Vocabulary Activity Sheets

(see also Grammar Activity Sheets)

Free downloadable and printable two-page vocabulary activity sheets that encourage students to practise their English skills both alone and working with a partner. Each student activity sheet comes with one page of teacher's notes giving clear directions and answers.

• The Senses (Activity) (intermediate)
  The Senses (Teacher)
  Description: Though the ability to perceive the sounds, smells, sights, and tastes we experience comes as second nature to most of us, the ability to describe them certainly does not. At least not when one is trying to do so in a foreign language! This activity sheet enables students to practise language associated with the Senses through an array of written and communicative exercises.
• Natural Disasters (Activity) (intermediate)
  Natural Disasters (Teacher)
  Description: Though they may be something very few of us ever wish to face, Natural Disasters are a grim reality of our world which seem to pop up all too frequently in the news. And regardless of whether one’s life has been directly affected by them or not, knowing the vocabulary associated with them is essential. This activity sheet helps to familiarise students with the most common Natural Disasters, offering them fun and varied practice through a series of written and communicative exercises.
• Plant and Tree Vocabulary (Activity) (intermediate)
  Plant and Tree Vocabulary (Teacher)
  Description: One doesn’t have to be green-fingered to admit that some basic Plant and Tree Vocabulary can be pretty handy to know. However, with so many parts and types, these words are not always easy to remember. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with useful Plant and Tree Vocabulary, offering them varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Extreme Adjectives (Activity) (intermediate)
  Extreme Adjectives (Teacher)
  Description: Is her dress just ugly, or is it hideous? Is the room cold, or is it freezing? Are you hungry, or are you absolutely starving? When it comes to adding emphasis to our speech, nothing quite beats an Extreme Adjective. For though one can generally get by with ordinary adjectives, these wonderful words, take our descriptions to a whole new level. The exercises in this activity sheet enable students to practise Extreme Adjectives in a fun and personalized way, both alone and in pairs.
• Animal Body Parts (Activity) (intermediate)
  Animal Body Parts (Teacher)
  Description: Whilst animal names may seem relatively easy to remember compared to other aspects of English vocabulary, the same cannot always be said for the parts of their bodies. And animal lover or not, you’ve got to admit that some of these words are pretty handy to know. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarize students with Animal Body Parts, offering them fun and varied practice through an array of written and spoken exercises.
• Adverb + Adjective Collocations (Activity) (intermediate)
  Adverb + Adjective Collocations (Teacher)
  Description: Whilst knowing which words sound right together may seem ridiculously easy for native speakers blessed with the innate ability to collocate, this is highly unlikely to be the case for the average English learner! The written and communicative exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with some of the more common Adverb + Adjective Collocations, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Verbs Associated with Shopping (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verbs Associated with Shopping (Teacher)
  Description: Though we may not all be fans of it, shopping is a part of most of our lives. And whilst going into a shop may seem easy enough for many of our students, mastering the language associated with this topic can be anything but! The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with Verbs Associated with Shopping, allowing them fun and varied practice, both alone and in pairs.
• Adjective + Noun Collocations (Activity) (intermediate)
  Adjective + Noun Collocations (Teacher)
  Description: Among the numerous things that native speakers of English take for granted is their instinctive ability to know which words sound right when used together. Unfortunately for our poor students, things aren’t always so straightforward and simple. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with some common Adjective + Noun Collocations, offering them fun and varied practice both alone and with a partner.
• Vocabulary Associated with Phones (Activity) (intermediate)
  Vocabulary Associated with Phones (Teacher)
  Description: Whether one loves them, hates them, or is utterly dependent on them as so many of our students are, phones are a prominent feature in both our personal and professional lives. And like so many other topics in English, they come with an array of of tricky but extremely useful vocabulary of their very own. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with Vocabulary Associated with Phones, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Verb + Noun Collocations (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verb + Noun Collocations (Teacher)
  Description: There are many things that native speakers often take for granted, one of which is the innate ability to know which words belong together, particularly which verbs go before certain nouns. Understandably, your average English student might struggle with this as in their own language this may not be the case. This activity sheet helps to familiarise students with common Verb + Noun Collocations, offering them varied practice through a range of different exercises.
• Vocabulary Associated with Work (Activity) (intermediate)
  Vocabulary Associated with Work (Teacher)
  Description: Whether it’s the be-all and end-all your existence, or something you do simply to pay the rent, work is a reality which most of us have to face. And like so many other common classroom conversation topics, it comes with its own array of tricky, yet vital vocabulary. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with Vocabulary Associated with Work, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and in pairs.
