Put Your English Words on Trial
Some English words are very strange. You study them today. You read them many times. You feel ready. Then, the next day, the words disappear from your mind.
You see the word in a test or in a conversation. The word looks at you and says, “Do I know you?” This can feel funny and sad at the same time.
You can use a simple game to help. The game is called Word Court. In this game, a word is a person in a court. You are the judge. The word must make a good English sentence before it can leave the court.
Choose the Missing Words
Choose three or five words that you often forget. Do not choose too many words. A small court is better. It is quiet, and the judge can do good work.
For example, your words can be borrow, hungry, expensive, and forget.
These words are simple, but they can disappear when you want to speak. Maybe you want to say that you need food, but you forget the word hungry. Maybe you say, “I am hunger,” and the sentence starts to look confused.
Give Each Word a Funny Problem
Make each word a person with a funny problem. The word forget can be guilty because it always disappears. The word hungry can be guilty because it makes students think about pizza during English class.
Then the word must speak in English. It needs one good sentence. For the word borrow, the word can say: Can I borrow your phone for one minute?
If the sentence is good, the word can leave the court for today. If the sentence is not right, the word comes back tomorrow for another short lesson.
Use the Word in a Sentence
Do not only read the meaning of a word. Make a sentence with it. This helps you use the word when you speak.
For example, the word expensive can say: This laptop is too expensive for me.
Then ask a question with the same word: Is this restaurant expensive?
Now you use the word two times. You use it in a sentence and in a question. This is better than looking at the translation only.
Bring Other Words to Court
Words need friends. When you learn one word, use other words with it. This can help you remember more English.
For example, the word hungry can bring these friends: food, eat, restaurant, and breakfast.
You can say: I am hungry. I want to eat breakfast at a small restaurant.
This is a small story. It helps you connect the words in your mind. Later, when you think about food, you may remember the word hungry.
Put Grammar Mistakes on Trial
You can also use Word Court for grammar mistakes. Maybe you often say: He go to school. In this sentence, the verb has a problem.
The judge can say that go needs an s with he, she, and it.
Then make three sentences: He goes to school every day. She goes to work by bus. My cat goes to the garden.
These sentences can help you remember the grammar rule. You are not only reading the rule. You are using it.
Free the Word Later
A word does not leave the court forever after one sentence. Review it tomorrow and again after a few days. Try to remember the meaning and make a new sentence without your notes.
If you can remember the word easily, it is free. It is now a good word in your English vocabulary. If you forget it again, bring it back to court. Give it a funnier story or a better sentence.
A Fun Way to Practice
Word Court is a funny game, but it gives you real English practice. You remember words, make sentences, ask questions, and fix mistakes.
Choose three words today. Give each word a funny problem. Then make one English sentence for each word. Your missing words may stop running away from you.
