Grammar Glamour and Word Wizardry: Rhyme and Alliteration to Teach ESL

Presented by Emily Ellis & Jake Jacobs, UC Irvine, Division of Continuing EducationEmily.Ellis@unx.uci.edu, njacobs@uci.edu

Alliterative Fixed Phrases

This list is a condensed list from the exhaustive one created by Seth Lindstromberg and Frank Boers (2005). We have chosen what we believe to be the most useful, common phrases for our ESL students. Some phrases have been added to their original list, and some have been removed.

Blind as a batBed and breakfastBeer bellyBusy as a beeBlack and blueBite the bulletTo get too big for your britches Below the beltBounce backBeauty is in the eye of the beholderBright-eyed and bushy-tailedBelow the beltBeyond beliefThe bottom of the barrel Back in businessThe best of both worldson your best behaviorback to the drawing boarddoesn’t have a bad bone in his bodybadly burnedYou better believe itYou bet your bottom dollar

Cool as a cucumberCuriosity killed the catCut cornersA crash courseOn a collision courseA copycatA close callA camera crewThat’s the way the cookie crumblesCome clean aboutCrystal clearCouldn’t care lessClear conscience

Call it quitsA Close callCan’t complainOn cruise controlKey concernToo close to call

Down the drainA dime a dozenEvery dog has his dayDaydreamDay to dayA dirty deedDeep downDeath-defyingDon’t you dare!Debbie Downer

Far-fetchedFinger foodFriend or foeAdd fuel to fireA fair weather friendA free for allBirds of a feather flock togetherFan the flamesFew and far betweenFame and fortuneFlow freelyFirst and foremostFirst things firstFact or fictionPhoto finish

Good as goldThe grass is always greener…All that glitters isn’t gold.As good as it getsGain ground

Good to goGive up the ghostGive the green lightGoodness graciousGod-givenIll-gotten gainsGlitz and glamour

Have high hopesHalf-heartedWhole-heartedWith a heavy heartHome is where the heart isHead over heelsHip-hip hooray!Live high off the hogHit the hayHold your horsesHold handsA helping handAs hungry as a horseToo hot to handleHard of hearingHold your head highIn my heart of heartsHit homeHealth hazardHead for the hillsHit somebody where it hurtsGet on one’s high horseHead for home

Look before you leapLove it or leave itLife lessonsA leading ladyLive and learnLive and let liveIn the limelightLie low

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Learn a lessonLove lifeLook likeHave the last laughLast but not least

The more the merrierThere’s a method to my madnessMan-madeMark my wordsMixed message Make a messMake a mountain out of a molehillPut your money where your mouth isMore than meets the eyeMake a mistakeMake moneyMake matters worseMake the most ofMiss by a mileNot move a muscle

You never knowNow or neverNeck and neckNext to nothingNo news is good newsNature versus nurture Not necessarily

A pretty penny The proof is in the puddingPart and parcel ofPut somebody in their placeProve a pointTo pin-pointPay the pricePeer pressureLike two peas in a pod

People personParking placePlaces to go and people to seeParty pooperPower playPlank a prank on someone

Run a riskRoad rageRock and roll Rat raceRule the roostRules and regulationsReach rock bottomRise through the ranksRocky roadRole reversalReserve the right

Swim suitJust to be on the safe sideA sound sleepA sight for sore eyesSink or swimSettle a scoreSilky smoothSlipper slopeSame sex (marriage)Safe and soundStick out like a sore thumbSide by sideOnly scratch the surface ofSo and soIn a split secondSomebody’s strong suitSlowly but surelyA sensitive subjectSpick and spanShort but sweet

Tank topTell tale signsTake turnsTip toeTime will tellTell the truthThe tide has turnedTurn the tables onTo a t Truth be toldTricks of the tradeTrash talkTeach an old dog new tricksTake too farStand the test of time Tip of the tongueTattle-tale

This and thatThis, that and the otherThrough and through

WhirlwindWhere there’s a will, there’s a wayWaste not want notWish someone wellOne way Have a way with wordsWorth the waitWet your whistleA worry wardWild weekendWhat are we waiting for? Words of wisdomWhat a waste!There’s no way in the worldWear out your welcomeJust walk away

Activity #1: Alliterative Vocabulary

A Quick Language Lesson (en español)Step 1: Find the words in column 1 that alliterate with your vocabulary words in column 2.

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Column 1 Column 2 (Vocabulary Words)

un ángel ___________________________

un burrito __________________________

una casa ___________________________

un chico ___________________________

un perro ___________________________

chido

perezoso

barato

aburrido

cara

Alliterative Vocabulary: Instructions

The following activity is an adapted/modified version of the activity outlined by Boers and Lindstromberg (2000). (Full reference at the end of this handout)

Purpose: Students have already been exposed to a new set of vocabulary. This activity is to practice, review and help students to cement the terms in a fun way.

