No Boring Practice, Please!

Vocabulary Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Reproducible Practice Pages PLUS Easy-to-Score Quizzes

That Boost Kids Word Power and Comprehension

by Harold Jarnicki

New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney

New Delhi Mexico City Hong Kong Buenos Aires
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other
part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover by Jaime Lucero

Cover illustrations Mike Moran
Interior design by NEO Grafika
Illustrations by Kelly Kennedy

ISBN 0-439-53148-9
Copyright 2005 by Harold Jarnicki
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 WOW! Palindromes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
What an Oxymoron! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

What Is Vocabulary? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Thesaurus Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lets Get Retro! Eponym and
Palindrome Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Thesaurus Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Quickie Quiz: Eponyms,
Presto! The Prefix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Palindromes, Oxymoron . . . . . . . . . . 30
Negative Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sound Out Homophones . . . . . . . . . 31
Positively Negative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Home in on Homographs . . . . . . . . . 33
Extraordinary Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Commonly Confused Words . . . . . . . 34
Ultra-Cool X-Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Put It in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Lets Get Retro! Prefix Review . . . . . . 14 Quickie Quiz: Homophones,
Quickie Quiz: Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Homographs, and More . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Suffix Rocks! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Synonym/Antonym
Suffix Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Analogy Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
X-Word-Ology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Relationship
Analogy Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Be a Suffix Sleuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Part of Analogy Adventure . . . 41
Lets Get Retro! Suffix Review . . . . . 22
Quickie Quiz: Analogies . . . . . . . . . . 43
Quickie Quiz: Suffixes . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Eponyms: Its All in the Name! . . . . . . 25 Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
 I ntroduction
I magine a classroom where students do not slump in their
seats every time you announce its time for vocabulary;
where vocabulary lessons and practice bring exciting
opportunities along with a couple of laughs and a little competition;

1
where students get emotionally involved in the fundamentals of
I N I - B Y T E and improvement is proudly displayed by students and
M vocabulary,
recognized by teachers and parents.
M I N I - B Y T E2
You might think such a classroom is merely a figment of my
MIN I - B Y T E3or a fantasy of some ambitiously naive first-year
imagination
education grad. I can boldly claim that such is not the case. I have
M I Nbeen T E4
I-BY teaching for about 20 years and, with the help of some games, a
few jokes, and other gimmicks, have witnessed students get excited
M I N I - B Y T E5
about vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and more.

The No Boring Practice, Please! series is an extension of my

classroom and one humble step toward helping kids do what comes
naturally learn. If youre ready to add spice to your vocabulary
lessons, then this book is for you.

Carefully structured as a good basic course of study, the recipe

for each lesson is simple. No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
dishes up straight vocabulary practice with a dash (or splash)
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

of fun. Inside youll find a concoction of reproducible pages

that cover prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, analogies,
homophones, and more. Flavored with engaging illustrations
and an edgy design, each practice page is easy for kids to
swallow. Best of all, you can serve these pages with only a
minimal amount of teacher instruction.

4 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Each unit opens with a brief, simple explanation of a key concept in
easy-to-understand language. Students are then challenged to apply
what they are learning through practice pages. Next comes a review,
followed by a quick and easy-to-score quiz. Occasionally, you may
want to add an extra exercise or practice test depending on students
progress, but the units are designed to stand on their own.

You may wonder what inspired me to write this bookand the rest
of the No Boring Practice, Please! series. Let me start at the beginning.
As a baby boomers hyperactive kid, I wasnt a huge fan of school.
Sitting at a desk most of the day was tough enough. Add a generous
helping of dry vocabulary practice and my eyes would glaze over, roll
back in my head, and send me into a near comatose state where
hands on clocks ceased to move.

Years passed. After a less-than-stellar career in rock n roll, I

decided the teaching profession was a more lucrative gig. I had two
specific goals: (1) to become the teacher I never had; and (2) to add
a little rock n roll to the school system.

Like it or not, we are teaching a new breed of childrenone that

watches more than four hours of values-distorting TV each day,
plays mindless video games on a regular basis, and gobbles up
entertainment far more than nutriment. We welcome these media-
savvy kids into our classrooms and expect them to get excited about
root words, homophones, and analogies. Lets get real!

This is what drives the No Boring Practice, Please! series. The series
is academically sound and rich in language-skill development, but all
this learning is disguised by a hip design and comical illustrations that
have lots of kid appeal. Think of the series as whole-grain oats
packaged in a box of tutti-frutti breakfast cereal.

I know that students can get excited about doing well in

Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

vocabulary, and I feel gratified to be part of the process. I hope

the No Boring Practice, Please! series helps teach and inspire.

May the force be with you.

Sincerely,
Harold Jarnicki

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 5

 Name ___________________________________________

W hat Is Vocabulary?
M I N I- B Y T E

All the words you know make up your vocabulary. The bigger
your vocabulary, the more words you know and the more fun
Words are you can have speaking, reading, and writing!
powerful!
hands
an
d
1

Check out this bodacious activity. Wow your friends with your titanic vocabulary!
Theyll think your brain is absolutely colossal. We guarantee they will be astonished

bles
! !
by your extreme intelligence.
- astonishto amaze
syl -la bodaciousremarkable

titanichaving extraordinary power or size

S u p e r ei d
massively large extremegreat
Kcolossal

C h a ll e n g
List four of your favorite words and write each words meaning.
Then use the word in a sentence that helps express the words meaning.

Favorite Word 1: ________________________ Meaning: __________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________________________________________

Favorite Word 2: ________________________ Meaning: __________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________________________________________
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Favorite Word 3: ________________________ Meaning: __________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________________________________________

Favorite Word 4: ________________________ Meaning: __________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________________________________________
6 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Name ___________________________________________
ur han
yo ds
a p an
Cl d
Thesaurus Power Thesaurus? Is that some
kind of extinct reptile?
NI-BYTE

A thesaurus is a book of synonyms and antonyms.

Synonyms
-le are words that
ce

Antonyms l e
-brare words-bwiths! mean the same thing.
opposite meanings.
!
at l -la
e sy
nd
1

Synonym sample: colossal, massive, huge

Antonym sample: hot and cold

! S u p e r K i d
A thesaurus can help make your writing more interesting, attention-grabbing, and powerful.
With a thesaurus you can take an ordinary word and PRESTO! CHANGE-O! make it more exciting.
s!
llenge
Cha
Take this simple sentence: Guido ran down the street after his dog.
Open a thesaurus and the sentence can change to:
Guido darted down the street after his dog.
Guido dashed down the street after his dog.

S u p e r Kgei d
Guido zoomed down the street after his dog.

Challen
Replace the underlined word with Ha! Ha! FUNNY Word Search
a powerful, attention-grabbing Find six synonyms for the word funny
word from the thesaurus. Make and list them below.
sure the word fits the sentence.
L X L J V M L S W
bellowed
K G H G R A S U A
Example: Lets go! shouted Coach Beefy.
L F C N C L U O C
It is a nice day. L T F I Y K O I K
N C M S D V R R Y
We had a delicious meal. Q O R U K M O A K
That is a big building. C T Z M Q M M L L
Q R P A V K U I D
Mrs. Jovial is always so happy. Z A N Y R Z H H R
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The stage lights are bright.

Bozo was angry when he fell in the mud. A __________________________________

Eating breakfast makes me feel strong. C __________________________________

Wow, that was a nice try! H __________________________________

What is your plan, Secret Agent Map? H __________________________________

Professor Obtuse is very smart. W __________________________________

Z __________________________________
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 7
 Name ___________________________________________ Me ready
to hunt

Thesaurus
thesaurus!
Use a thesaurus to find a
synonym for each clue below.

1
T
2 3 4
S C T

5
G
6 7 8 9 10
A M P A E I
11
M
12
W
13
T F X
14
B

15 16 17
S W S
X
18 19 20
B A
21
Q
22 23
V T
24
B U P
25
D

26
R

Across Down
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2. Run 19. Cute So, when

1. Win 11. Most
does the
3. Grab 21. Calm 2. Fly 15. Leave
fun start?
7. Accident 22. Food 3. Eat 18. Mistake
8. Love 24. Deceive 4. Storm 19. Get
12. Melt 25. Dedicated 5. Beautiful 20. Swallow
13. So 26. Shake 6. Amazing 23. Annoy
14. Jump 8. Then
16. Skinny 9. Delight (in)
17. Roomy 10. Smart

8 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Presto! The Pref ix

To help pronounce a word, we sometimes divide the word into syl-la-bles.
To understand what a word means, we can divide the word into its parts.

