Antonyms and Synonyms

Antonyms

1. take

2. red

3. empty

4. dirty

5. cool

6. tasteless

7. raw

8. sour

9. asleep

10. late

1. on purpose

2. common

3. stay

4. fail

5. many

6. none

7. war

8. stressed

9. reward

10. dry

1. together

2. absent

3. child

4. minimum

5. true

6. hopeless

7. modest

8. educated

9. complicated

10. innocent

Synonyms

1. person

2. animal

3. delicious

4. angry

5. jump

6. triumph

7. run

8. challenging

9. sightless

10. ghost

1. stone

2. river

3. weird

4. rich

5. serpent

6. hazard

7. chance

8. sight

9. power

10. night

1. country

2. educator

3. recall

4. two times

5. journey

6. narrow

7. soil

8. actual

9. past

10. lovely

Colour

Really helpful vocabulary page

what colour do you think of?

Sensitive

Earthy and serious

Neutral

Passionate

Creative and natural

Serious and professional

Practical and on the move

Open and positive

Helpful and kind

Creative and nerdy

Pure and innocent

Confident and passionate

Independent and a bit rebellious

Fun and sporty

Name that colour quiz

sick     angry      sleep      awake       sensitive      passion     neutral       mental       change    slow     fast

embarrassing     sadness     positive       kindness       innocent       powerful      love      deep      alon

caring      intelligent     neutral     passionate     courageous     independent     creative      analytical

serious       jokey       thoughtful        generous       warm-hearted      shy       extraverted      introverted

Colour oracle

What words does this remind you of?

Think of six things that are naturally blue. You can't say "sky"or "sea".

1

2

3

4

5

6

What colours can you see on this dress?

What colours are you wearing today? Why?

colour idioms

choose the correct word

out of the blue/red  (unexpectedly)

Q: Which of these events have occurred out of the blue?

Covid

World War II

9/11

The "discovery" of the American Continent by Christopher Columbus

The sinking of the Titanic

pink/green with envy     (jealous)

Is anyone jealous of you for any reason? Why?

purple/orange with rage    (angry)

get caught red/black handed    (guilty)

to have green/white thumbs       (good at gardening)

What makes you go purple with rage?

Do you have green thumbs?

Have you ever tried "shop-lifting"? Why? Why not? Did you get away with it?

  a white/blue lie      (small lie told to be polite or kid)

Tell each other some good reasons to tell white lies.

once in a red/blue moon       (not often at all)

Think about 

something you and your family do once in a blue moon

something that you almost never say or do, but just sometimes you do

to get the green/red light     (to be given permission)

Who gave you the green light to come to NZ?






What colour goes with these noun-adjectives for colour?

ocean

forest

lemon

royal

emerald

sapphire

sky

pitch

dirt

fire-engine

battleship

eggshell

snowy

stark

hot

Speaking:


You have ten characters in a play. They're personality and attitude is expressed in the following statements. What colour will their costume be?

1. Andy: I'm positive, open and lively.
2. Anna: I need my own space. I'm gentle but fragile.
3. Sharon: Don't tell me what to do. I'm my own boss.
4. Gus: I hear what you're saying but I don't want to be involved. I'm not really interested in people.
5. Brian: I'm a person in authority. Behave yourselves.
6. Patricia: I'm royalty. Obey me!
7. Angela: I'm caring and warm. Others are more important for me.
8. Susan: I'm creative yet analytical. I'm nerdy, but original.
9. Arthur: I'm passionate. Love me!
10. David: I'm often in a bit of a hurry, I hate to stand around all day. Please let me through.


Here are ten colours / shades:

1. Dark blue
2. Light blue
3. Orange
4. Red
5. Yellow
6. Grey
7. White
8. Purple
9. Peach
10. Black

Extension: which of these characters will get on well together? Which won't?

What does the diagram show?