Activity Sequence:

1. What is alliteration? Give students examples of alliteration and ask them to come up with a couple of examples to make sure they understand what alliteration is. Give them a couple of examples that show that alliterative pairs of words may not always begin with the same letter. (i.e. new knowledge, quick coffee)

2. Match the terms: If you have already thought of alliterations for each of the terms, give the students the list of terms in two columns: (1) vocabulary terms, (2) alliterative additions. (Another option is for students to think of their own alliterations. This takes time, however, but can be quite fun!) Have students match the words. Then, discuss what order they should go in or whether an additional word (such as a preposition) is needed to make the phrase complete.

3. Alliterations and Hints: Give students a paper with a list of the completed alliterations on the left-hand side of a paper (side 1). On the back of the paper (left-hand side) make clues. In this example, the picture and the alliterative counterpart are provided as the clues. When students receive

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the paper, have them fold the right third vertically over to the left so that they can see only the picture clues and the phrases. Encourage them to explain how the pictures depict the meanings of the phrases. Ask some of them to come up with complete sentences.

4. Memory PracticeAll students turn their papers over to side two (unfolded). Ask for one student to read the hints (the alliterative counterparts of each target word), stopping after each to allow for another student to complete the phrase with the target word. Do the same activity in pairs. (One student quizzes the other student.)

5. Variations/ Extensions

Slide Show Review:

Make a simple PowerPoint presentation with one slide for each picture hint. Do not include any words. Run through the pictures quickly and ask students to shout out the alliterations they remember for each picture. Students could also write down the terms silently as the teacher goes through each slide.

Storytelling:

Less Challenging: Make cards with the alliterative phrases on them and accompanying pictures. Put them in a bag. Divide students into pairs. The first student pulls out the first card and uses the phrase on the card to begin telling a story. Then, his/her partner takes out a card and incorporates the next phrase into the story. This is much more fun and challenging when two or more sets of vocabulary have been covered and there are more items in the bag.

More Challenging: Do the same activity as above, but include only the alliterative counterpart for each target word.

Even More Challenging: Do the same activity but with pictures only.

VOCABULARY ALLITERATION: (Example- list of words from a textbook)

1. Match each vocabulary term to its alliteration. You do not need to make complete sentences.

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Vocabulary Words Alliterative Terms

courseendure

experienceformatget intorationtent

terrainstage

unique

tallget intoraisinsseveralcrazy

energyfile

treesman

excitingunicorn

2. Write the alliterations below. If the two words are an adjective and a noun, put them in the appropriate order. If the two words are both nouns, you may need a preposition to complete the phrase.

1. ______________________________________2. ______________________________________3. ______________________________________4. ______________________________________5. ______________________________________6. ______________________________________7. ______________________________________8. ______________________________________9. ______________________________________10. ______________________________________

(Front)

1. a crazy course

2. an exciting experience

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3. the file format

4. get into golf

5. a ration of raisins

6. a tall tent

7. terrain with trees

8. several stages

9. a unique unicorn

10. the energy to endure

1.

2.

3.

a crazy…

an exciting…

the file…

(Back)

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10. Activity #2: Matching Letter Clues

Purpose: Students have already started learning the simple past and past participle forms of both regular and irregular verbs. They have also learned when it is appropriate to use the simple past and the present perfect tenses. This is activity is to practice forming correct sentences in the simple present, simple past, and present perfect and to help students recognize patterns in the irregular verb forms. Students will practice using the correct forms of each of the 3 tenses and using the correct “key words” that indicate the time.

Activity Sequence:

1. Pattern Recognition: Review the 3 verb forms (base form, simple past, past participle) of certain irregular verbs that follow a pattern. In this activity, we will use verbs which follow the pattern of i/a/u (drink, drank, drunk). Point out to the students that there are a few verbs that follow this pattern. Ask them if they can identify anymore from a list of irregular verbs that has been provided, either in their books or from the teacher. The list of verbs used for this activity are as follows:

…golf

…of raisins

a tall…

…with trees

s

…unicorn

the energy to…

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Drink, Begin, Ring, Sing, Sink, Stink, Swim

2. Pictures or Symbols: Show students a students a set of pictures or symbols that will represent each verb (see the next page for our example). We showed the students the pictures with a PowerPoint, but you may want to give them a handout. Go over the verbs that each symbol represents.

3. Group Work: Divide students into small groups. Each group receives 2 stacks of cards: 1) picture cards—each card has a picture of one of the verbs from step two. 2) word cards—each card contains a name and a “key word” that indicates time (see next page).

Word Cards—explanation The cards contain names or pronouns beginning with the letters i/a/u. Names that

begin with i represent habitual actions that occur in the simple present tense. For example, one card may say, “Ian….every day.” Students should recognize that this work requires the simple verb form containing the vowel “i.” Other cards may include the words, “Ann…yesterday” or “You…never in your life,” which indicate the simple past and the present perfect respectively.