Many words are made up of different parts. For instance. . .

Root: the main part of a word
Prefix: a part added to the beginning Add a prefix and
PRESTO! You have
of a root word to change its meaning a new word!!

Example: recount
The root word is count. The prefix re- means again.
So, recount means to count again.

M at ch Match each prefix with a root word. Then match the new word
al U p!
with its meaning and write it on the chart. Follow the example.

al l
Prefix Root Prefix + Root = Meaning New Word
Sm arsub-t view underwater 1. submarine
re- es
Su ff ix scope see before 2.
mini- pact the most 3.

s i t i v l ymicro- marine used to see very small objects 4.

gatives !
maxi- mum see again 5.
anti- view substance that prevents freezing 6.
Tr y
com- freeze packed tightly
th is !
7.
em UP pre- mum least amount 8.
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Use The Words!

Useo
ph o ne Z n eof the new words from the chart to complete these sentences.
ne
some

The ____________________ speed on that road is 30 miles per hour.

bl e
ce s The
Dr. Frankenstone looked into her ____________________ to see the tiny cell.
le
Ch al ngIlle ____________________ my notes so I can ace the test!
I think
We got to ____________________ the movie before everyone else.
og
re me An al
re y ____________________ in your radiator will help save your car in winter.
Putting
ro ov at ho n! No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 9
 Name ___________________________________________

Negative Prefixes
x changes
A negative prefi
Is it really so
g to the
unbelievable that a words meanin
t it was.
Im so undecided? opposite of wha

Here are the basic meanings of some negative prefixes.

M I N I - B Y 1
TE
E2
un- : not; opposite of
in- : not Learning to use

I - B Y T
MIN
de- : remove; do the opposite of negative prefixes can
dis- : do the opposite of; not have a positive effect
on your grammar!
non- : not; without

I N I - B Y TE
An Un-Positive Chart
Choose a negative prefix from the list above. Add it to each word to make
M
T
a new word. Write the new word next to its matching definition.

WORD TO NEW WORDS M I N I - B Y

PREFIX CHANGE NEW NEGATIVE WORD
MEANING
decided not decided 1.
I N I - B Y T
M
undecided
acceptable not acceptable 2.
believable not believable 3.
visible not visible 4.
complete not complete 5.
sensitive not sensitive 6.
active not active 7.
activated not activated 8.
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caffeinated not caffeinated 9.

advantage not an advantage 10.
able not able 11.
agree not agree 12.
alcoholic not alcoholic 13.
perishable not perishable 14.
smoker not a smoker 15.
10 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Name ___________________________________________

Positively Negative
Fill in the blanks with words from the box. Note: All words begin with negative prefixes.

M I NI -B YT 1
M I N I - B YT 2
M I NI -B Y T 3
M I NI -B Y T 4
MINI-BYT

BOX
THE

deactivate inactive nonsmoker

insensitive
decaffeinated invisible
shable
disagreed nonperi undecided
E
E
E
E
E

unbelievable incomplete unacceptable

5

MINI-B
A box of Uncle Cheeseys Noodle Magic lasts forever. It is a ______________________ food item.
My brother said I was ______________________ because I made the dog sit in the rain.
M I NI-
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We had a huge argument. Everyone ______________________ with me.

MINI
______________________ the engines before we hit the force field! shouted Captain Picknot.
Im the only one who can see my ______________________ friend.
Mom seems less grumpy when she drinks ______________________ coffee. Just because I use

MINI
negative prefixes a lot
My dad doesnt cough so much since he became a ______________________. doesnt mean Im a
negative person!
Your story is ______________________. All you wrote was the title!

MIN
If you remain ______________________, you will become a major blob!
Dr. Dobey stated.

Standing on your head and barking like a dog is ______________________

behavior at school.

B O N U S : Write two sentences using the leftover words.

1. _______________________________________________________________________________ .

2. _______________________________________________________________________________ .
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 11
 Name ___________________________________________

Ex traordinary Pref ixes

m e prefixes are super-fun to use! They
So
to ordinary words!
add special meaning

Match
U p! Use a dictionary to match each Extraordinary Prefix with its meaning.

l Write the correct letter on the blank before each prefix.

Extraordinary
Meanings
r t 1. uni-
S m a_______
Prefixes

ix e s2. mega-
S u ff _______
a. more than usual or way too much; sometimes used
as a word that means overactive
b. distant; far off

_______ 3. techno- c. a tremendous amount of; even more than enough

tivly
s!
t i v e _______
_______ 4. inter- d. between or among

5. ultra- e. extremely small; a billionth part

T ry _______ 6. trans- f. very large; sometimes used on its own

th is7.!omni-
m U P _______ g. one or single

_______ 8. auto- h. all

one Zone
Im getting ultra-hyper
_______ 9. tele- i. across; beyond just thinking about
mega-cool prefixes!
_______ 10. extra- j. half or partly

The
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_______ 11. bio- k. back, behind, or backward; sometimes used

s
le ng12.esemi-
as a word that means from the past
Ch al_______ l. use of skill and machines; sometimes used as a
word to describe a type of modern dance music
_______ 13. nano- m. self
og y14. retro-
e An al_______ n. outside; beyond
ov at ho n!
_______ 15. hyper- o. life

12 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Dont be fooled!
This mega-crossword
is super-easy!

This is
extra-cranial!
Across Down
1. From outside Earth (terrestrial 2. Technology to communicate from
means from Earth) a distance
5. A billionth of a second 3. Super modern
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

6. Happens by itself 4. Examine a past event

11. Condition of extending too far 7. Among nations
12. Across the Atlantic 8. Half a circle
14. Organism that eats all things 9. Practical application of knowledge,
(plant and animal) as in the use of machines
15. Life story 10. A very large amount, as of medicine
13. To make one by combining two
or more

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 13

 Name ___________________________________________
Lets take a blast
into the past!

Lets Get Retro!

Prefix Review
A Whats Your Prefix-ability?
A.
Circle the correct meaning for each of these prefixes.

1. uni- a. extremely small b. all c. one or single d. half or partly

2. re- a. single or alone b. most c. man d. again
3. trans- a. before b. very c. across d. least
4. dis- a. single b. not c. self d. bad
5. in- a. in b. very c. not d. least
6. anti- a. single or alone b. out c. against d. not
7. omni- a. in b. all c. under d. with
8. sub- a. under b. over c. less d. not
9. bio- a. life b. between c. single or alone d. very large
10. micro- a. half b. small c. all d. bad

B Pre-fix It!
A. Choose a prefix from the Prefix Box to complete each sentence.
Use each prefix only once.
Prefix
Box in- tele- un- nano- inter-
com- retro- re- omni- auto-

Many people are ___________ vorousthey eat meat and plant products.
M I N I - B Y T E 1 The magicians trick was ___________ believable.

M I N I - B Y T E2 Ill be there in a ___________ second.

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M I N I - B Y T E3 When Im ___________ active, my muscles get tired and stiff.

M I N I - B Y T E 4 I would like to get Derek Jeters ___________ graph for my collection.

MINI-BYTE 5 In ___________ spect, I think I would have done things differently.

___________ pressing that garbage helps get a lot into the truck.
Mom wants to ___________ decorate our home.
We will take an ___________ galactic journey from the Milky Way to Andromeda.
Our ___________ communications system connected us with Antarctica.
14 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Prefix Review Continued

C Whats It Mean? Write the words with prefixes from section B after its definition.
Between galaxies: _______________________________
A persons handwritten signature: _______________________________
Eating everything: _______________________________
A billionth of a second: _______________________________
Looking back: _______________________________
Pressing together: _______________________________
Not active: _______________________________
Communication from far away: _______________________________
Design again: _______________________________
Not believable: _______________________________

D Find It! Circle the prefix in each sentence. Write the prefix next to its definition
in the Box of Meanings. Follow the example.

