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There are at least 250,000 words in English.

Improving Vocabulary 01

This KS2 English quiz challenges you in improving vocabulary. One part of improving vocabulary is learning to spell correctly. Have you ever looked at a dictionary and wondered if anyone could possibly know all the words it contains? There are at least 250,000 words in English - so you'll have quite a task to learn them all! English uses so many words that, although a word might have many synonyms, each has a slightly different meaning. You can nearly always find a word to say exactly what you want to say. So, no more excuses for boring word choices!

By improving your vocabulary, you will have a better understanding of the English language and be able to write much more interesting stories.

Stretch your vocabulary by trying this English quiz.

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The clown's tricks made the children roll around, laughing, while the adults couldn't help but laugh.

smiling, roar

giggling, chuckle

crying, shriek

happy, smirk

The clown's tricks made the children roll around, giggling, while the adults couldn't help but chuckle.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
Tom was happy to be offered such an important role in the school play.

overjoyed

delighted

glad

All of the above

'Happy' is one of the most overused words in English - try to build up a collection of words which are more specific. For example, do 'glad' and 'delighted' mean exactly the same level of happiness?

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The boys walked home because they were eager to try out their new game.

crept

raced

shuffled

wandered

The boys raced home because they were eager to try out their new game. 'Raced' is an improvement for the less vivid 'walked'.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The family left the rubbish from their picnic.

spilled

quit

stopped

abandoned

The family abandoned the rubbish from their picnic.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The girls were sad when their cat went missing.

humiliated

dreadful

downhearted

furious

The girls were downhearted when their cat went missing. The other words are excellent vocabulary choices, but they do not have the same meaning as 'sad' in this sentence.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The dog's loud barking just made the baby cry even more loudly.

snivel

simper

howl

snuffle

The dog's loud barking just made the baby howl even more loudly.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The sun's hot rays shone all afternoon.

glistened

lit

glowed

blazed

The sun's hot rays blazed all afternoon. 'Hot rays' requires a strong word, like 'blazed'. 'Glowed' could be used if the sun was described as having 'gentle rays'.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The class liked those hot, sunny days when they were allowed to play cricket all afternoon.

enjoyed

admired

agreed

gained

The class enjoyed those hot, sunny days when they were allowed to play cricket all afternoon. To make the verb stronger, you could also use 'cherished' or 'treasured' or 'prized' (although it's important to sound reasonable, too!).

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
Lizzie said that she had a secret to tell us.

announced

told

smiled

questioned

Lizzie announced that she had a secret to tell us.

10.

Without changing the meaning of the sentence, choose the best replacement for the word in italics.
The children were tired after climbing the mountain.