# As Far As Words Go

Activities for Understanding Ambiguous Language and Humor, Revised Edition

[Cecile Cyrul Spector, Ph.D.](https://products.brookespublishing.com/cw_Contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=1353&Name=Cecile+Spector,Ph.D.)

K-12

Filled with creative, ready-to-use activities based on jokes and puns, this seven-unit activity book helps students learn how to decipher language ambiguities such as homographs and homophones, idioms and proverbs, and metaphors and similes.

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| STOCK NUMBER | ISBN |
| 70564 | 978-1-59857-056-4 |
| COPYRIGHT | PAGES |
| 2009 | 192 |
| AVAILABILITY |  |
| Available Stock |  |

Understanding ambiguous words, phrases, and sentences is an important part of reading well, communicating skillfully, and enjoying humor based on word play. With this seven-unit activity book—filled with creative, ready-to-use activities based on jokes and puns—students will learn how to decipher the language ambiguities they encounter inside and outside the classroom.

Ideal for use with students in the upper elementary grades through high school and beyond, _As Far As Words Go_ is what speech-language pathologists and education professionals need to

- improve students' **literacy and communication skills**, including semantic, metalinguistic, and pragmatic skills
- help students correctly interpret **multiple-meaning words and phrases**, such as homographs and homophones, idioms and proverbs, and metaphors and similes
- teach a wide range of students, especially those who have **language or learning disability**, or are learning **English as a second language**
- make learning fun with **dozens of activities** and a printable **board game**
- work with students in **small group or one-to-one** settings
- promote development of the skills students need to **decode language complexities and humor cues independently** when they occur in everyday language

To help professionals use the activities successfully, this book includes enlightening summaries of relevant research, background information on the language concepts, and specific techniques for presenting the activities and helping students generalize new skills in other settings. SLPs and educators will also get the practical content they need to implement the activities and assess student progress (see below).

A natural follow-up to Cecile Cyrul Spector's _Sounds Like Fun_, these engaging, effective activities will help students grasp the subtleties and complexities of the English language-so they can become more skillful readers and communicators.

With easy-to-use practical content:

- Photocopiable forms for assessing a student's understanding of ambiguous language and humor
- Full-color, easy-to-assemble game mat & both color- and icon-coded game cards—easy to print or photocopy
- Printable template for creating additional game cards
- Guide to common idioms and proverbs, including the ones used in the activities

## Reviews

: rcslt.org

"An excellent resource."

Andrea DeBruin-Parecki, Associate Professor, Early Childhood, Old Dominion University

"The author both teaches us and makes us laugh as she educates the reader about the perplexing language known as English."

Laura Justice, Professor, The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology

"Exemplary . . . offers a wealth of activities and suggestions for helping students develop skills in an area of language we too often neglect but which is so important to academic and social success."

Judy K. Montgomery, Chapman University, Former ASHA President

"Speech language pathologists need look no further for meaningful vocabulary and pragmatics interventions. Collaboration with educators and families has a new and effective tool. Spector's book will 'carry the banner' in vocabulary development for children and adults."

Virginia Mann, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine

"Takes the exercise of metalinguistics beyond the phoneme, to the realm of words and sentences . . . It is great to see the practical application of research in such an inviting, well-organized volume."

Author: [Cecile Cyrul Spector Ph.D.](https://products.brookespublishing.com/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=1353&Name=Cecile+Cyrul+Spector+Ph.D.)

**Read the interview** [How can you use humor to _increase_ phonological awareness and _decrease_ confusion about ambiguous language?](http://archive.brookespublishing.com/author-interviews/spector-70564-interview.htm)