1. I was so nervous I hyperventilated.

2. One of my extracurricular activities is working at the zoo.
3. The computer worked much faster with the new microchip.
4. We saw some amazing ultramodern inventions at the science center.
5. Some snakes are semiaquatic because they live near water as well as in it.
6. A megaphone can make a whisper sound very loud.
7. When I write my autobiography everyone will learn about my life.
8. The firefighter deactivated the alarm.
Box of Meanings

Prefix before Meaning

half or partly
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hyper more than usual or way too much

self

a tremendous amount, possibly more than enough

very large
outside; beyond

remove

incredibly small

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 15

 Name: _______________________________________
Prefixes
_

A Multiple Choice:
A. Circle the best meaning for each prefix. Score: ___________
/30

1. dis- a. half b. small c. all d. not

2. semi- a. opposite b. tremendous amount c. across d. half or partly
3. micro- a. least b. very large c. very small d. solo
4. auto- a. least b. first c. again d. self
5. pre- a. before b. against c. across d. after
6. anti- a. extremely small b. all c. against d. self
7. extra- a. in b. outside c. under d. with
8. mega- a. modern b. very large c. incredibly small d. again
9. bio- a. scientific b. self c. life d. new
10. com- a. before b. together c. very large d. modern

S core: /40
S core:
___________

B Match
A. C Identify
Match each definition Write the prefix that goes with each definition.
with its prefix.
___________
/30
way too much (could be used with active):
1. between, among ____ a. nano- ______________
2. all ____ b. un-
before (used with view): ______________
3. extremely small ____ c. inter-
a tremendous amount, possibly more than enough
4. again ____ d. omni-
(used with modern): ______________
5. most ____ e. sub-
one or single (used before verse): ______________
6. distant ____ f. retro-
go back (used with active): ______________
7. not ____ g. maxi-
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

not (used with appear): _______________

8. under ____ h. mono-
not (used with complete): ______________
9. back ____ i. tele-
distant (used with communications): ______________
10. single or alone ____ j. re-
small (used with van): ______________
removed (used with caffeinated): ______________
Thats it!
You did it!

16 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Mfaix
Suf h
t cRocks!
Total Up!
Reca
Youlllearned that a . . .
Root: is the main part of a word
Prefix: is a part added to the beginning of a root word to change its meaning

Now, get S m a rtotmeet the Suffix!

ready

S u ff ix e s
A suffix is a part added to the end of a root word to change its meaning.

For exa mple . . .

Add the suffix -able (which means capable of or fit for)
to turn fit for comfort into comfortable. Sweetness!

P o si t i v l y
Your turn:

N e g a t i v e s !
Fit to convert = convert + ible = _________________________
Capable of preventing = prevent + able = _________________________

Try
Some easy suffixes and their meanings: -ful = full of

F i lOnel who e m U
-er = one who does or makes
P t h is ! One who is full of hope is feeling hope______.
plays is a play______. -less = without
-ly = having the appearance of; happening in One who is without hope is feeling hope______.
a regular manner

e Zone
-ness = having the quality of
o nhour______.
p herupts
H o mTheogeyser
He is man______.
He is filled with much sad______.

Fix-able
Sentences
The
Add an easy suffix to each underlined root to complete each sentence.

enge
C h a l l Example:
Watch Out: When adding -er to a word that ends in e, just add an -r.
race racer
If someone is
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

1. When I look in the mirror, I see a person of great______.

full of air, is he

Ex tr em e A na lo3.gI y
airful? 2. I am a fear______ hero, afraid of nothing.

Gr o o v at ho n! can be very friend______, if you dont bother me.

4. In my bedroom, I am the worlds best dance______.
5. Showing kind______ actually feels good!
6. I can be quite forget______ when it comes to my homework.
7. I am a fast talk______, but Im also a faster run______.

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 17

 Name ___________________________________________

actions
Suffix Math Suffixes can turn
and ideas into n
ouns.

Vocabu-Math. . . It All Adds Up!

Some suffixes have their own meanings.
Add a suffix to a word and it can go from being an action or
an idea to a thing.

Get this:
-dom = fact or state of being
State or condition of being free = free + dom = freedom

-dom = condition or special ranking

Condition of being wise = wise + dom = _____________________
(drop the e before adding dom)

Do the
M a t h ! -hood = condition or way of being
Group of women sharing a common goal: sister + hood = ___________________
Community of neighbors: neighbor + hood = ___________________

-ship = condition, state, or quality

Perfection ! State of belonging to a particular group: member + ship = ___________________
Condition of being a citizen: citizen + ship = ___________________

-logy = area of study and research

Study of life forms: bio + logy = ___________________
Study of how people behave in groups: socio + logy = ___________________
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-ian or -an = belonging to or being involved with

Person from Brazil: Brazil + ian = ___________________
Person from America: America + an = ___________________ (Drop an a)

- tion or -sion = action or process (sometimes -tion is -ation or -cation)

Process of multiplying: multiply + cation = ___________________ (Change y to i)
Act of instituting: institute + tion = ___________________ (Drop the te)

18 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Suffix Math Continued

-ist = someone who practices a particular skill or a doer or believer

One who plays percussion instruments: percussion + ist = ___________________
One who does something very special: special + ist = ___________________

-age = a collection, group of, or place for

A place for orphans: orphan + age = ___________________
A collection of stamps: post + age = ___________________

Match
tal Up!
call
Smart Add a Smart Suffix to each root word to complete the

Suffixes sentences. Choose a suffix from the box below.

ositivly !
egatives
Im a specialist
in suffixology!
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Try
!
l e m U P this
Suffix Box -ian -an -hood
-logy -ship -hood -age
ne
m o p h o n e Z o-dom -ist -ist -tion

-a b l e
tences
T heOnlyesurfers get member__________ into that club.
g
C h a l le n g
The reception__________ told me to wait outside.
Study psycho__________ to learn how people think.
gy
x t r e m e A n a l o! We all work together so we formed a brother__________.
G r o o v a t h o n My bedroom is my king______.
With a little talent, I could be a wicked guitar__________.
An Afric__________ elephant is bigger than an Ind__________ elephant.

My inven__________ is sure to change the world.

Peer__________ is a collection of peers.

Hawaii was granted state__________ in 1959.

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 19

 Name ___________________________________________

1 2 3 4
S
-ology 5 6
A G
7

D I
I
8
A T I N
R
9
L E T
O S
O

Attention! Its
time for some
1 2 3 concentration!
4
Across Down
3. Describes how a snail moves 1. The state of being friends 5

5. A place to pass through 2. A piano player (drop the o)

6
8. Two or more things combined 3. Having the quality of being soft
9. Without a home 4. Something that is terrific
6. The condition of being an adult
7. Suitable for eating (tricky spelling)
7

9
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Quickie Unscramble
Somebody who doesnt eat meat: Study of rocks and minerals:
ieenagtarv eyoglog

20 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________ Hey, are you
looking at me?

Be a Suff ix Sleu t h
ce!
, you came to the rig ht pla
If youre looking for trouble
Some suffixes can be prett
y sneaky.
To break their code, concen
tration is key.

Now lets track down some of the most wanted suffixes.

Use the Sneaky Suffix Definitions to help you solve the crossword.

Definitions
Sneaky Suffix
ify = to make or cause to
ous = full of become ability or ibility = ability to

ity = a condition or thing ize = to cause to be or to mak

e ic = relating to

ile = relating to or being oid = seeming or looking like ette = little or female
capable of

Across
1 2 3
1. To make capital (as in a letter)
4. To make beautiful 4 5

11. Relating to an allergy 6

13. Condition of what is real
14. To make more special 7 8 9 10 11

or specific
16. To make by means of
a computer 12

17. Ability to be flexible 13 14

19. Condition of being elastic
21. Condition of being mobile
23. Relating to poetry 15 16
25. Seeming like an ape

Down 17 18
2. Electric power
3. Female usher
19

5. Full of adventure
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

6. Thing that can be projected 20

7. Full of glory
8. Relating to an infant
9. Cause to form crystals 21 22 23 24

10. To make intense

12. Small kitchen
15. State of being active
25

18. Full of thunder

20. Relating to history; having
importance in history
22. Seeming like an oval
24. State of being odd
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 21
 Name ___________________________________________ Hey there!

Lets Get Retro! Lets play

it again!

Suff ix Review
A Circle It:
A. Circle the suffix in each of these words.

fearless electricity anthropoid psychology neighborhood

guitarist allergic crystallize invasion African

B Vocabu-Math: history + ic =
A. ______________________________________
Combine each root
with its suffix to mobile + ity = ______________________________________
create a new word.
India + an = ______________________________________
intense + ify = ______________________________________
adventure + ous = ______________________________________

C Re-shuffle:
A. Unscramble the word parts to create new words. Write the words in the
Correct-O column. Then circle each suffix.