• Verbs Associated with Family (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verbs Associated with Family (Teacher)
  Description: Family life, like many popular classroom topics, brings with it a range of vocabulary of its very own, including a handful of rather confusing Phrasal Verbs. Though these may be tricky for some to master, when it comes to describing (and quite often complaining about) family life, they certainly come in handy. The exercises in this activity sheet help students to practise Verbs Associated with Family in a varied and practical way, both alone and with a partner.
• Compound Adjectives (Activity) (intermediate)
  Compound Adjectives (Teacher)
  Description: Just how many Compound Adjectives do you think you use on an average day? Probably more than you can count... Though these two- (and sometimes even three-) part adjectives may be second nature to many of us, for our poor students they are anything but. And with so many different structures to master, their confusion is highly understandable. The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with these perplexing parts of speech, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Confusing Words (Activity) (intermediate)
  Confusing Words (Teacher)
  Description: Accept or except? Advice or advise? Seeing as even native speakers often get these tricky words mixed up, one can imagine just how baffling our poor students must find them! And if they aren’t enough to send them into throes of despair, what about those perplexing verb duos, often accounted for with just one verb in their own language, where the difference in meaning is so very fine that we start to question it ourselves? The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with some of the most Confusing Words in the English language, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Adjective Suffixes (Activity) (intermediate)
  Adjective Suffixes (Teacher)
  Description: ible? able? y? ing? ed? For such small clusters of letters, Suffixes can be the source of an awful lot of confusion! Not only do these (often) irksome endings determine whether a word is a noun, a verb, an adverb, a superlative, or otherwise, many seem to come with their own unique meaning too! The exercises in this activity sheet help to familiarise students with some of the most common Adjective Suffixes, offering them fun and varied practice, both alone and with a partner.
• Vocabulary Associated with Crime (Activity) (intermediate)
  Vocabulary Associated with Crime (Teacher)
  Description: Break into, blow up, beat up, hold up… Open any local newspaper and it won’t be long before you come across a multitude of Crime-related phrasal verbs. And whilst this may be sadly indicative of the state of society today, you’ve got to admit that these pesky two (and sometimes three!) part verbs are pretty handy to know. The written and communicative exercises in this activity sheet enable students to practise Vocabulary Associated with Crime (phrasal verbs in particular) in a fun and varied way.
• Vocabulary Associated with Sports (Activity) (intermediate)
  Vocabulary Associated with Sports (Teacher)
  Description: Whether you play them, watch them, or simply enjoy complaining about them, sports play a part in many of our lives. And whilst they may be the source of hours of riveting conversation for some, getting to grips with the plethora of specific words associated with them is enough to make any student work up a sweat! This activity sheet allows students to practise some useful Vocabulary Associated with Sports in a fun and varied way.
• Verbs Associated with Travel (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verbs Associated with Travel (Teacher)
  Description: Whether you’re a high-maintenance traveller accustomed to nothing less than five-star luxury, a sightseeing junkie determined to cram as much culture into a short break as you possibly can, or a seasoned backpacker surfing your way around the world’s sofas at a leisurely, laid-back pace, when it comes to talking about travel plans, chances are you’re going to have to call upon the odd phrasal verb! Though perhaps not every student’s favourite aspect of this popular conversation topic, one would certainly be lost without them! The exercises in this resource help to familiarize students with some of the more common Verbs Associated with Travel, in a varied and practical way.
• Romance and Relationships (Activity) (intermediate)
  Romance and Relationships (Teacher)
  Description: Whether one’s single, married, head-over-heels, or otherwise, Romance and Relationships are topics which crop up in many a conversation. And as if the ins-and-outs of love weren’t enough to get one’s head around, what about the plethora of perplexing phrasal verbs associated with it? Whilst your average student may be far from smitten with them, there are certainly a few worth knowing. The exercises in this activity sheet help students to practise these useful verbs in a practical and varied way.
• Verbs Associated with Housework (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verbs Associated with Housework (Teacher)
  Description: Tidying up the kitchen, washing the mountain of dishes growing in the sink, folding and putting away the clothes… What glorious domestic tasks await you when you get home on an evening? Whilst most of us would be happy do away with these tedious jobs altogether, we certainly enjoy complaining about them, and no doubt our students do too! However, for many an English learner, mastering the plethora of verbs related to them can often prove to be the greatest chore of all! The exercises in this resource help to familiarize students with some common Verbs Associated with Housework, offering them fun and varied practice both alone and with a partner.
• Prefixes (Activity) (intermediate)
  Prefixes (Teacher)
  Description: INconsiderate or UNconsiderate? IMpolite or UNpolite? For such small clusters of letters, Prefixes can be the source of an awful lot of confusion! And seeing as they can alter the meaning of a word so very drastically, it’s essential that one gets them right. The exercises in this resource help to familiarise students with these pesky particles, offering them fun and varied practice both alone and with a partner.
