Vocabulary in Reading Comprehension

Vocabulary in Reading Comprehension

By David Hope

Fill in the Blank

How important is understanding vocabulary?

Have a go at reading this sentence, which will form part of a passage, with a piece of vocabulary missing.

Firstly, you should boil the ______.

​What might come next in the passage? Try and fill in the blanks with a partner.

Firstly, you should boil the kettle. Whilst the _______ is ________ you should get the ________ ready by putting the ________ in the _______. Once the __________ is _________ you should pour the _________ ________ into the _____. Leave the ______ to ______ for four to five minutes, add ______ and enjoy!

​Did you get it?

​Firstly, you should boil the kettle. Whilst the kettle is boiling you should get the cup ready by putting the teabag in the cup. Once the kettle is boiled you should pour the boiling water into the cup. Leave the tea to brew for four to five minutes, add milk and enjoy!

​Unfamiliar vocabulary

​Look at the surrounding words and get clues.

​

​Extract from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens:

​

​“The hungry and destitute situation of the infant orphan.”

Multiple Choice

Think about the word 'destitute'

“The hungry and destitute situation of the infant orphan.”

What are we picturing when we think of a hungry orphan?

​destitute?

Poll

Read this extract and look at the word 'malignancy'. Do the words around it suggest this is positive or negative?

• Positive

• Negative

​Notes for teacher

​There are several words in the example that may be unfamiliar. Take ‘malignancy’, for instance. The words around it suggest that it means something negative. They imply that the heart of the man is ‘full’ of something ‘against’ people who have been cruel to him.

As well as looking at surrounding words, you may also get some clues by thinking of similar words that might be more familiar, like ‘malicious’, which means intending to do harm to others. This gets close to the meaning of the word ‘malignancy’ in this context, which means ‘wishing to do evil to others’.

Multiple Choice

In this passage, what is the definition of 'burrow'?

• nest

• dig

• den

Multiple Choice

In this passage, what is the definition of 'plain'?

• not decorated

• aircraft

• wide open space

Multiple Choice

In this passage, what is the definition of 'desolate'?

• empty

• wild

• grassy

Multiple Choice

In this passage, what is the definition of 'fiendish'?

• angry

• unpleasant

• strong