Shuffle Word Parts Correct-O

ib ility flex 1.
iend fr ly 2.
ng dom ki 3.
hood chi ld 4.
thun ous der 5.
get ful for 6.

D Fill in the Blanks:

A.
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Use the words from the Correct-O column to complete these sentences.

The audience gave Rock Bohunk a _______________ ovation.

Sorry I missed your birthday. Im a bit _______________ .
I thought that three-headed monster was _______________, but he chased me around the block.
That acrobat has incredible _______________.
My _______________ should be called a queendom, announced Queen Gasserella.
Grandpa nodded and said, Yep, in my _______________ I used to eat nails for breakfast.
22 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Suffix Review Continued
1 2 3 4

E Supersonic Crossword
A. 5

Across Down
6. Process of multiplying 1. Condition of being a 8
7. The quality of being good member
8. One who dances 2. State of being friends
9. Belonging to or relating 3. One who talks 9
to Italy 4. One who runs
5. The quality of being kind

F Suspicious Suffixes:
A. Match each root word with a suffix. Then match the word to its
meaning. Write the code for your answer in the Code Repository. We did the first one for you.

Root Suffix Meaning

Word
1. usher A. -ile I. Office worker who meets visitors and answers the phone
2. computer B. -ful II. To make functional with a computer
3. reception C. -ize III. An association of boys or men
4. brother D. -less IV. Like a baby
5. great E. -ist V. The action of breaking
6. real F. -age VI. A female who escorts people to their seats at a show
7. break G. -ness VII. Showing no fear
8. fear H. -hood VIII. State of being real or factual
9. infant I. -ity IX. Quiet; peaceful
10. rest J. -ette X. Abundance; power
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Pssst
its me again.

Code 3. 7.
Repository 4. 8.

J. VI
1
1. 5. 9.
MINI-BYTE

M I N I - B Y T E2
2. 6. 10.
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 23
 Name: _______________________________________
Suff ixes
A Multiple Choice:
A. Score: ___________
/50
Circle the best meaning for each suffix.

1. -ette a. little b. female c. large d. a and b

2. -oid a. cause to be b. seeming like c. full of d. without

3. -ify a. related to b. cause to become c. one who does d. area of study

4. -ist a. process or action b. condition or special rank c. one who practices or does d. belonging to

5. -logy a. area of study b. full of c. without d. condition

6. -an a. female b. a collection c. belonging to (from) d. all of these

or -ian

7. -ous a. ability to b. cause to become c. one who does d. full of

8. -age a. collection, group b. small c. seeming like d. process or action

9. -less a. imitation b. full of c. without d. small

10. -tion a. special rank b. process or action c. area of study d. without

or -sion

B Apply the Suffix:

A. Score: ___________
/50
Add a suffix to the italicized word to fill in the blank correctly.

When you show courage, you are ___________________. So what are you
looking at?
If you are good at poetry, you are ___________________. Bust this thing!

If you can concentrate for a long time, you have

good ___________________.

If you are from Mexico, you are ___________________.

Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Something shaped like an oval can be described as ___________________.

When you lack fear, you are ___________________.
A person who studies biology is called a ___________________.
When you ___________________ something, you give it beauty.
Things that are elastic have ___________________.
When you make things more intense, you ___________________ them.

24 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Whose name
is it anyway?
Eponyms:
Its All in the Name!
An eponym is a word that came from a persons name.

Eponym Word Chart

1. Graham cracker: Sylvester Graham baked up the first batch of these tasty
crackers in the early 1800s. He called them a health food.
2. Caesar salad: Caesar Cardini threw together this snappy salad in Tijuana,
Mexico, back in 1924.
3. Diesel: Although it still needed a lot of tinkering, the first diesel engine was
invented in the late 1800s by Rudolph Diesel.
4. Derby: In 1780 Edward Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby, sponsored a race. Soon
his name was used to mean a premier horse race. Think Kentucky Derby.
5. Frisbee: In the 1920s Joseph Frisbie made pies near Yale University. Often,
students would buy his pies and keep the plates to throw to each other.
Soon the Frisbee as we know it today was invented.
6. Guillotine: Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (17381814) did not invent the guillotine.
He was just trying to suggest a more humane way to behead prisoners.
7. Jacuzzi: Candido Jacuzzi created a system of underwater jets in a bathtub to
give his ailing son hydrotherapy (water massage) at home.
8. Leotard: This form-fitting one-piece elastic garment got its name from French
trapeze artist Jules Lotard in the mid-1800s.
9. Levis: In 1872, tailor and businessman Levi Strauss made overalls and pants for
miners out of canvas because the material was so strong and durable.
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

10. Maverick: Samuel Maverick was a Texas cattle owner who did not like to brand
his cattle or keep them cooped up. This was different from what others were
doing but he didnt care what others thought of him.
11. Melba toast: Late 19th-century opera singer Dame Nellie Melba got very sick.
Part of her get-well diet included very dry, crisp, thinly sliced toast.
12. Mesmerize: Franz Anton Mesmer, a German doctor, tried to cure sick people
through their unconscious mind. He called his hypnosis technique mesmerism.

(continued)

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 25

 Eponyms Continued

13. Pasteurize: Louis Pasteur, a French chemist in the 19th century, discovered a
process of using heat to destroy harmful germs in perishable foods without
hurting the food (such as milk).
14. Sandwich: As the story goes, sandwiches became popular when John Montagu,
4th Earl of Sandwich, took a bite of one. This 18th-century royal chap
supposedly ate sandwiches while working and playing.
15. Sideburns: This face fuzz was originally named after Civil War General Ambrose
Everett Burnside.
16. Tupperware: Developed by Earl Tupper in 1945, these popular plastic containers
keep food fresh.

Eponym Hint: Youll find all the answers in the Eponym Word Chart.
1 2 3

Eponym 1 2 3
4 5

6 7 84 5

6 7 8

9 10
9 10

11 11

12 13
12 13

14

14
15

16

15
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

16

Across Down
1. Beheading device 2. Jules wore this as he flew through the air
4. Premier horse race with the greatest of ease
9. Brand of jeans 3. Originally considered a healthy food choice
10. Cardinis vegetable mix 5. The Royal Earl ate it on the run
13. A system of underwater jets in a bathtub 6. The opera singers cure
14. Rudolph invented this engine in the late 1800s 7. You may be this, if you go your own way
15. Earls container helps keep food fresh 8. Louis did this to kill germs
16. A TV show might do this to you 11. Facial hair named after a Civil War general
12. A flying pie plate

26 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________
A palindrome is a word
that reads the same
WOW! Palindromes! forward or backward.

Po p t h e
Pa l i n d r o m e s Unscramble these palindromes.

bbi 1. add 5. edde 9.

ott 2. wwo 6. omm 10.

epep 3. otot 7. obb 11.

udd 4. oonn 8. vee 12.

Pick a Come up with three of your own palindromes.

Pa l i n d r o m e :

Palindrome
Search for 18 palindromes below. As you find them in the

Finder
Word Search, check them off at the bottom of the page.

C L R R T W K Y G R L T S
S A G A S W R A D M E D T
C R S Z R N L E Y N T R A
X L E O V Y I N E A E L T
R T M V L F V T G F K T S
V A F M I O P L E M L L R
R T D E M V S R A L L N E
O C D A K X E D M L E J D
T I H B R R A R T D V L D
A V C L O M W Q L F E P E
T I M T D E W E D R L T R
O C O R A C E C A R W Q G
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

R R R N R E P A P E R P F

civic: to do with community redder: more red repaper: to paper again

racecar: car for racing sagas: many adventure stories stats: numbers representing data
rotator: something that spins kayak: Inuit canoe madam: formal term for a lady
deified: idolized or adored refer: to pass on information reviver: one who refreshes
radar: detection device solos: more than one solo tenet: a rule or theory
rotor: spinning device level: flat or balanced dewed: sprinkled lightly with water

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 27

 Name ___________________________________________
a
An oxymoron is
What an Oxymoron! combination of rds.
contradictory w
o
M a tch
Total
Get this: Check !out these oxymoron examples.
Up
c a l l mil k Ifhow
R eEvaporated the milk is evaporated,
can it still be there?
Front end Whats that? The front or the end?

Smart
s
Suffixe

s i t i v ly
Po
a t i v e s!
Neg
Try
P t !
ssentence
h ioxymoron
U
Each has half an oxymoron. Find the other half of

Fill em
the in the Oxymoron Ice Oven. Use each word once.

