below.

I, REC, PR

1. lacking something you need to stay healthy, comfortable or happy (n. ¶ 3): _______________

2. compliance; obedience (n. ¶3):_________________________ / ________________________

3. individuality; something that makes something else different (n. ¶4): ____________________

4. a positive reason or rationale (n. ¶5):_____________________________

5. lacking everything; empty (adj. ¶5):____________________________

Part 3. Match the words on the left with their synonyms or definitions on the right.

R, REC, PR

1. obsolete (adj. ¶ 2) a. no longer useful; out of date

2. pursued (v. ¶3) b. treating someone/something unfairly

3. foster (v. ¶6) c. trying to do something over a long period of time

4. exploitation (n. ¶8) d. to help a skill or idea develop over time

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Part 3. Match the words on the left with their closest meaning on the right.

R, REC, PR

1._____ evolved a. different

2._____ fundamentals b. definite

3._____ distinctive c. basics

4._____ concrete d. comes before

5._____ precedes e. changed

6._____ derived f. originated

Part 1. Which word does not belong? Circle the word that does not belong with the other three.

R, REC, PR

a. conflict argument clash peace

b. strengthen intensify clash

c. old former previous perceive

d. allow support ban enable

e. menial lamentable regrettable unfortunate

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Part VI. Read the following sentences. Then, match the words in column A with their

OPPOSITES in column B.

I, REC, PR

1. People who recognize the folly of racial preferences are no more opposed to diversity in this

sense than critics of ―gangsta‖ rap are opposed to music. What they do reject is the

condescending notion that a diverse campus demands lower admissions standards for brown

students, and that, in 2003 America, brown students need crutches to make it.

2. Atheists well understand that Christmas is the most visible display of religion in the world,

and any diminishment of it is a good thing to militant secularists. But it is inconceivable that

Grant, believing he finally had a slam-dunk issue with which to unite a fractured country, could

have foreseen the social civil war we have today.

3. One glimpse of the future is offered by the nation's two-year colleges. They are more honest

than the four-year institutions about what their students want and provide courses that meet their

needs more explicitly.

A B

condescending vague

cease respectful

inconceivable start

explicit believable

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Part 3. Both of the words that follow each sentence below are synonyms; however, one word is

a better choice for each sentence. Which word is the correct choice? Be prepared to justify your

answer.

R, D, PRO

1. John broke ____________ when he did not stop at the stop sign.

a. a law b. legislation

2. Senator X from California is trying to pass ________________ that would legalize marijuana.

a. a law b. legislation

3. Professor Jonathan Mann, ______________director of the WHO Global AIDS Programme,

has given his support to Dr Everett Koop as an International Adviser.

a. old b. former

4. Sarah Smith, my ____________ boss, is taking me and my girlfriend out for dinner tonight.

a. old b. former

5. The Earth’s ________________ is very hot.

a. core b. center c. main

6. There is a table in the _________________ of my dining room

a. core b. center c. main

7. The Constitution has been ________________ many times, 27 to be precise.

a. amended b. changed

8. Last week I _______________ the color of my car. Now it is blue.

a. amended b. changed

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Part I. Fill in the spaces with the correct word from the box below. All words will not be used.

R, PRO

From ―Diversity: The Value of Discomfort‖

Your class has been characterized by an exceptional spirit of volunteerism. Collectively,

____________________ 70 percent of you _____________________ to the community through

volunteer and service-learning projects, as well through pro bono consulting work. Some of you

have served on local fire departments and rescue squads; traveled to New Orleans in the wake of

hurricane Katrina to assist in the rebuilding effort; served as Big Brothers or Big Sisters to local

children; worked with the John Graham Community Shelter, providing meals and

companionship to the homeless; and shared your _____________________ with local businesses

and ____________________ economic development groups based on what you learned in

economics and geography courses.

apparently accurately contributed regional

approximately commodity expertise perspective

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Part II. AFFIXES

Part I. Match the first half of the words in Column A with the rest of the words in Column B.

