AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)

Recognise and understand vocabulary associated with texts of different levels of accessibility, formality, complexity, and of different purpose (a) Understand that choice of vocabulary contributes to the style of a text, and relates to context, purpose and audience (b) Understand how vocabulary clues can be used to help extract meanings beyond the literal (c) Understand the concept of synonyms, that different words can express similar or related ideas or qualities, often at different levels of formality (d) Understand the purpose of a thesaurus and be able to use one (e) Understand that the meaning and use of some words changes over time and that new words can be coined (f) Recognise and understand the use of similes, metaphors, idioms and clichés

Intro to using a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rw/L1.3
ESOL
ESOL Rw/L2.3a Recognise & understand vocabulary associated with different text types
ESOL Rw/L1.3a Recognise and understand an increasing range of vocabulary

A set of exercises based on an article from the BBC News website. This article would interest learners with teenage children.
There is a comprehension exercise and vocabulary exercises on antonyms and synonyms. Learners are also invited to write their views. Useful for those working towards Level 2 Certificate in Adult Literacy.

Level
Level 2
English
Adult Literacy: writing composition (Wt)
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rt/L2.1 Trace and understand the main events of continuous descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts
Context
Health, Social care, Early years

A set of exercises based around an article from the BBC News website during the adverse weather of 2010.
There are multiple choice comprehension questions, together with exercises on apostrophes, vocabulary and synonyms and anagrams. The learner is then asked to write his/her views.

Level
Level 2
English
Adult Literacy: writing composition (Wt)
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rt/L2.3 Identify the main points and specific detail
AL Rt/E2.1 Follow main points of short texts
Apostrophes
Context
Employment skills & Public services

A complete lesson to help students in using these reference books. Look at and compare the features of different dictionaries, look up words in a dictionary, order words alphabetically and rewrite a text (in aprs) using a thesaurus to replace every instance of “good” with a more appropriate woprd

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
ESOL
ESOL Rw/L2.3a Recognise & understand vocabulary associated with different text types

Set of 12 sentences to complete. The 12 missing words are 6 pairs of synonyms such as sorry / apologise, need / require, etc. Makes a good starting point for further discussion and/or further speaking and written work.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
SLc/L2.1
SLc/L1.2
SLc/E3.2
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
ESOL
ESOL Wt/L2.5a
ESOL Wt/L1.4a Choose language suitable for genre, purpose and audience
ESOL Sc/L2.1c Use formal language and register where appropriate
ESOL Sc/L1.2a Make requests
ESOL Sc/E3.2a Use formal language and register when appropriate
ESOL Rw/L2.3a Recognise & understand vocabulary associated with different text types

Challenging multiple choice quiz of vocabulary “borrowed” from other languages such as French, Greek and Italian. Words and phrases include: fait accompli, deja vu, ad hoc, bric-a-brac and many more. Makes a good warm up and could be used with small groups or individually.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Word origins
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rw/L1.3
ESOL
ESOL Rw/L2.3a Recognise & understand vocabulary associated with different text types
ESOL Rw/L1.3a Recognise and understand an increasing range of vocabulary
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism

Two Tarsia puzzles based around formal and informal language. Guaranteed to prompt discussion as learners solve the puzzles. I suggest that the smaller one (16 piece triangle) is roughly at L1 and the larger on (24 piece hexagon) is at L2. I have duplicated some of my word choices from Imogen Stewart’s excellent ‘Little Britain’ (Language: formal, informal or slang?) resource which was also about formal and informal language (see link below). ‘Cheers’ has ‘regards’ as its synonym because of email sign offs – which I have found to be an interesting topic for discussion.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Functional English - writing
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rw/L2.2
Rw/L1.3

Wonderful high L1 – Level 2 resource which looks at the purposes and sources of a range of texts. Includes: useful handout with example of the four main types of text; discussion and examples of texts with more than one purpose; examples of badly written texts with mixed and confusing purposes; inferred and hidden meanings; writing practice (for four different purposes); re-ordering a long instructional text; and a set of final multiple choice questions to check skills.
Fully mapped to the Functional English criteria.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Functional English - writing
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rt/L2.2 Identify the purpose of a text and infer meaning which is not explicit
Rt/L1.2
Adult Lit Rs/L2.2 Use punctuation to help interpret the meaning and purpose of texts
Rs/L2.1 Use implicit and explicit grammatical knowledge
Functional English reading

A vocabulary building activity, involving dictionary use. Played in teams and based on the TV programme ‘Call My Bluff’. Teams compete to identify the true definition of a word when given a choice of three definitions, with one being true and two being false.

A great way to get learners to work together. I usually play this with level 1 and level 2 learners, either at the end of a session as an on going activity or as part of a session.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
SLd/L2.1
SLd/L1.1
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Rw/L2.2
Rw/L1.3
Rw/L1.1
Context
Art Film Media Music Radio TV

A set of comprehension questions, together with vocabulary exercises, anagrams and a writing prompt.
Useful for those working towards Level 2 Certificate in Adult Literacy and anyone with an interest in word origins and English linguistics.
All based on an article from the BBC News website www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10776581
See below for links to other Level 2 exercises.

Level
Level 2
English
Word origins
AL Rt/L1.1 Understand continuous texts
Rt/L2.3 Identify the main points and specific detail
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view
AL Rw/L2.3 Vocabulary (language features, synonyms, formality)
Wt/L2.2
Context
History, culture, museums, libraries