1. Fred was a paid __________________ at our charity dance.

n e Z e
o n__________________
h o
2. Your loud was heard across the room.
Homop 3. How can you be wearing baggy __________________?
4. Nevere
Fix-able T h __________________! Matilda yelled as she bungeed off the bridge.

Sentenc
e s 5. hAta199
C lle n g eSugar Pop Wheeler is a light __________________.
pounds,
6. Id say you had even __________________ of winning.
7. Wrap up g
A n a l o y bread tightly or it will get freezer __________________.
that
e
E x t r e m v8.aIstthat ! __________________ too big for you to eat?
r o o h o njumbo
G
9. Everyone knows about that. Thats old __________________.
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

10. That magician is a real __________________.

tights news
As you can see, odds again
an oxymoron
can be clearly O x y mo r o n heavyweight volunteer

Ice Oven
confusing.
burn shrimp
phony whisper
28 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Name ___________________________________________

Lets Get Retro!

Eponym and Palindrome Review
An eponym is a word that ___________________________________________________.
A palindrome is a word that _________________________________________________.

I D, Please!
Identify each of the following as an
eponym (E) or a palindrome (P).
Do It Your Way!
Write five palindromes.
______ 1. rotor ______ 6. levis
1. ________________________________
______ 2. tenet ______ 7. kayak
2. ________________________________
______ 3. frisbee ______ 8. jacuzzi
3. ________________________________
______ 4. deified ______ 9. leotard
4. ________________________________
______ 5. diesel ______ 10. solos
5. ________________________________

Whos What? Beside each persons name, identify the eponym he or she helped create.

1. Edward Stanley __________________________________________

2. Dame Nellie Melba __________________________________________ I remember eponyms
and palindromes
3. Louis Pasteur __________________________________________ very clearly now.

4. John Montagu __________________________________________

5. Gen. A.E. Burnside __________________________________________
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

6. Earl Tupper __________________________________________

7. Franz Mesmer __________________________________________
8. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin __________________________________________
9. Sylvester Graham __________________________________________
10. Caesar Cardini __________________________________________

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 29

 Name: _______________________________________
Eponyms, Palindromes, Oxymoron
S core: ___________
/30
A Definitions:
A. Write a definition for each term.

Eponym: _____________________________________________________________________ .

Palindrome: __________________________________________________________________ .

Oxymoron: ___________________________________________________________________ .

S core:
S core: ___________
/20
C Write
B Multiple Choice
A. a Pa lindrome
___________
/20
Is the entry an eponym, palindrome, or oxymoron? Write five palindromes that
Check the appropriate column. do not appear on this test.

ENTRY
ENTRY EPONYM PALI NDROME OXYMORON _____________________________
1. kayak
_____________________________
2. frisbee

3. graham cracker _____________________________

4. neat mess _____________________________

5. jumbo shrimp
_____________________________
6. freezer burn

7. repaper Okay, lets

get it on!
8. diesel

9. sandwich

10. mesmerize

D Eponym or Oxymoron
A. S core: ___________
/30
Write the most suitable EPONYM or OXYMORON in the blank.

She is a _________________________ because she does what she thinks is best.

Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

We _________________________ milk so it lasts longer.

The acrobat is wearing a purple _________________________.
When the principal entered the room, there was a deafening _________________________.
Im starting to get a numb _________________________ in my leg.
Ugh! This ice cream has freezer _________________________.

30 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Sound Out Homophones

Where do I
wear this?

words that
Homophones are but have
,
sound the same
s and meanings.
different spelling

1
You wont get bored when youre on board.

E
Be off to the Homophone Zone and become a Homophone Master!

M I Nrect
Fi l l in the blank with the cor I-BY T
homophone.

Level 1: The Start-O-Sphere

M I N I - B Y T E2

M I N I - B Y T E3
1. (bare, bear) That ________________ is ________________. He has no hair!

2. (ate, eight) I ________________ ________________ donuts.

MINI-BYTE4
3. (paws, pause) Perhaps I should ________________ to look at my dogs ________________.

4. (past, passed) In the ________________, stories were ________________ by word of mouth.

M I N I - B Y T E5
5. (tail, tale) Grandpa told us a ________________ about the monkey with the longest ________________.

6. (threw, through) Johnny ________________ the ball ________________ the window.

7. (there, theyre) I said, ________________ in ________________!

8. (worn, warn) I should ________________ you that your tires are ________________ out.

Level 2: The Not-Bad-O-Sphere

1. (write, right) Ill ________________ with my ________________ hand. You can use your left.

2. (so, sew) Dad asked, ________________, do you want to learn how to ________________?
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

3. (inn, in) Come ________________ to the ________________ and stay a while.

4. (Sunday, sundae) Its ________________; lets have an ice cream ________________!

5. (steal, steel) Stop! Dont ________________ the ________________!

6. (karat, carrot) Wed be rich if that ________________ was twenty-four ________________ gold!

7. (break, brake) Use the bikes ________________ or you will ________________ something.

8. (serial, cereal) I watch a TV ________________ while I eat my ________________.

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 31

 Sound Out Homophones Continued Do you hear any
difference in some of
the words here?

Level 3: The Sweet-O-Sphere

1. (are, our, hour) ________________ time has come. The magic ________________ is here.
2. (missed, mist) I could not see you in the ________________, so I ________________ you.

3. (your, youre) Mom said, ________________ not going out until ________________ work is done.

4. (whether, weather) ________________ the ________________ is good or not, were going.

5. (hole, whole) How do you know if thats a ________________ ________________ or just part of one?

6. (rowed, rode, road) Winky ________________ on the ________________ while Dinky

________________ the boat.

7. (scent, cent, sent) I spent every ________________ you ________________ as soon as I

smelled that ________________.

8. (bye, by, buy) Ill come ________________ later to ________________ some cake.

________________, see you then!

Level 4: The Wow-O-Sphere

1. (do, dew, due) _________ you know that the morning _________ is _________ right about now?
2. (too, to, two) You _________ can come _________ see me in my tutu, _________.

3. (knot, naught, not) That is ________________ the way to tie a ________________ in this contest,

so your score is ________________.

4. (there, their, theyre) Look at _________ house over _________. Thats where _________ staying.

5. (pear, pair, pare) Please ________________ the ________________. Do that twice and you will

have a ________________.

6. (towed, toad; toe, tow) Wow, that giant ________________ ________________ the ________________
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

truck with its ________________!

7. (herd, heard; hear, here) I ________________ the ________________ of elephants and now I

________________ you ________________, too.

8. (knows, nose; blew, blue; gnu, new, knew) I ________________ that a ________________

________________ ________________ his ________________ ________________ when he

________________ he should. (more than one correct answer)

32 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Home in on Homographs Look at

my bass.
Look at
my bass.
spelled
Homographs are words that are
anings
the same but have different me
and pronunciations.

1 MINI-BYTE

M I N I - B Y1T E 2
Homographs MINI-BY 2T E3 Each
1
MINI-BYTE
clue2contains
MINI-BYTE
two definitions. Read each clue
and decide what homograph fits both meanings.
3
M I N I - B Y T E4
MINI-BYTE

Homographs 4 MINI-BYTE
3

BE5
U

C LUES
M I N I - B Y5T
1 2

MINI-BYTE
4 5 6

3
U
7 8 9
4 5 6
C C B
Across 10
1. To bend forward from the waist; X C
front of a ship; weapon that 7 8 9
shoots arrows C C C
5. A numeral or11quantity; more 10

numb
12 13 X C
14 15
A
7. Prisoner; to find guilty C
10. To pardon or forgive someone; 11 12 13 14 15
an explaining why reason A
11. Hot, sandy region that gets little
C
rain; to abandon
S
16
12. White bird (symbol of peace); S
jumped off (usually into water) CC 16
14. To rip; a drop of clear liquid
emitted by the eye CC
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

16. To shut; near C

E
E
Down
2. To injure; coiled up
3. Without a mistake; to make 8. An agreement (that is usually signed); to shrink, opposite of expand
without a mistake 9. To show the way; a metallic element
4. To coil up; moving air 13. A thing; to disagree (as in court)
6. Sixty seconds; very, very tiny 15. To start again; a record of work experience and education
7. The way you behave; to direct as
with a symphony orchestra

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 33

 Name ___________________________________________

Commonly Confused Words

Read the definitions. Place the correct commonly confused word in each blank.

among: used with more than two items

between: used with two items We wont need
your assistants, but
1. I will dance _______________ the many tulips we might need your
in my garden. assistance.
2. If youre playing goalie, stand _______________ the
posts of the net. precede: come before
proceed: go to
fewer: used when counting individual parts; smaller
number; often used before a plural noun 12. Please _______________ to the visitation center
less: smaller amount; not as much; often used before a immediately.
singular noun
13. The queen will _______________ the king in this
3. Gronk has _______________ hair than Blerk. procession.

