English vocabulary can be tricky indeed to master. There are just so many words to remember, and one word can have many meanings. The only way to be a fluent user of the English language is to practice it at whatever opportunity you have. For learning vocabulary it is of paramount importance that one practices the usage of words in context. The following exercises give such practice:
Cloze Exercise 1a
The following is a report about a fire accident in a village in the small country of Brunei Darussalam. There are some words left out in the report. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word.
A fire 1) …………………….. out in Kampong Pulate yesterday afternoon at the home of Awang Ahmad and Dayang Rosni. The fire started in the 2) …………………….. while Dayang Rosni was cooking lunch. She had left the kitchen for a short while to find out why her baby was 3) ………………………in the bedroom. Unfortunately, she did not turn off the gas and the cooking oil 4)……………………… fire.
Awang Ahmad was 5)……………………………television when the fire started. When he saw the smoke he went to the kitchen, realized that the house was burning and 6) …………………… to his wife and children. His eldest son, who was washing the car at the time, ran into the house to 7) …………………….. his mother who was in her bedroom with the baby.
The fire force was 8) ………………… by a neighbor and they arrived within fifteen minutes. Fortunately, 9)………………… was injured in the fire, but the house was completely 10)……………….. because it was a wooden house.
Awang Ahmad and his family were 11)…………………… by the loss of their house and belongings. However, he was given some good news by his neighbor. Apparently, there was a strange custom in the country that whoever 12)…………………. their house in a fire would be given a new house by the village elders, and in return, Awang Ahmad had to 13)…………… his word that one of his children will join the country’s army. Awang Ahmad asked his sons if any of them was 14)………………. to join the army. His eldest gladly accepted the offer and soon, Awang Ahmad and family were proud 15)………………… of a brand new house.
Cloze Exercise 1b
The following is an account of a young girl who survived a terrible air crash. Some of the verbs in the story are missing. Read through the story and write down the missing verbs.
A few years ago, there was an air crash in Peru, South America. A small airliner 1) ……………. from Lima airport to Pucalpa when a sudden, violent storm 2)……………. out. The plane 3) ……………….. into the thick jungle. There was only one survivor: a young girl called Suzanne. But alone against the jungle, how long 4)………….. she survive?
She was not badly injured and could walk well, so she 5) ……………… to look for a river. She knew that people 6)…………………. near rivers and she knew she had to find help soon. So she started 7)……………
Suzanne was very intelligent and 8)…………. that there were rules she had to obey: the rules of the jungle. After walking for some time, she 9)…………..a river and followed it in the hope of meeting some people. She had very little food and she tried to 10)………….. some frogs, but they were too fast for her. She walked for a day without 11)……………. anyone.
Then suddenly, she 12)……………. a hut, and a boat by the river bank outside the hut. Suzanne went inside to 13)………………out if anyone was there, but it was empty. She was so tired that she 14)………………..asleep inside the hut.
A couple of hours later, Suzanne was 15) ………………… up by the sound of people talking. She opened her eyes to see three Indians staring at her. She was no longer alone; she 16) …………….safe, and for the first time since the crash she 17) ……………to cry. The Indians were gentle people, and gave her some berries to eat. Then they 18)……………….to her to follow them. She followed them through the jungle till they 19) ……………….to a small village. There were women and children in the village. The Indians took Suzanne to their elder, who knew some English. From him, she came to 20)……………… that she was only a little distance away from civilization.
Answer key
Cloze Exercise 1a
1) broke
2) kitchen
3) crying
4) caught
5) watching
6) shouted
7) rescue
8) called/alerted
9) no one/nobody
10) destroyed
11) devastated
12) lost
13) give
14) willing
15) owners
Cloze Exercise 1b
1. was flying
2. broke
3. crashed
4. could
5. started/began
6. lived
7. walking
8. knew
9. found
10. catch
11. seeing
12. saw
13. find
14. fell
15. woken
16. felt
17. began/started
18. gestured
19. came
20. know/understand
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