Directions: Choose the best word to complete each sentence. Write the word in the sentence. Then, cross out each word as you use it in a sentence. The first sentence has been done for you.

1. "Don't worry," said the doctor. "This won't hurt. It will be painless."
2. There is usually no reason for violence. It is _____________________.
3. Young people are often ___________________ because they think that nothing bad will happen to them.
4. Many of the people who live on the streets have no other place to live. They are ___________.
5. When people will not listen, it is __________________ to try to talk to them.

Note: These types of activities can be difficult to create, so teachers should feel free to use prefix and suffix activities in reading texts that are written at the appropriate level for their students. A follow- up activity to this one could be having students create their own sentences with the vocabulary items. For example, the teacher could present the situations and the students could complete the sentences:

My nephew is fearless. Last week he __________________________________________ .

Some students have difficulty using an English dictionary. Many words have more than one meaning and students may not know which definition is the correct one. They also may not understand the abbreviations for noun, verb, adjective, and adverb, which are included in a dictionary entry. To get students acquainted with using the dictionary, the teacher might do the following activity:

1. Ask the students what they do when they encounter an English word that they do not know. Discuss whether they try to guess the meaning from context, look up the word in a bilingual dictionary, or use an English-English dictionary. Point out that sometimes there are no clues to meaning in the sentence and sometimes there are many translations in the bilingual dictionary, so it is hard to select the correct one. Tell them that today you will give them some practice using an English dictionary.
2. Present them with a worksheet such as the one on the following page. Go over the explanation and first example with them as a whole group.
3. Ask the students to complete the activity individually and then to check it with a classmate.
4. Go over the worksheet orally with the whole class.