STRANGE BUT TRUE
10 Incredible News Stories
Reading and Vocabulary Practice for High-Intermediate and Advanced Students
by Sérgio Pantoja
ELT expert Sérgio Pantoja´s latest book features 10 hand-picked gripping news stories from around the world that are sure to pique your curiosity. The comprehension questions along with the 3 different types of vocabulary-building exercises provided in the book make for a great resource for those who wish to enhance their reading comprehension skills and expand their vocabulary in a fun and informative way.
I particularly liked the exercise named REWRITE THE WORDS IN BOLD IN THE SENTENCES USING THE SYNONYMS FROM THE BOX. I feel that this type of exercise, with the sentences in context, works pretty much as a potent springboard for vocabulary expansion. Here are a few pairs of interesting synonyms that come up throughout the book: Strike it rich/Win big; Surface/Come to light; Brake hard/Slam on the brakes; Stand Trial/Face charges; Accused of/Charged with; Comprehensive/Thorough; Cruel/Vicious; Closely following/Hot on the heels of; Created disorder/Caused disturbance; Odd/Bizarre; Unexpected/Untimely
Something that occurred to me while reading this handy book and that should not be taken for granted is the fact that thanks to the wide variety of topics (news stories) you end up learning/revisiting vocabulary about many subjects and that is surely alluring.
Another key feature of STRANGE BUT TRUE is the free audio for each of the news stories that can be easily accessed by scanning the QR Codes provided. That´s an incredible plus as it enables readers/students to practice and strengthen their listening and pronunciation skills.
This new book can be used for self-study purposes (includes Answer Key) or in the classroom, be it virtual or in-person, by teachers who can rely on it for great supplementary material.
I highly recommend Sérgio Pantoja´s new book to high-intermediate and advanced students who want to challenge their English and ultimately take it to the next level.
The Reviewer: José Roberto A. Igreja – ELT Author
You can find Sérgio´s new book on Amazon or UICLAP.
