Cognates and False Friends · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Friendly lookalikes and false friends

Languages · Language Learning · ages 8-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What are false friends in language learning?

    • Lookalikes across languages with different meanings
    • Different spellings for words within a single language
    • Matching meanings for words in different languages

  2. Two words in different languages come from the same earlier word. What does their shared origin make them?

    • False friends
    • Cognate words
    • Homonym pairs

  3. English bat can name a flying animal or a stick for hitting a ball. The words have the same spelling and sound. What are they called?

    • Cognate pairs
    • False friends
    • Homonym pairs

  4. If words look alike across languages, their meanings still need checking.

    Circle one:   True   False

  5. A word in a new language looks like an English word. How should you start working out its meaning?

    • Guess a meaning, then read the whole sentence.
    • Trust the English meaning and carry on without checking.
    • Ignore the nearby words and compare only the spelling.

  6. You are making a note for a new lookalike word. Which habit helps you learn its meaning?

    • Record its English meaning without checking the new language.
    • Record the spelling without a meaning.
    • Record its language, checked meaning and a sentence.

  7. A bilingual dictionary gives two meanings for a new word. Both seem possible in its sentence. What should you do before choosing?

    • Read more or ask someone who knows the language.
    • Pick the English-looking meaning without reading any more.
    • Pick the dictionary's first meaning without checking the passage.

  8. You meet Spanish hospital for the first time in 'El hospital tiene médicos y camas.' The other words give 'The ___ has doctors and beds.' Which guess best uses both the spelling and the sentence?

    • It may mean hotel: hotels have beds.
    • It may mean hospital: doctors and beds fit.
    • It may mean a house: people sleep in beds there.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Friendly lookalikes and false friends W1-mt_5UdrDnwYCD-s1

  1. Lookalikes across languages with different meanings · False friends resemble words in another language but have different meanings. Spanish pan means bread; English pan can mean a cooking dish.
  2. Cognate words · Words in different languages that come from the same earlier word are cognates.
  3. Homonym pairs · These English words have the same spelling and sound but different meanings. They are homonyms.
  4. True · A familiar spelling can suggest a meaning, but the word may be a false friend. Checking helps you decide whether to keep the guess.
  5. Guess a meaning, then read the whole sentence. · The resemblance suggests a possible meaning. Read the sentence to test it, then check the word's meaning if needed.
  6. Record its language, checked meaning and a sentence. · A checked meaning and a sentence record what the word means and how it is used. Include its language to avoid mixing up false friends.
  7. Read more or ask someone who knows the language. · Two meanings still seem possible. Reading more of the passage or asking someone who knows the language can help you choose.
  8. It may mean hospital: doctors and beds fit. · Hospital is a sensible guess because the spellings match and doctors and beds fit that meaning. Check the Spanish meaning before treating the guess as certain.
Worksheet · LightMySky