Colour Hierarchy Diagram (after Berlin and Kay 1969)

Answer:

The diagram above works from left to right (following the arrows and plus signs). If a language has a particular colour word then it will also have all the colour words to the left of that word. So if a language has a word for blue, then it will also have words for yellow, green, red, black and white. The diagram also indicates that if a language has a word for say pink, then it may, or may not, have a word for purple, but it will have colour words for brown, blue etc.

Why is this?

Watch:
 
The mystery of Blue

Questions:

1. Which famous book about the sea never mentions the colour blue?
2. Which colours would be the first (and last) to be named in ancient languages? Why?

red turquoise black blue white yellow green orange violet

3. Which culture was one of the first to produce a blue dye?
4. How could you test whether or not someone can see a colour?
5.  "Without a word for a colour you may find it difficult to see it”. Do you think this is true?

Discussion:

According to the video, is there some connection between a culture manufacturing colour and "naming" it?
What example was given of this?

C.S Lewis (author of the Narnia series)

"in order to see precisely what something is, you first need to have a vague idea of what it is."

Is the same thing true of the other senses - hearing?

Which sense to you trust most?

SIGHT       HEARING      SMELL      TASTE     TOUCH

How do you check that you're not dreaming?

Does Davidoff's test prove that having a word for a colour might help us to see it? 

We use the expressions "eye-opening experience" or "to open someone's eyes" to mean a person or film or book or journey etc that really made you to see a whole new world. 

Has anyone (or anything) really opened your eyes (or your mind) before?

Create the correct FORM of the word and then check below:

In 'The Odyssey,' Greek poet Homer   FAME    describes the 'wine-dark sea.'

In 1858 William Gladstone, who later became the British prime minister, counted the colour    REFER       in the Homer's Odyssey and found blue wasn't mentioned at all. Black is mentioned NEAR    200 times and white about 100. Red,    WHILE    , is mentioned    FEW   than 15 times, and yellow and green fewer than 10.

It wasn't just the Greeks. Blue also doesn't appear in the Koran, ancient Chinese stories, and an ancient Hebrew version of the Bible,    ACCORD   to a German philologist named Lazarus Geiger.

Check

In 'The Odyssey,' Greek poet Homer famously describes the 'wine-dark sea.'

In 1858 William Gladstone, who later became the British prime minister, counted the colour references in the Homer's Odyssey and found blue wasn't mentioned at all. Black is mentioned nearly 200 times and white about 100. Red, meanwhile, is mentioned fewer than 15 times, and yellow and green fewer than 10.

It wasn't just the Greeks. Blue also doesn't appear in the Koran, ancient Chinese stories, and an ancient Hebrew version of the Bible, according to a German philologist named Lazarus Geiger.

Look at this diagram. What do you think it illustrates?

The surprising pattern behind color names around the world




1. How many colour categories do we have in English?

2. How did anthropologists used to believe colour terms were chosen by cultures?

3. What did the research in 1969 suggest about how colour terms develop in a language?

4. What did William Gladstone notice about Homer's use of colour terms?

4. How do languages with only a few colour terms describe colours that don't have terms?

5. How is colour expressed in Hanuno'o?

6. Why might a word for "red" be formulated before a word for "blue"?

7. What have researchers discovered about colours themselves?





Where would you place these colours in the Hanuno'o spectrum?

Black, dark blue, light blue, purple, orange, white, grey, silver, gold, light green, dark green, pink, red, yellow....

More:

Further reading

IELTS Listening test practice

 Online practice test

Time conjunctions

Time clauses (easier)

More time clauses

 Time clauses (more challenge)

IELTS Writing task 1 feedback

Improve these examples

 

1. The table provides information about most enjoyed sports by Americans from 1937 to 2008.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

2. One of the most popular one overtime is football, while baseball marked at the top in the first 40 years.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3. The number of the rate in football has rose gradually 23% in 1937 to 41% in 2008.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

4. Overall, while football has been rose gradually overtime, the others have become less popular or remained flat at the low number in general.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Basketball, Auto racing and ice skating they are quite similar for each other because their started with low scores, but they rose gradually until the end their will slightly decrease.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

6. It became the most enjoyed sport in 1972 that passed baseball, which met gradually fell from 14% to 10% during the seven decades.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Illustrates

Currently

Whereas

Whose

over

all

Ranked

Steadily

Either

after

as

rose

among

1. Improved:
   The table _________ the most popular sports _______ Americans between 1937 and 2008.

---

2. Improved:
   Football is ________ one of the most popular sports, ________ baseball ________ first during the first four decades.