4. Blerk has _______________ rocks than Gronk. good: an adjective that describes a noun as being positive
wel l: an adverb that means to do an action positively
affect: a verb that means to change or influence
effect: a noun that means the result of an action 14. You are doing very _______________!

5. If you are kind, it will _______________ everyone 15. Morty is a _______________ boy.
around you.
metal: a chemical element such as copper or iron
6. That song has such an _______________ on me every
time I hear it. medal: award

assure: guarantee ensure: make certain 16. That ring is made from a precious ______________.
insure: guard against loss or damage
17. You deserve a _______________ for all your hard work.
7. You cant drive your car until you _______________ it.
access: a way to get to
8. I _______________ you that the doors are locked. excess: too much, more than enough

9. Please _______________ that your lips remain closed. 18. Yikes! The _______________ milk spilled all over
the place.
formal ly: correctly, ceremoniously
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

formerly: before 19. Youll find _______________ to the laboratory through

that trap door.
10. Soula _______________ signed the contract in front
of her lawyer. assistance: help
assistants: helpers
11. _______________ a famous musician, he now sells
insurance. 20. Dr. Gub, I will need your _______________ to complete
the operation.

21. All of the _______________ are having a meeting.

34 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________

Put It in Context
Yo, its in the
house, dudes!
Many times you can figure out what a word I love to read for
means by the way it is used in a sentence. meaning.
This skill is called Using Context Clues.
Loquacious Mrs. Lipflapper spoke for three hours nonstop.

Loquacious? Is that a flower in your mothers garden? Guess

again. From the sentence and the way loquacious is used, we
can guess that it might mean tends to talk a lot.

Read each sentence below. Select the

U s i n g C o n t ex t C l u e s
1
meaning that best suits the sentence.
IN
M I NI - B Y T E
The gargantuan dragon towered above brave knight Sir Run-a-lot.
M I N I - B Y T E2
a. mean b. scary c. huge d. fire-breathing e. hairy

M I N I - B Y T E3
My mother uses the maxim, If at first you dont succeed, try, try again. So I wont give up.
a. sentence b. saying c. word d. question e. poem

M N I - B Y T E4
In antiquity, people had to hunt and gather for all of their food.
I a. caves b. ancient times c. antique cars d. arctic weather e. war time

M IN I - B Y T E5
Magnanimous Uncle Shlitzy always gave his money to people who needed help.
a. happy b. peaceful c. patient d. dumb e. generous

Sorry to be so incredulous, but you havent proven anything to me yet.

a. sleepy b. angry c. disbelieving d. unfriendly e. alert
Harold Jarnicki, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Choose three words from above. Using the words, write three new sentences
to demonstrate their meanings.

1.
2.
3.
No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 35
 Name: _______________________________________
Homophones, Homographs, and More

Naughty
A Knotty Homophone Zone:
A.
Score: ___________
/20
Circle the 10 incorrect homophones. Write the correct words below.

All write! Tell me now. Which which is which? I no you no. Im knot moving until you
tell me. I can stand hear for an our. Its not fare four you two trick me like this!

Im feeling rather 1. ______________________________________

auspicious today!
2.______________________________________
3.______________________________________
4.______________________________________
5.______________________________________
6. ______________________________________
7. ______________________________________
8. ______________________________________
9. ______________________________________
10.______________________________________

B Conquer the Homographs!

A. We shall be
The words in italics are pronunciations of homographs. Sound out victorious!
each word and spell it correctly in the Homograph Detention Center.
1. Have your REH-zoo-may with you when you apply for that job.
2. I will practice until I purr-FECT that skill.
3. That vault is made of solid LED.
S core:
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4. Look carefully for all MI-noot details.

___________
/10
5. We must never dih-SIRT people who need help. Homographs Detention Center
6. Shes standing at the ships BAU. 1. 6.

7. I cant feel anything; my hand is NUM-mer. 2. 7.

8. I WOWND the yarn into a ball. 3. 8.
9. Hank just DOHV into a pool. 4. 9.
10. Please ik-SKYUZ my brother.
5. 10.
36 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 C Commonly Confused Words: S core: ___________
/35
Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1. (medal, metal) That _____________ case will protect your _____________.

2. (assure, ensure, insure) I _____________ you, it is safe!
3. (affect, effect) Did that medicine _____________ you like it did me?
4. (less, fewer) There are _____________ oceans than there are lakes.
5. (good, well) Hooray, your performance went _____________!
6. (assistants, assistance) My __________________ will hold you down.
7. (access, excess) The ________________ is spilling out.

S core: ___________
/35
D Use Context Clues:
Read the sentences below. Choose the best meaning for each underlined word

Since the accident, he never laughs anymore. He seems so lugubrious.

a. stubborn b. courageous c. weird d. gloomy e. cheerful

He was so obsequious, he would dust off the seat before his boss sat down.
a. serious b. friendly c. happy d. smart e. too eager to please

Youre insatiable! When will you stop eating?

a. stubborn b. friendly c. funny d. serious e. always wanting more

It is very quotidian for people to eat lunch around noon.

a. common b. special c. unusual d. surprising e. different

I know youre trying to usurp all my pieces when Im not looking.

Cool!
a. hide b. seize c. paint d. break e. repair

Hes so incredulous, it doesnt matter how much proof you show him.
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a. disbelieving b. angry c. sleepy d. serious e. alert

That connoisseur knows everything there is to know about art.

a. idiot b. expert c. artist d. student e. part-timer

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 37

 T

I
3 Y N
MI

B
TE

I-
2 Y N
Name ___________________________________________ MI

B
TE

I-
1 N

Match
Y
MI
The Synonym/Antonym

B
TE

I-
Y N
!
I
IU pthe

B
M

I-
feel
Analogy Adventure
N
connection! MI

Smart
Suffixes
Word analogies express the relationship
between words. They connect ideas.
is to winter
Rain is to summer as snow

t i v l y A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.
tives! skinny = thin jump = hop purchase = buy
So this is what a Synonym Analogy could look like:
Try Admirable is to fantastic as awful is to horrible

U P t hAni s !
m
Wow,
e antonym has the opposite or nearly the opposite meaning as another word. I think I
get this!
fast slow up down give take
So this is what an Antonym Analogy could look like:
e
hone Zon
Funny is to sad as sweet is to sour

e
es
T h en g e Choose words from the Word Vault to complete each analogy. Circle

Chall e e synonym or antonym to indicate the type of analogy. Use a dictionary!

Big is to huge as tiny is to _____________ synonym antonym

l o gisyto meek as fearful is to _________________
e m e A na Brave synonym antonym
o o v a tho n!
Nice is to pleasant as fast is to _________________ synonym antonym

Happy is to joyful as skillful is to _________________ synonym antonym

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Finished is to incomplete as intact is to _________________ synonym antonym

Pretty is to attractive as strong is to _________________ synonym antonym

Fall is to tumble as jump is to _________________ synonym antonym

Negative is to affirmative as ordinary is to _________________ synonym antonym

adept remarkable minuscule daring

Wor d
Va ult broken speedy hurdle powerful
38 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Name ___________________________________________
I thought I was

The Relationship connected.

Analogy Adventure
Match
. . co r re sp on de nc e. . .
co m pa ris on . . . co r re lat ion .
lat ion . . . re se m bla nc e
Up!
e. . . lik en es s. . . pa ra lle l. . . re
eq uiv ale nc

Check
this
S m a r t sSo the
You score a goal in hockey. You score a run in baseball.
out!
analogy could look like this: goal : hockey :: run : baseball

i x e
Suff
Read aloud, we say goal is to hockey as run is to baseball.

Beethoven was a classical composer about 200 years ago.