Group members will take turns making sentences. When it is the student’s turn, s/he will draw 2 cards—a picture card and a word card. The picture card indicates the verb that they must use, and the word card indicates the tense. The letters on the card ( i/a/u) are the clues to remind them the correct verb form. For example, if a student pulls these 2 cards:

Isabelle

often

The correct response is “Isabelle often drinks (water).”

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Activity #3: Using Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions- “An Ode to Gerunds”

The student’s task is to (a) memorize the preposition that follows each adjective or verb phrase, and (b) to remember that this preposition is then followed by a gerund. This seems to be less about understanding a grammatical rule and more about memorization. Thus, this is one grammar point that lends itself nicely to a mnemonic device such as rhyme.

Suggested Lesson sequence: 1. Go over grammar rules (Blue Azar 14-2) with students. Explain with examples or a story if possible. Go over the meaning of any unknown words. 2. Give students the poem. Explain what “rhyme” is. Ask students to repeat each line after you. 3. Ask students to find the words that have similar sounds in each verse. To provide them with support, give them one word and ask them to find the other. (i.e. verse 1: failing and___) 4. Divide the class into four groups. Each group is responsible for reciting their part of the poem when it’s their turn. Do this two or three times.5. Give students a new copy of the poem in which one word is missing from each verse. This should be one of the rhyming pairs. 6. Then, give them the reverse (the other word is missing).7. Do “disappearing story” with one verse a day as a warm up. (Erase it little by little on the board, and students try to reconstruct it.)

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8. Students write their own endings to the poem (their own gerunds). Encourage them to make rhymes!

1I’m excited about learning.I’m not worried about failing.I won’t complain about working.I dream of prevailing. 2I won’t think of giving up.I won’t talk about quitting.I believe in standingInstead of sitting.

3I won’t be guilty of not tryingBecause I’m capable of growing.I’m tired of wondering.I insist on knowing.4I’m devoted to advancing.I look forward to being free.I object to surrendering.I’m committed to being me.

Preposition/ Gerund Poem: Complete the poem by completing the incomplete words. *Hint: The missing word in each verse should rhyme with the underlined word in that verse.

1I’m excited about learning.I’m not worried about failing.I won’t complain about working.I dream of p________________.2I won’t think of giving up.I won’t talk about quitting. I believe in standingInstead of s________________.3I won’t be guilty of not tryingBecause I’m capable of growing.I’m tired of wondering.I insist on kn________________.4I’m devoted to advancing.I look forward to being free.I object to surrendering.I’m committed to being m_____.

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Preposition/Gerund Poem: Unfinished VersionDirections: Complete the poem with your own ideas (using gerunds).

1I’m excited about ________________________.I’m not worried about ________________________. I won’t complain about ________________________.I dream of ________________________.2I won’t think of ________________________.I won’t talk about ________________________.I believe in ________________________Instead of ________________________.3I won’t be guilty of ________________________.Because I’m capable of ________________________.I’m tired of ________________________.I insist on ________________________.4I’m devoted to ________________________.I look forward to ________________________.I object to ________________________.I’m committed to ________________________.

Activity #4: Rhyming Riddles (Review of Synonyms for tired, energetic, happy, and sad)

Think of one of your vocabulary words (synonyms for tired, energetic, happy or sad) and another word that rhymes with that word to complete each sentence.

1. My sister came to pick me up at the airport. On her way to the airport there had been a lot of traffic; although she was very happy to see me, she was also annoyed from having to sit through traffic.

My sister was ____________________ but ____________________.

2. It was Monday, and Jack was not in a good mood. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he had a big problem. His landlord raised his rent to twice the amount he had been paying!

Poor Jack was ___________________ because his rent had ____________________.

3. One of the people who responded to the survey about the current political situation said that he was “hopeless”.

He was a ________________________ ___________________________.

4. Mindy jogged and lifted weights nearly every day last year in preparation for the marathon. Every time she finished a training session, she was completely out of energy.

She was totally _____________________ after she ___________________.11

5. Before she met her fate as the main course of a Thanksgiving dinner, Tony was one of the liveliest of all the birds on the farm.

Tony was a _____________________ ______________________.

6. Joe was sweating with intense nervousness as he prepared to propose to his girlfriend. He had practiced the words he wanted to say many times, and now was the moment of truth. “Mary, will you—AHHH-CHOOO!” Apparently, Joe was allergic to proposals. Joe was not happy that he ruined such a special moment.

Joe was not ____________________ that he ________________________.

Answers: 1. My sister was overjoyed but annoyed. / 2. Jack was troubled because his rent had doubled. / 3. He was despondent respondent. / 4. She was totally drained after she trained. / 5. Tony was a perky turkey. / 6. Joe was not pleased that he sneezed.

References:Boers, F. and Lindstromberg, S. (2000) “Means of Mass Memorization of Multi-Word Expressions, Part One: The Power of Sound Patterns” Humanising Language Teaching, Pilgrims Ltd. Retrieved from: http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jan05/mart03.htm

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