A, R

A B

per trinsic

pro cracy

re spective

ex pugnant

in portion

de plicit

theo spite

Part 1. Understanding the parts of a word can help you to understand new words (or at least to

partially understand them). Work with a partner to determine first the meanings of the word parts

below, then the meanings of the whole words, if possible.

You can use a dictionary (paper or electronic) if you would like. Use the sample sentence to help

you, as well as your previous knowledge of some of the words.

A, R, REC

1. She had perfect diction. I always understood everything she said.

What does the word root ―dict‖ mean? Read the following examples.

diction dictation dictionary contradiction

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2. Your behavior is in direct contradiction to the principles you claim to have. You say that you

people should work hard and dedicate themselves to their studies, but you spend more time in the

bar than you do in the library.

What does ―contra‖ mean? Read the words below.

contradict contrast contrary controversy (?)

3. Do you have any previous experience with this type of work? Or, will this be the first time

that you have performed heart surgery?

What does ―pre‖ mean? Read the words below.

presumption prediction previous preceding

4. Read the following words.

underlying underdeveloped undercover undernourished

Using what you already know about the word ―under‖, what does ―undernourished‖ mean in the

following sentence?

Unfortunately there are many undernourished children in the world. There are, however, many

other people who work diligently to ensure that food is provided for these children so that they

can grow up healthy.

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Part III. COLLOCATIONS

Part 4. Answer the following questions. You can use a dictionary to help you with your

sentences if you need to.

C, S, D, R, PRO

1. Read the examples in Part 1 and 2 with the word ―consist.‖ What word immediately follows

―consist‖ in these two examples? _______________

2. The word ―consist‖ is occasionally, but rarely, followed by ―in.‖ It is almost always followed

by your answer to number 1. Write a sentence with ―consist‖ and your answer to number 1.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Read the examples in Part 1 and 2 with the word ―contribute.‖ What word immediately

follows ―contribute‖ in these two examples? _______________

4. The word ―contribute‖ can occasionally be used without the word in your answer to number 3,

but it is almost always followed by that word. Write a sentence with ―contribute‖ and your

answer to number 3.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5. In the examples in Part 1 and 2, ―range‖ is used as a noun. As a verb, ―range‖ is almost

always followed by from and to. (ex. Calorie counts in fast food range from 100 calories to more

than 1000 calories.) Write a sentence with ―range‖ as a verb and use ―from‖ and ―to‖ in your

sentence.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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Pat IV. PARTNER activities

Part 3. Read the statements below and indicate whether you agree (A) or disagree (D). Then

explain your reasoning to a partner. Do you both agree? Why or why not?

D, R, REC

_____ 1. The initial impression that a person gives to others has a long-term effect on other

people’s opinions of him or her.

_____ 2. If a scheme to make money sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

_____ 3. Young people should seek careers in areas that benefit humanity rather than simply

search for high paying jobs.

_____ 4. All people are inherently good.

_____ 5. People who live in isolation are probably lonely.

Part 4. Answer the following questions with a partner. Be prepared to share your answers.

D, R, REC, (PRO)

1. What does an unhealthy diet consist of?

2. Name three foods or drinks that are good sources of Vitamin C?

3. Using the list on page 48, what is the range of calories in the ten items listed. Use range as a

verb, and make a complete sentence.

4. How many beers can the average adult consume and still be able to legally drive a car?

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Part III. Ask a classmate. Choose a partner and ask him or her questions 1,3, and 5, or 2,4, and

6. He or she will ask you the opposite. Write your partner’s answers in complete sentences.

D, R, REC, (PRO)

1. In this classroom, what is the maximum capacity of students?

______________________________________________________________________________

2. What is your perspective on the issue of Saturday timed-writings?

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Are Saturday timed-writings appropriate?