Eminem is a rapper now.

v l y
iti !
So the analogy could look like this: Beethoven : classical :: Eminem : rap

v e s
ati
T r y Choose the best answer and write it in the blank.
P t h is!
em U 1
1 banana : peel :: nut : __________________
a. coat b. shell c. hat d. wings

Z o n e
2
2 oil : fry :: water : __________________

o n e
oph a. boil b. roast c. swim d. fish

3
h e g ea. kitchen b. cook c. hot d. appliance
3 car : vehicle :: stove : __________________

T
Music is to

able
notes as poetry

n
e n c e s C h a l l e 44 Italian : language :: Italy : __________________
is to words
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a. food b. continent c. country d. place

A n a l ogy55 dance : waltz :: ice cream : __________________

e
x t r e mo v a t h o n ! a. frozen b. cone c. flavor d. vanilla
Gro 6 baby : human :: cub : __________________
a. animal b. bear c. furry d. trainer

(continued)

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 39

 Relationship Analogy Adventure Continued

71 fish : salmon :: dog : __________________

a. poodle b. bark c. furry d. cat

8
2 second : minute :: inch : __________________

a. foot b. worm c. mile d. meter

93 captain : team :: chief : __________________

a. boss b. tribe c. leader d. president

10
4 soft : feel :: sweet : __________________

a. taste b. touch c. tongue d. sense

115 spoon : utensil :: golf club : __________________

a. golf ball b. sports equipment c. swing d. driver

12
jungle : tiger :: arctic : __________________

a. polar bear b. cold c. tropical d. lion

131 swim : water :: run : __________________

a. summer b. jump c. ice d. land

142 book : nonfiction :: movie : __________________

a. fiction b. true c. cartoon d. documentary

153 mom : dad :: aunt : __________________

Now youre
a. uncle b. friend c. sister d. woman
getting into the
groove! 163 bear : fur :: human : __________________

a. hair b. shorts c. woman d. bald

175 snow : white :: sky : __________________

a. rain b. blue c. cloud d. weather
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18 drum : percussion :: flute : __________________

a. air b. instrument c. woodwind d. music

195 plumber : wrench :: photographer : __________________

a. picture b. photograph c. camera d. film

20 food : solid :: water : __________________

a. drink b. beverage c. solid d. liquid

40 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Name ___________________________________________ I still feel the
connection!

T he Part of
Analogy Adventure
M a ke t h e c o n n e c t i o n !
As we have learned, word analogies express relationships between words.
Analogies associate, bridge, cohere, conjoin, link, marry (you get the picture!) ideas.
In the Part of Analogy Adventure, you will go through these Thinking Steps:

Step 1: READ the analogy.

Step 2: THINK of the RELATIONSHIP; for example, between lung and human.
Step 3: THINK: A human uses a lung to breathe.
Step 4: CHECK the list of selections and CHOOSE the analogy that seems to have
the same relationship. HINT: Eliminate the answers you are sure are wrong.

Try it! Lung is to human as ______________ is to _______________

Lung : human ::
a. tail : horse b. nose : ear c. brother : gas d. gill : fish

If you picked d, you are well

on your way to success in the
Part of Analogy Adventure!

T he Pa r t o f An a lo g y Ad ve n t u r e B e g in s !
Choose the best answer and write it in the blanks.

1
1 house : closet :: __________________ : __________________
a. car : trunk b. light : switch c. camp : fire d. tree : wood

2
2 computer : printer :: __________________ : __________________
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a. seed : melon b. remote : TV c. radio : speaker d. finger : hand

33 onion : skin :: __________________ : __________________

a. laces : shoes b. candy bar : caramel c. book : cover d. milk : cow

44 cat : fur ball :: __________________ : __________________

a. volcano : lava b. sneeze : cold c. laugh : joke d. rain : cloud

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 41

 The Par t of Analogy Adventure Continued

55 baseball : bat :: __________________ : __________________

a. needle : thread b. racquet : tennis c. comb : hair d. nail : hammer

6 flower : petal :: __________________ : __________________

a. melon : seed b. wire : lamp c. pizza : crust d. hand : finger

71 pizza : cheese :: __________________ : __________________

a. stamp : letter b. wall : paint c. flag : pole d. table : chair

8
2 seed : melon :: __________________ : __________________

a. tree : wood b. car : parking lot c. clothing : suitcase d. food : tray

93 pole : flag :: __________________ : __________________

a. needle : thread b. branch : leaf c. hammer : nail d. wall : paint

10
4 camera : film :: __________________ : __________________

a. oven : bread b. candles : cake c. cloud : rain d. engine : car

115 sand : beach :: __________________ : __________________

a. stars : sky b. gas : car c. jar : lid d. table : legs

12
dial : blender :: __________________ : __________________

a. melon : seed b. lamp : light bulb c. plug : toaster d. switch : light

131 plastic : doll :: __________________ : __________________

a. wood : table b. keys : car c. oar : boat d. tree : root

142 vapor : gas :: __________________ : __________________

a. gas : car b. water : liquid c. tap : water d. picture : frame

153 door : garage :: __________________ : __________________

a. toothbrush : teeth b. wire : lamp c. mouth : face d. light bulb : room

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Experts believe that studying

for tests will make you more Well, if that doesnt
popular, better looking, stronger, work, at least Ill do
and give you fresher breath. better on my test.

42 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Try
Analogies
Name: _______________________________________

F il l e m U P t h is ! Score: ___________
/100
Wow, check out
this one-time

Homophone Zone
offer!

Get the greatest analogy hits ever...

Fi x -a b le
The
Remember that big #1 hit Synonym/Antonym Analogies ?
How about that chart scorcher Part of Analogies?
Sentences
C h a ll e n g e
And who could ever forget Relationship Analogies ?
You get these fresh funkables and much more in the...

Ex t r e m e A n a lo g y
Groovathon!
1
1 end : beginning :: __________________ : __________________
a. heart : brain b. lose : win c. high : higher d. front : side

2
2 melt : thaw :: __________________ : __________________

a. fast : faster b. walk : trot c. sad : unhappy d. right : left

33 mechanic : wrench :: __________________ : __________________

a. needle : doctor b. hose : saddle c. barber : scissors d. cat : dog

44 hammer : nail :: __________________ : __________________

a. saw : wood b. bit : drill c. screwdriver : screw d. shovel : dirt

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51 song : singer :: __________________ : __________________

a. piano : player b. painting : painter c. skip : rope d. runner : run

62 lake : water :: __________________ : __________________

a. house : brick b. bread : butter c. swimmer : lake d. fish : swim

73 water : wet :: __________________ : __________________

a. flame : hot b. tap : water c. dark : light d. dog : bark

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 43

 Quickie Quiz Continued

8
2 hole : drill :: __________________ : __________________

a. throw : ball b. skate : slide c. cut : saw d. tape : measure

93 fruit : pie :: __________________ : __________________

a. pages : book b. cookie : sweet c. hot : cold d. flower : spring

10
4 astronomer : stars :: __________________ : __________________

a. chef : cook b. doctor : nurse c. driver : car d. detective : clues

115 butler : maid :: __________________ : __________________

a. bat : ball b. rooster : hen c. chef : cook d. doctor : dentist

12
cub : bear :: __________________ : __________________

a. egg : bird b. chick : chicken c. cat : lion d. horse : pony

131 Sunday : Monday :: __________________ : __________________

a. beginning : end b. winter : summer c. afternoon : evening d. build : house

142 army : soldier :: __________________ : __________________

a. game : player b. student : classroom c. music : dancer d. club : member

153 sugar : candy :: __________________ : __________________

a. sugar : coffee b. fruit : juice c. flour : bread d. music : dance

164 fungus : mushroom :: __________________ : __________________

a. tree : bark b. team : Yankees c. animal : baby d. insect : cricket

175 hive : bee :: __________________ : __________________

a. web : spider b. hay : horse c. dog : house d. rock : cave

18 allowed : aloud :: __________________ : __________________

a. permission : noise b. right : write c. thunder : storm d. take : give

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191 bat : swing :: __________________ : __________________

a. punch : bow b. run : jump c. ball : throw d. kick : goal

20
2 time : rhyme :: __________________ : __________________

a. watch : catch b. hype : byte c. done : bone d. fun : son

44 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary

 Ha! Ha! FUNNY Word Search (p. 7)
K ey
Ultra-Cool Crossword (p. 13)

amusing hilarious wacky

comical humorous zany

Thesaurus Hunt (p. 8)

Lets Get Retro! Prefix Review (pp. 1415)

A. Whats Your Prefix-ability?
1. c 3. c 5. c 7. b 9. a
2. d 4. b 6. c 8. a 10. b

B. Pre-fix It!
1. omni- 3. nano- 5. auto- 7. Com- 9. inter-
2. un- 4. in- 6. retro- 8. re- 10. tele-

C. Whats It Mean?
1. intergalactic 5. retrospect 9. redesign
2. autograph 6. compressing 10. unbelievable
3. omnivorous 7. inactive
4. nanosecond 8. telecommunications

Presto! The Prefix (p. 9) D. Find It!