---

3. Improved:
   The percentage of people who preferred football ________ gradually from 23% in 1937 to 41% in 2008.

---

4. Improved:
   Overall, while the popularity of football increased _______ over time, the other sports ______ declined or remained at relatively low levels.

---

5. Improved:
   Basketball, auto racing, and ice skating followed similar trends, ________ they ________ started with low percentages, increased gradually, and then showed a slight decline toward the end of the period.

---

6. Improved:
   Football became the most popular sport in 1972 ________ overtaking baseball, _______ popularity gradually fell from 14% to 10% _______ the seven decades.

 

Learning Styles

Match the questions to the learning style, then discuss the questions.

 

1. Do you learn better quietly on your own, or by working with others? Do you like boolks and libraries?

2. Do you learn better by physically doing something in the real world? Are you sporty?

3. Do you learn through conversation? Do you love speaking with others?

4. Do you learn by listening? Perhaps by listening to interesting podcasts or lectures?

5. Do you enjoy puzzles and challenging mental games like chess? Do you enjoy solving mathematical problems?

6. Do you learn by seeing things? Do you love art, colours and patterns? Pictures? Diagrams?

7. Are you a socially smart person – are you good at arranging parties and dinners?

How do these words relate to the topic of education?











minor

to play up














cram











a dunce














drop out













field











to sit in on















head













middle of the pack












assessment











Grammar: 










Can you draw these?






a colon
a semi colon
an inverted comma
ellipsis
a dash
a hyphen
parentheses
italics
roman
a comma
an apostrophe
quotation marks







OK - what is each one for?








Linkers





Can you think of a synonym or similar phrases for each of these linkers / sentence adverbials? Try to find the closet one you can...














Even so














Ideally














Not only that













Mind you













Obviously









Linkers and Sentence adverbials













Surprisingly












In other words













For illustrative purposes















Finally













As a rule











Moreover












Then again












In addition












Thus










For all that











All in all












Incidentally












Unfortunately












Curiously











Apparently











Naturally











Admittedly












Similarly











Thankfully
















As you can imagine












As luck would have it












Strange as it may seem










Besides









In fact









In theory










Meanwhile










On the contrary











All the same










In retrospect









Likewise










What's more









In writing... 













What is "cohesion"?












What is "range"?












What is "clarity"?











What is "development"?











What is "effectiveness"?











What is "task achievement"?












What is "accuracy"?












What is appropriacy?












What is "awareness of audience"?











What is "style"?






















More education vocab:









prerequisite













syllabus










teacher-centred










Task-based learning











form










extra-cirricular










Cirricculm









A-levels








swat








HOD









enrol











humanities











Honours












freshman











post-doctoral











credits











learning styles
















EQ










ADHD

Kahoot!

What A Wonderful World sung by Sam Cooke

story

logy

if x 2
would x 2

bra

A

By

win

metry

two

ience

ench

do

 

Don't know much about hi______

Don't know much bio_____

Don't know much about a sc_____ book

Don't know much about the Fr____ I took

 

But I ___ know that I love you

and I know that ____ you love me too

what a wonderful world this ______ be

 

Don't know much about geo_______

Don't know much trigono_______

Don't know much about alge____

Don't know what a slide rule is for

 

But I do know one and one is _____

and ____ this one could be with you

what a wonderful world this ______ be

 

Now, I don't claim to be an ____ student,

but I'm trying to be

For maybe _____ being an A student, baby,

I could _____ your love to me

What A Wonderful World sung by Sam Cooke

Parkour

 Parkour

IELTS - talking about shopping (part 2)

 

·  Shopping centre – a large building with many shops.