______________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the O’Reilly article trying to expose?

______________________________________________________________________________

5. What is Cathy Young’s motive in her article ―What Happy Holidays?‖

______________________________________________________________________________

6. How many different writing devices do you use in a day? What are they?

______________________________________________________________________________

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Part 6. Are the following pairs similar in meaning, or are they different? Write ―S‖ or ―D‖ next to each

pair of words. There is not always one correct choice, so be prepared to justify your answer.

D, R, REC

_____ 1. trend fashion

_____ 2. creative innovative

_____ 3. essential primary

_____ 4. revenue revenge

_____ 5. enhance focus

_____ 6. ideal worst

_____ 7. dominate quiet

_____ 8. evident obvious

_____ 9. concept idea

_____ 10. factor results

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Part 7. The following sets of words are called analogies. An analogy shows a relationship between

words and it helps you to see connections between words. These types of activities also appear on various

tests that students take to get into a university, graduate school, business program, and many others. It is a

good idea to get some practice with them. The colon (:) is read ―is to‖ and the double colon (::) is read

―as.‖

example: rose : flower :: cat : animal (this sentence is read as ―rose is to flower as cat is to animal‖)

D, R, PRO

1. bird : fly :: dictator : _________________ a. superior

2. rain : weather :: factor : __________________ b. enhance

3. big : bigger :: good : __________________ c. revenue

4. sit : stand :: cost : ____________________ d. process

5. create : innovate :: focus : ________________ e. dominate

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Part V. WORD FORM activites

Part 2. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of ethnicity.

WF, R, PRO (the word forms would have been taught previous to this)

a. San Diego State University is a very _____________________ diverse university.

b. One reason why San Diego is a great city is because of its wide range of _______________

food.

c. A person’s ____________________ is very important. It is often how a person chooses to

identify him or herself.

Part V. Which word does not belong? Circle the word that does not belong with the other three.

WF, R

A B C D

1. ethnic ethical ethnicity ethnically

2. ethnic ethical ethics ethically

3. ethically ethics ethical ethnically

4. ethical ethically ethnically ethics

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Part IV. Complete the following sentences with one of the following words:

ethnicity ethnic ethnically ethics ethical ethically

WF, R, PRO

1. I am very concerned with the ________________ of our government officials. They seem to

have different moral standards than most of us.

2. People say that I grew up in an ___________________ neighborhood. I’m not sure if that’s

true. It wasn’t just one group; there were people from all over the world.

3. I’m very proud of my _____________________. It makes me feel good to tell people about

my culture.

4. John is a very ____________________ person. He has high standards, and he always tries to

do what is right even when it is difficult.

Part 3. In the following sentences, a vocabulary word is in bold. Identify the part of speech of

each word (e.g. noun, verb, adverb, adjective).

WF, R

1. A bad economy coupled with a lack of public support may cause problems for Obama in

2012.

couple : noun verb adjective adverb

2. The core export of Cuba is sugar even though they have many other exports.

core: noun verb adjective adverb

3. It doesn’t look good for the time being but assuming there is no subsequent violation, the

charge gets taken off the student’s record by the end of the term.

subsequent: noun verb adjective adverb

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Part 2. Choose the best word from this Unit to complete each sentence. Put each word in the

correct form.

C, R, PRO

1. The temperature in San Diego ___________________ from 3° C to 31° C in February.

2. A good diet ______________________ of fruit, vegetables, protein, and many other

essentials.

3. Smoking cigarettes _________________________ to hear disease and lung cancer.

Part 3. The vocabulary word in each sentence is in the incorrect form. Correct each word.

selection

example: My selective of music is not very big. That’s why I don’t have iTunes.

