English Word Skills Exercises for A2 – Word building

5 exercises

Last year, at the age of seventeen, Mike Perham became the youngest sailor to complete a 1) (circumnavigate) of the world alone. But this year, two sixteen-year-old girls are beginning separate 2) (attempt) to beat his record. Last year, a thirteen-year-old Dutch girl, Laura Dekker, was finishing her 3) (prepare) for the same journey when a children’s court stopped her. Now aged fourteen, she’s trying again. It seems that many teenagers today aren’t interested in the normal forms of 4) (entertain) and 5) (relax), like video games and sports. They want 6) (experience) that can really excite their 7) (imagine) and also help with the 8) (develop) of personal skills. So they choose 9) (explore). Their amazing 10) (accomplish) certainly look good on their CVs when it’s time to find 11) (employ). But for most of them, that probably isn’t the main 12) (motivate).

1)
Which noun is countable?
2)
Which noun is uncountable?
3)
Which noun has no definition?
(Note: related nouns sometimes have no definition if the meaning is clear without one.)
4)
Which entry has example sentences?
5)
Why are there two examples, not one?

Sometimes pictures with labels can help you record and learn related words.

sail – She sailed to America.

go sailing – We went sailing last summer.

1)
The of the new stadium will be next September. (complete)
2)
It’s wonderful to life in another country – you can learn so much about the world. (experience)
3)
The books he wrote about famous mountain climbers are his greatest (achieve)
4)
She to go running every day to prepare for the race. (need)
5)
I don’t know what the was about, but they’re friends again now. (argue)
6)
Cars and lorries over the bridge all day. (thunder)
7)
Firefighters their lives every day to save people and buildings. (risk)
8)
I’m not sure what her is, but she really wants to succeed. (motivate)
9)
The for our trip were quick because we only planned to stay for two nights. (prepare)
10)
He is famous for his as a mountain climber. (accomplish)

How to Practice