·  Modern – new and up-to-date in style.

·  Energy – a lively or busy feeling in a place.

·  Popular – liked by many people.

·  Comfortable – pleasant and easy to be in.

·  Good-quality – well-made; something that lasts.

·  Stationery – things like pens, notebooks, and paper.

·  Relaxed atmosphere – a calm, pleasant feeling in a place.

·  Convenient – easy to use or easy to get to.

·  Enjoyable – fun or pleasant.

 

 

One of my favourite places to go shopping is 277 Newmarket in Auckland. It is part of Westfield Newmarket, a big and modern shopping centre. ____ you walk inside, it feels bright, busy, and full of energy. There are many shops, cafés, and places to relax, ____ it is easy to spend a long time there.

It is on Broadway in Newmarket, ____ is a popular shopping area in the city. It’s easy to get to by bus, train, or car, ____ the area feels safe and friendly. The shopping centre is clean and well-designed, ____ it is comfortable to walk around.

____ a 54-year-old teacher, I can find many things I need. I often look for good-quality clothes for work—something smart but comfortable for long days in the classroom. I also enjoy visiting bookstores and stationery shops ____ I like buying new notebooks, pens, or small things I can use for my lessons. ____ I stop for a coffee or a snack when I want a short break.

I like 277 Newmarket because it has everything in one place. It is convenient, it has a relaxed atmosphere, ____ I can find both practical things and little treats for myself. It makes shopping easy and enjoyable, ____ it is one of my favourite places to go.

 

 

 

One of my FAVOURITE places to go SHOPPING is 277 NEWMARKET in AUCKLAND. It is part of WESTFIELD NEWMARKET, a BIG and MODERN shopping CENTRE. When you walk INSIDE, it feels BRIGHT, BUSY, and full of ENERGY. There are many SHOPS, CAFÉS, and places to RELAX, so it is EASY to spend a LONG time there.

It is on BROADWAY in Newmarket, which is a POPULAR shopping AREA in the CITY. It’s EASY to get to by BUS, TRAIN, or CAR, and the area feels SAFE and FRIENDLY. The shopping centre is CLEAN and well-DESIGNED, so it is COMFORTABLE to walk AROUND.

As a 54-YEAR-OLD TEACHER, I can find many THINGS I NEED. I often look for GOOD-QUALITY CLOTHES for WORK—something SMART but COMFORTABLE for LONG days in the CLASSROOM. I also enjoy visiting BOOKSTORES and STATIONERY shops because I like buying new NOTEBOOKS, PENS, or small THINGS I can use for my LESSONS. And sometimes I stop for a COFFEE or a SNACK when I want a SHORT break.

I like 277 NEWMARKET because it has EVERYTHING in one PLACE. It is CONVENIENT, it has a RELAXED atmosphere, and I can find both PRACTICAL things and little TREATS for MYSELF. It makes SHOPPING EASY and ENJOYABLE, and that is why it is one of my FAVOURITE places to GO.

Matariki

Every year, around June, Matariki re-appears in the dawn sky – signalling the start of the Māori New Year. It is a time to celebrate new life, to remember those who've passed and to plan for the future.





Watch:

Tukutuku panels bound for New York

1. What day is New Year's Day in your country? Is it January 1st? 

2. Is this day a holiday in your country?

3. How do you celebrate this day?

4. Is there a special lunch or dinner on that day?

5. Does anything happen at night?

6. Are there any important customs on that day?

7. Do you have any memories of that day?

0800 Matariki

How many stars of the nine are associated with each aspect of the world?

Water
Forests
Horticulture
Weather and Wind
Guidance to the other world
Hopes and wishes
The watch star


Matariki explained

In Ancient Greece, the Pleiades were Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope, and Taygeta, companions of the goddess Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo. Represented here in a medieval painting (c. 850). 

