Teacher Held World Record

Edna Parker, 1893-2008

VOCABULARY
1. certified a. officially recognized b. jailed c. insured

2. a nursing home
a. a hospital
b. a huge house
c. a place where people live who need constant care

3. centenarian
a. a pet doctor b. a 100-year-0ld person c. 100 cents

4. childhood sweetheart
a. a boyfriend or girlfriend you had when you were very young
b. a valentine
c. a husband or wife

5. hired hands
a. dirty fingers
b. employees on a farm
c. factory workers

6. chores a. breakfast b. shouting c. household jobs

7. outlived (past tense)
a. lived longer than others b. lived outside c. died

8. survivors
a. pizza
b. a small portion of food
c. family members who live after the person dies

9. the meeting “took place” a. was at b. sat down c. led

10. lofty age a. left turn b. very old c. young

11. move in with “relatives”
a. family members b. friends c. teachers

12. “convalescent” center
a. a place to recover, for people who need constant care, before going back home
b. b. a cemetery
c. c. a school

13. a “fellow” resident
a. an apartment house
b. a person who lives in the same place
c. a saleswoman

14. Guinness World Records
a. the world series
b. a book that lists things or people that are the biggest/the longest/the strangest/
. . . that did the most unusual things in the world
c. music Cds

15. another “feat”
a. your other foot
b. something else you are able to do
c. a pair of shoes

16. aggregate age
a. the combined number b. a young person c. an old person

17. commended (past tense) a. remembered b. praised c. forgotten

18. starch
a. food such as rice or potatoes
b. soap to wash clothes
c. a strong smell

19. lard a. fat from pork b. to give money c. a lovely dinner

20. quipped (past tense)
a. put on a costume b. said as a joke c. questioned

21. her diet a. weight loss b. coke c. the food she eats

22. credited (past tense)
a. gave money b. got a loan c. gave the reason for

23. longevity a. a long life b. a long road c. a long time

24. retained a. returned b. threw out c. kept

25. a sense of humor
a. the ability to smell
b. the ability to make people laugh
c. the ability to sense danger

26. evident a. doubtful b. finished c. obvious
GRAMMAR
SUPERLATIVES are comparisons that use “THE” plus an adjective + EST
e.g. He is THE BEST dancer in the show.
She is THE PRETTIEST girl in the class.
This is THE MOST EXPENSIVE dress I have ever bought.

1. Can you find 7 superlatives in the article?
A .___________________________________________________________________
B .___________________________________________________________________
C .___________________________________________________________________
D .___________________________________________________________________
E .___________________________________________________________________
F .___________________________________________________________________
G .___________________________________________________________________

Now you write a sentence using ANOTHER superlative. (Don’t use any superlative that is an example or A-G.)

H .___________________________________________________________________

2. The verbs in this article are mainly in the past tense.
How many can you find? ______
How many present-tense verbs can you find? ________
How many verbs use modals? _________
How many future tenses can you find? ___________

CONVERSATION
Talk to your partner. Then write your answers in complete sentences.
1. Who was Edna Parker? _____________________________________________

2. Where did she live? ______________________________________________

3. How old was she when she died? _______________________________________

4. What are “supercentenarians?” ________________________________________

5. How many children did she have? Tell me about her family? Who are her survivors?

6. Benjamin Franklin said, “EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE, MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE.” What do you think this saying means?





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