While thinking about what to write so we can start the year with something fun, I was preparing for Cambridge Advanced class, and we were doing word formation, particularly looking at or reviewing morphemes like ‘bi’ for two in words like bicycle or binoculars, ‘tele’ for far in telephone, television, telescope, and ‘scope’ for ‘to look at’. As part of this, I made a little review quiz, so as a start, you can try the quiz yourself. I allowed them to use dictionaries, so you can too.
What can we use to:
• Look in someone’s ear – Otoscope (this was my example)
• Look at the stars
• Look at something far away like an animal on safari
• Look around a corner
• Listen to someone’s heart or lungs
• Look through a wall
And now the answers: Telescope, binoculars, periscope, stethoscope, window.
And yes, window got a huge laugh from the students and made me remember a few activities I used to do just for fun, so I reworked them slightly for this blog. Hope you enjoy and get to use one or two, or worse case, you adapt them to something you can do or come up with your own. I have used some of these with young learners (adapted and easier), but I feel they work best with Teens and Adults. And obviously, to breathe a bit of life into an early morning teacher development session.
Sentence groups
Allow students to use dictionaries for words they do not know. I would suggest strong CEFR A2 and up for this.
Give them these sentences and ask them to divide the sentences into two groups. You can mix the sentences on a handout, or you can just use paper strips. Again, perhaps do the activity yourself first. How would you divide the sentences? What is the reason? Can you think of a different way to divide them?
Never odd or even.
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Too hot to hoot.
Was it a rat I saw?
Eva, can I see bees in a cave?
Murder for a jar of red rum.
The five boxing wizards jumped quickly.
Would sympathizing fix Quaker objectives?
My wife exchanged her woven silk pyjamas for blue quartz.
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.
Did you pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs?
The answer: The first six are palindromes (read the same from back to front). The next five are pangrams (they use every letter in the alphabet).
Follow up. Challenge the students to write as many sentences as they can in 5 (or more) minutes containing all the letters from A to Z.
Crossword fun with anagrams
This activity works best (in my opinion) as a crossword. I suggest selecting from the list of words on the left and using them as a clue, with the answer on the right. Use any crossword generator online.
Anagrams that are strangely related.
Listen – Silent (I often use this as an example)
Debit card – Bad credit
The Morse Code – Here come dots
Schoolmaster – The classroom
A gentleman – Elegant man
Eleven plus two – Twelve plus one (This is my favorite because the maths is the same!)
Dirty room – dormitory
Anagrams that are not related.
Heart – Earth
Race – Care
Part – Trap (or Tarp)
State – Taste
Below – Elbow
Option 2: Put both words in a sentence with the answer being the wrong word. This provides some context. For example, I got a debit card, but that led to debit card.
Option 3: Use a paragraph
Yesterday was a disaster. I arrived at the school, but I couldn’t find my DIRTY ROOM. I asked THE CLASSROOM for help, but he was too busy eating his lunch. He said his mind was in a very bad TASTE and couldn’t talk right now.
I went to the cafeteria, but I realized I lost my BAD CREDIT. I tried to pay for a sandwich, but the machine said “Error.” I felt like I was playing a TRAP in a horror movie.
Suddenly, ELEGANT MAN walked in. He didn’t speak English; he only spoke in HERE COME DOTS. He tapped on the table and gave me five dollars. It was a very strange day!
A bit of creativity – Portmanteau inventions
Give the students (Intermediate and above) some of the words on this list. Use words you can either teach them or they already know. Ask them which two words make up this ‘new’ word.
Podcast (Pod [from iPod] + Broadcast)
Webinar (Web + Seminar)
Netiquette (Network + Etiquette)
Blog (Web + Log)
Lifestyle & Travel Portmanteaus
Glamping (Glamorous + Camping)
Staycation (Stay + Vacation)
Workaholic (Work + Alcoholic)
Hangry (Hungry + Angry)
Spork (Spoon + Fork)
Breathalyzer (Breath + Analyzer)
Let students work in pairs or groups to come up with a crazy invention or new word combining two words and explain their justification for this word/invention.
Looking forward
I did end my last blog in 2025 with ‘I hope we have lots of fun this year’. I am ending my first blog of 2026 with ‘I hope you have lots of fun with these activities.’ If you celebrate Lunar New Year or Ramadan, may it be the start of a blessed year filled with success and fun.
