I Learned A New Word Today ...

Do you know what a paraprosdokian is? I didn't until I received an email from my mom full of them. And I'm totally embarrassed to admit my ignorance, seeing I'm an English major, and all. A paraprosdokian is a humourous figure of speech in which the beginning part is commonly known, but the end is often surprising or unexpected. For example: "I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car."

My students love figurative language activities - especially those with idioms. I thought it would be fun to make up a little activity to keep them engaged and entertained during these last few weeks of school. I had quite a few chuckles researching paraprosdokians on the internet to make this activity (for that matter, trying to pronounce the word is worth a few laughs).

In this activity, students learn what a paraprosdokian is, read a few examples, create some of their own, then create a final piece where they illustrate one of their paraprosdokians. This final piece could be handed in for a quick assessment, or posted to create an entertaining bulletin board. Click on the picture to bring you to my TPT store to download your own copy. If you like the item, please consider giving it a rating.

I can't wait to see what my students will come up with!