Building word power

through free

associationBy Joyce Lee

What is “free association”?

A thought process in which ideas (focus words) suggest other ideas (phrases) in a sequence

Rationale

focus word → useful expressions point → chunks

short, familiar words → verb phrases → noun compounds

Free association by focus word

Why? When? How? 1. Weekly words as focus word + free association 2. Individual students volunteer to explain different items 3. Brainstorming 4. Group competition 5. Worksheet

Possible focus words

Body parts

Common nouns

Common actions

Common verbs

Color words

1. Body parts head, face, hand, mouth, eye, back, lip

from hand to mouth

lip service

mouth-watering

save one’s face

Two heads are better than one

2.

Common

nouns asfocus word

Home

Bring home the bacon

Homemade

Homebody

Home country

Home and abroad

On the h

ouse

Bring down th

e house

House-sit

(Pets) be housebroken

Under house arrest

HOUSE

DoubleDouble-cross

Double play

Double standard

On the double

Double-parking

Double scoop

3. Animals pig, beef, horse, bird, fish

pig out on

eat like a horse

eat like a bird

smell sth. fishy

4. Common actionstalk, walk, watch , fly, watch, eat

talk sb. into Ving

talk back

Money talks.

peace talk

on the watch

a watchdog

walk the dog

a walk-in closet

fly kites

5.VERB AS FOCUSWORD

Make

Make or break4

Make believe5

1 Make sense2

Make a difference11

Make the most of3

keep

Keep up the good work

Keep up with the Joneses

Keep out of the reach of children.

Keep one’s fingers crossed

Go

For here or to go

Go Dutch

Go fifty-fifty

Go off with a bang

Take

Take it out on

Take effect

Take to

Take after

Take charge of

Come

Come down with

In years to come

Come of age

Easy come, easy go

Turn

Turn one’s back on1

Turn out2

A U-turn3

Turn to sb. for help4

Get

Get one’s idea across1

Get it over with2

Get even with33

Get nowhere/ somewhere44

CALL

Be on callBe on callBe on callBe on call

Call the rollCall the rollCall the rollCall the roll

Call it a dayCall it a dayCall it a dayCall it a day

A close callA close callA close callA close call

Call sb. namesCall sb. namesCall sb. namesCall sb. names

6. Color words as focus

Red meat

A red-carpet welcome

A red-eye flight

Red-light district

Paint the town red

See red

In the red

Red tape

Red

White

White sale

White-collar worker

White elephant

White lie

GreenGreen peace

A greenhorn

green with envy

Have a green thumb

greenhouse effect

greenback

give someone the green lightgive someone the green light

black coffee

black sheep

black comedy

a blackout

put sth. down in black and white

Black

pinkget the pink slip

to be in the pink

pink-collar

Shocking pink

Blue

out of the blue

navy blue

blue-sky thinking

once in a blue moon

blue movie

blue joke

Monday blue

a bolt from the blue

THANK YOU!