WF, R, PRO

1. I speak English very accurate. I always use correct grammar and vocabulary.

2. Martin Luther King Jr. made many contributes to society.

3. My father is not very healthy. He consumptions a lot of foods that are high in calories.

4. There are many similars between English and Spanish, such as the word similar.

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Part 8. Complete the following sentences with a word from the list. You may have to change the form of

the word to make it the correct part of speech. Additionally, if the word is a verb, you may need to change

it for tense or person.

WF, R, PRO

revenue innovative range enhance

creativity reduce dominate affect

1. The company’s in revenue last year resulted many people losing their jobs.

2. My friend John says that he was the of the cell phone, but I really don’t believe

him.

3. The state of California now has more debt than . This is why we are

experiencing so many budget problems.

4. My computer was working very slowly, but I installed some and

now it is working wonderfully.

5. The first video game was very simple and kind of boring when compared with today’s video games.

However, it was an that ultimately led to Playstation 3.

6. Caffeine does not me. I can drink five cups of coffee and still feel tired.

7. The board game Risk is a game about world . The goal of the game is to

conquer the world.

8. The effects of caffeine ______________________ from mild mental stimulation to being extremely

hyper and being unable to sit still.

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Part 2. Complete the chart with the correct forms of the words.

WF, R, PRO

Noun Verb Adjective Adverb

established

X

analyze

X

internal

X

X

external

X

potentially

X

X

mutually

distribute

X

X

compile

X

X

Part 3. Complete each sentence by selecting the correct part of speech of the missing word. Use the chart

to help you.

1. The _____________________ of the United Nations in 1945 was intended to prevent wars.

a. establishment b. establish c. established d. establishing

2. She has a very _____________________ mind. She is always examining things closely before making

a decision.

a. analysis b. analyze c. analytical d. analytically

3. This medicine must not be taken __________________. You must apply it to your skin.

a. internal b. internally

4. Bill Gates is a very _____________________ man. His creations have changed the world.

a. innovation b. innovate c. innovative d. innovatively

5. You can _______________________ the flavor of the food by adding fresh spices.

a. enhancements b. enhance c. enhancing d. enhanced

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Part VI. ORIGINAL SENTENCE WRITING activities (though these could easily be a speaking

activity with a partner.)

Part 7. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. You do not need to use the word

in your sentence, but it must be clear that you understand the word.

R, S, D, REC, (PRO)

1. Does the prospect of taking a math class seem challenging, or is it your ideal subject? Or, is it

just something that is not challenging, but it is also not exciting? Why?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you think that mathematical concepts enable you to do more in life? Or are they just

annoying? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Are you anticipating the end of the semester? What is good about summer vacation? What is

bad?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

4. What was the most insightful advice you received when you started studying at City College?

If you did not receive any, what insightful advice would you give to a new student at City

College?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the ratio of men to women in our class?

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______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6. What contributions did the Arabic world make to math?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Part 6. Use the following words in a sentence. You must use the part of speech given. You may use a

dictionary if you need to, but create your own sentence. Do NOT use the sentence in the dictionary.

R, S, D, WF, PRO

1. evolve (noun): _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. attribute (adjective) ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. precedent (verb) ______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

4. distinct (noun) _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5. irrelevantly (adjective) _________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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Part 4. Write a sentence using 5 of the words used in the activities above. You can use the words

in any part of speech. Compare your sentences with a partner. Are the words used correctly?

R, S, (WF), PRO

1. __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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Part 2. Answer the following questions. Use the vocabulary word in your answer.

R, S, (D), REC, PRO

1. What is the first step in the process of enrolling in a class at City College?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the most challenging concept to understand in American politics?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Write a sentence, or two, and accurately use the word ―likewise.‖

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

4. Are there any similarities between your native language and English? What are they?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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Part 8. Finish the following sentences.

R, S, (C), (D), PRO

A. I am (am not) a reliable person because __________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

B. __________________________________________ ranges from______________________

_______________ to___________________________________________________________

C. I can demonstrate my _________________________ability by ________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

D. __________________________________________enhances__________________________

______________________________________________________________________________