• Health Phrasal Verbs (Activity) (intermediate)
  Health Phrasal Verbs (Teacher)
  Description: So how are you feeling today? Whilst some might be happy to answer this question with a simple ‘Very well, thanks’, for those of us wanting to go into any detail about the afflictions currently plaguing us (and let’s face it, many of us do), chances are we’re going to need to use the odd phrasal verb. The exercises in this resource help to familiarise students with some of the most common Health Phrasal Verbs, offering them fun and varied practice through a series of written and spoken exercises.
• Onomatopoeic Verbs (Activity) (intermediate)
  Onomatopoeic Verbs (Teacher)
  Description: So, what vexing noises prevent you from sleeping peacefully through the night? Whether it’s a neighbour’s dog howling pitifully until the early hours, a mosquito buzzing incessantly round your head, or that irksome tap you’ve been meaning to fix dripping steadily without relent, when it comes to describing everyday sounds (the good ones and the bad ones), one certainly wouldn’t get very far without Onomatopoeia. So, what about our poor students? Whilst these words may come naturally to many of us, chances are your average English learner might find some of them a little hard to grasp. The activities in this resource allow students to practise some of the most common Onomatopoeic Verbs in a fun and practical manner, both alone and with a partner.
• Driving Verbs and Vocabulary (Activity) (intermediate)
  Driving Verbs and Vocabulary (Teacher)
  Description: Get into, get out of, run over, drop off... the plethora of phrasal verbs associated with the topic of car travel are confusing enough to drive any English learner round the bend! And it doesn’t end there… What about all those pesky car-related nouns? The activities in this resource allow students to practise Driving Verbs and Vocabulary in a varied and practical way, both alone and in pairs.
• Money Verbs and Vocabulary (Activity) (intermediate)
  Money Verbs and Vocabulary (Teacher)
  Description: Whether it makes your world go round or not, money plays a part in all of our lives. And though deeming the love of money the root of all evil may seem a bit extreme, getting to grips with the confusing vocabulary associated with it can be a nightmare for your average English learner. The written and communicative activities in this resource allow students to practise some of the most pertinent yet perplexing Money Verbs and vocab in a varied, practical, and personalised way.
• Common Interjections (Activity) (intermediate)
  Common Interjections (Teacher)
  Description: So... How many Interjections do you think you’ve used so far today? Probably a lot more than you’re aware of, even if the day is still relatively young! Though often used quite unconsciously, Interjections are a vital part of our everyday speech, as without them we would struggle to express our true feelings and emotions. The activities in this resource help to familiarise students with some of the more commonly used Interjections in the English language, giving them ample opportunity to practise these weird and wonderful words, both alone and in groups.
• Food Phrasal Verbs (Activity) (intermediate)
  Food Phrasal Verbs (Teacher)
  Description: Us teachers all know that there are few better to ways to spice up classroom conversation than by turning the topic to food. And whilst our students may have a lot to say about this crème de la crème of topics, getting to grips with the phrasal verbs associated with it can be anything but a piece of cake. The written and communicative exercises in this resource allow students to practise some common Food Phrasal Verbs in a fun and varied way.
• Verbs Associated with Clothing (Activity) (intermediate)
  Verbs Associated with Clothing (Teacher)
  Description: Though they may vary in importance from one person to the next, clothes play a part in all our lives, especially those of your average student. Getting our students to talk about their clothing habits correctly, however, isn’t always plain sailing, as it’s a topic full of perplexing verbs and phrasal verbs which can easily be confused. The written and communicative activities in this resource encourage students to get their thinking caps on and practise Verbs Associated with Clothing in a fun and practical way.
• Sleep Phrasal Verbs (Activity) (intermediate)
  Sleep Phrasal Verbs (Teacher)
  Description: As it’s something that most of us spend approximately a third of our lives doing, sleep is a topic that we can all relate to. Have you ever tried talking about your sleep habits without using phrasal verbs though? Nigh impossible for your average English speaker! Which is why it’s so vital that our students know how use these vexing verbs correctly. The activities in this resource help familiarise students with some of the most common Sleep Phrasal Verbs in a fun and varied way, both alone and with a partner.
• Common Time Expressions (Activity) (intermediate)
  Common Time Expressions (Teacher)
  Description: How many expressions with the word ‘time’ do you use on a regular basis? Probably a lot more than you're aware of, as for many they are almost second nature. And whilst these expressions may seem quite straightforward and user-friendly to us, for your average English learner they can be extremely confusing! This resource enables students to practise some of the more commonly-used Time Expressions through a variety of written and communicative activities.

(see also Grammar Activity Sheets)