Taurus, The Pleiades, and Orion's Belt Lascaux Cave Paintings, France, 10,000 - 18,000 years before present

Northern sky




Southern sky




Southern sky


The nine stars of Matariki

Describe a festival in your country that you enjoy.

You should say:

• What the festival is called
• When and where it is celebrated
• What people do during the festival
• And explain why you enjoy it

 

Māori

Constellation

Pleiades

Remembrance

Reflection

Harvest

Celebration

Cultural significance

Tradition

Whānau (family)

Community gatherings

Storytelling

Renewal

Astronomy

Ceremonies

Ancestral connections

Seasonal cycle

Indigenous

Commemoration

Spirituality

 

1.      For me,

2.      One of the most meaningful festivals in my country

3.      For many people,

4.      I really enjoy Matariki because

5.      Another important part of Matariki is

6.      It’s also a time

7.      During Matariki,

 

________, New Zealand, is Matariki, which is the Māori New Year. It’s based on the rising of a constellation called Matariki, also known as the Pleiades, and it usually appears in the winter sky around June or July. ___________it’s a time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal, and it carries deep cultural significance for Māori and for the wider population.

_________communities and whānau come together for community gatherings and ceremonies. People often share traditional storytelling about their ancestral connections, and many events focus on the seasonal cycle and astronomy, because the stars were traditionally used to guide harvesting and planting. _________to honour those who have passed away, which adds a sense of commemoration and spirituality to the celebrations.

________ celebrating the harvest and enjoying food with family. Many schools, workplaces, and local groups organise cultural activities that highlight indigenous traditions, and these events help strengthen the idea of community and tradition.

________ it brings people together in a calm and meaningful way. Unlike some festivals that focus heavily on noise and excitement, Matariki encourages us to slow down, think about where we’ve come from, and look forward to new beginnings. _______ it’s a beautiful reminder of our connection to nature, to our ancestors, and to each other.

Check

One of the most meaningful festivals in my country, New Zealand, is Matariki, which is the Māori New Year. It’s based on the rising of a constellation called Matariki, also known as the Pleiades, and it usually appears in the winter sky around June or July. For many people, it’s a time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal, and it carries deep cultural significance for Māori and for the wider population.

During Matariki, communities and whānau come together for community gatherings and ceremonies. People often share traditional storytelling about their ancestral connections, and many events focus on the seasonal cycle and astronomy, because the stars were traditionally used to guide harvesting and planting. It’s also a time to honour those who have passed away, which adds a sense of commemoration and spirituality to the celebrations.

Another important part of Matariki is celebrating the harvest and enjoying food with family. Many schools, workplaces, and local groups organise cultural activities that highlight indigenous traditions, and these events help strengthen the idea of community and tradition.

I really enjoy Matariki because it brings people together in a calm and meaningful way. Unlike some festivals that focus heavily on noise and excitement, Matariki encourages us to slow down, think about where we’ve come from, and look forward to new beginnings. For me, it’s a beautiful reminder of our connection to nature, to our ancestors, and to each other.

Te Waka o Rangi


According to Dr Matamua, the correct (auspicious) phase to celebrate Matariki is during the final waning phase of the moon in the Maori lunar month of Pipiri, the first month of the Maori lunar year.


Dr Rangi Matamua on Matariki

(Doctor Rangi Matamua (Tuhoe), is a senior lecturer based in the School of Māori and Pacific Development at Waikato University.)

Listen:

On "The Seven Sisters" and "Little Eyes"

13:56 -18:48

What did Pleiades mean in ancient Greek?



Te Iwa o Matariki

1.

18:48 - 23:35


2.

23:35 25:15

1. Why is Tupuaarangi above Tupuaanuku?

2. Why is Waitii above Waitaa?

3. What are Waipunarani and Ururangi above everything else?

4. What is special about Pohutukawa and Riwaterangi?


When to look for Matariki:

25:15 - 30:28