Opposites attract

May! The month of flowers and sunshine, and the start of the festival season! Not surprisingly, many countries celebrate May Day (1 May) by taking a day off from work. It's time to work less and enjoy life more when it comes to learning English vocabulary, too. On a special sheet included with the May edition, Spotlight has collected the 50 most useful words that regularly appear in the magazine. Here is the first of a series of online vocabulary exercises that will take the "work" out of learning them.

This one is dedicated to opposites and contrasts. One way to remember a word is to pair it up with another word that means the exact opposite.  It is also much easier to move these contrasting words and phrases into your active vocabulary when you connect them in a story line. So here is the story of the May-December romance between Thomas and Margo. "May-December"? Thomas is 39 and Margo is 51. As if that weren't enough of a challenge, Thomas also has two children who have to accept his love life. As you read their story, look at the highlighted words. Then try to remember the story. Finally, in a two-part exercise, see if you can remember the words themselves correctly. Good luck, and have fun!

Anne Hodgson