Match Up! 1. hyper 3. micro 5. semi 7. auto
1. submarine 3. maximum 5. review 7. compact 2. extra 4. ultra 6. mega 8. de
2. preview 4. microscope 6. antifreeze 8. minimum
Box of Meanings
Use the Words! semi half or partly
1. maximum 3. review 5. antifreeze hyper more than usual or way too much
2. microscope 4. preview auto self
ultra a tremendous amount, possibly more than enough
Negative Prefixes (p. 10) mega very large
2. unacceptable 7. inactive 12. disagree extra outside; beyond
3. unbelievable 8. deactivated 13. nonalcoholic de remove
4. invisible 9. decaffeinated 14. nonperishable micro incredibly small
5. incomplete 10. disadvantage 15. nonsmoker
6. insensitive 11 disable Quickie Quiz: Prefixes (p. 16)
A. Multiple Choice
Positively Negative (p. 11) 1. d 3. c 5. a 7. b 9. c
1. nonperishable 5. invisible 9. inactive 2. d 4. d 6. c 8. b 10. b
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2. insensitive 6. decaffeinated 10. unacceptable

3. disagreed 7. nonsmoker B. Match
4. Deactivate 8. incomplete 1. c 3. a 5. g 7. b 9. f
2. d 4. j 6. i 8. e 10. h
BONUS: Answers will vary, but should use unbelievable
and undecided. C. Identify
1. hyper- 3. ultra- 5. retro- 7. in- 9. mini-
Extraordinary Prefixes (p. 12) 2. pre- 4. uni- 6. dis- 8. tele- 10. de-
1. g 9. b
2. f 10. n Suffix Rocks! (p. 17)
3. l 11. o 1. greatness 4. dancer 7. talker, runner
4. d 12. j 2. fearless 5. kindness
5. c 13. e 3. friendly 6. forgetful
6. i 14. k
7. h 15. a
8. m

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 45

 D. Re-Fill in the blanks
1. thunderous 3. friendly 5. kingdom
2. forgetful 4. flexibility 6. childhood

E. Supersonic Crossword

Suffix Math (pp. 1819)

sisterhood biology multiplication orphanage
neighborhood sociology institution postage
membership Brazilian percussionist
citizenship American specialist

Smart Suffixes
1. -ship 4. -hood 7. -an, -ian 10. - hood
2. -ist 5. -dom 8. - tion
3. -logy 6. -ist 9. -age

X-Word-ology (p. 20)

F. Suspicious Suffixes
1. J. VI. 3. E. I. 5. G. X. 7. F. V. 9. A. IV.
2. C. II. 4. H. III. 6. I. VIII. 8. D. VII. 10. B. IX.

Quickie Quiz: Suffixes (p. 24)

A. Multiple Choice
1. d 3. b 5. a 7. d 9. c
2. b 4. c 6. c 8. a 10. b

B. Apply the Suffix

1. courageous 4. Mexican 7. biologist 10. intensify
2. poetic 5. ovoid 8. beautify
3. concentration 6. fearless 9. elasticity

Quickie Unscramble: vegetarian, geology Eponym Crossword (p. 26)

Be a Suffix Sleuth (p. 21)

WOW! Palindromes! (p. 27)

Pop the Palindromes
1. bib 4. dud 7. toot 10. mom
2. tot 5. dad 8. noon 11. bob
3. peep 6. wow 9. deed 12. eve

Palindrome Finder
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Lets Get Retro! Suffix Review (pp. 2223)

A. Circle the Suffix
-less -oid -hood -ic -sion
-ity -logy -ist -ize -an

B. Vocabu-Math
1. historic 3. Indian 5. adventurous
2. mobility 4. intensify

C. Re-Shuffle
1. flexibility 3. kingdom 5. thunderous
2. friendly 4. childhood 6. forgetful What an Oxymoron! (p. 28)
1. volunteer 4. again 7. burn 10. phony
2. whisper 5. heavyweight 8. shrimp
3. tights 6. odds 9. news
46 No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary
 Commonly Confused Words (p. 34)
1. among 7. insure 13. precede 19. access
2. between 8. assure 14. well 20. assistance
3. less 9. ensure 15. good 21. assistants
4. fewer 10. formally 16. metal
Lets Get Retro: Eponym and 5. affect 11. Formerly 17. medal
Palindrome Review (p. 29) 6. effect 12. proceed 18. excess
An eponym is a word that came from a persons name.
A palindrome is a word that reads the same forward Put It in Context (p. 35)
or backward. 1. c 3. b 5. c
2. b 4. e
ID, Please!
1. P 3. E 5. E 7. P 9. E Quickie Quiz: Homophones, Homographs,
2. P 4. P 6. E 8. E 10. P and More (pp. 3637)
A. Naughty Homophone Zone
Whos What? 1. right 3. know 5. not 7. hour 9. for
1. derby 5. sideburns 9. graham cracker 2. witch 4. know 6. here 8. fair 10. to
2. melba toast 6. Tupperware 10. Caesar salad
3. pasteurize 7. mesmerize B. Conquer the Homographs!
4. sandwich 8. guillotine 1. rsum 3. lead 5. desert 7. number 9. dove
2. perfect 4. minute 6. bow 8. wound 10. excuse
Quickie Quiz: Eponyms, Palindromes, Oxymoron (p. 30)
A. Definitions C. Commonly Confused Words
1. Eponym: a word that came from a persons name 1. metal, medal 3. affect 5. well 7. excess
2. Palindrome: a word that reads the same forward or backward 2. assure 4. fewer 6. assistants
3. Oxymoron: an expression with contradictory words
D. Use Context Clues
B. Multiple Choice 1. d 3. e 5. b 7. b
1. palindrome 4. oxymoron 7. palindrome 10. eponym 2. e 4. a 6. a
2. eponym 5. oxymoron 8. eponym
3. eponym 6. oxymoron 9. eponym The Synonym/Antonym Analogy Adventure (p. 38)
1. minuscule / synonym 5. broken / antonym
C. Write a Palindrome 2. daring / antonym 6. powerful / synonym
Answers will vary. 3. speedy / synonym 7. hurdle / synonym
4. adept / synonym 8. remarkable / antonym
D. Eponym or Oxymoron
1. maverick 3. leotard 5. feeling The Relationship Analogy Adventure (pp. 3940)
2. pasteurize 4. silence 6. burn 1. b 6. b 11. b 16. a
2. a 7. a 12. a 17. b
Sound Out Homophones (pp. 3132) 3. d 8. a 13. d 18. c
Level 1 4. c 9. b 14. d 19. c
1. bear, bare 4. past, passed 7. Theyre, there 5. d 10. a 15. a 20. d
2. ate, eight 5. tale, tail 8. warn, worn
3. pause, paws 6. threw, through The Part of Analogy Adventure (pp. 4142)
1. a 4. a 7. b 10. a 13. a
Level 2 2. c 5. d 8. c 11. a 14. b
1. write, right 4. Sunday, sundae 7. brake, break 3. b 6. d 9. b 12. d 15. c
2. So, sew 5. steal, steel 8. serial, cereal
3. in, inn 6. carrot, karat Quickie Quiz: Analogies (pp. 4344)
1. b 6. a 11. b 16. d
Level 3 2. c 7. a 12. b 17. a
1. Our, hour 4. Whether, weather 7. cent, sent, scent 3. c 8. c 13. c 18. b
2. mist, missed 5. whole, hole 8. by, buy, Bye 4. c 9. a 14. d 19. c
3. Youre, your 6. rode, road, rowed 5. b 10. d 15. c 20. d

Level 4
1. Do, dew, due 5. pare, pear, pair 8. Answers may
2. two, to, too 6. toad, towed, vary, but could be:
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3. not, knot, naught tow, toe knew, blue, gnu,

4. their, there, 7. heard, herd, hear, blew, new, nose,
theyre here knows

Home in on Homographs (p. 33)

No Boring Practice, Please! Vocabulary 47