Since I’m a word nerd, I love language games. My husband, who has more of a “math and science” brain, does not. Scrabble and Scattegories make him shudder. But, thanks to his sister, we have finally found a language game he actually enjoys: Apples to Apples.
You might not think of it as a language game, but this simple diversion uses TONS of language skills. You need at least three people, and for each round, you need a judge. (My daughter, the only girl and the off-center “middle child” in the family LOVES to be the judge.) You get seven Red Apple Cards with words like “Benjamin Franklin” or “All-nighters” listed and defined on them. Notice most of these words/ phrases are nouns.
Then the judge for the round picks up a Green Apple Card and reads it aloud; usually the card has an adverb or adjective, like “uncomfortable” or “quaint” or “macho”. All of the players besides the judge look at the cards in their hands and try to pick the one that best fits the judge’s card.
So, for the hand pictured above, if the Green Apple Card was “uncomfortable,” clearly I could pick “a broken collarbone” or “all-nighters”. (I pulled one all-nighter in my college career, and it didn’t help me at all. In fact, I could hardly read the exam the next morning. Don’t do it!)
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| Quaint = antiquated, charming, odd |
But sometimes, the choice isn’t so obvious, and that’s when the fun begins. What if the green apple word was “quaint”? From the group of cards above, I’d pick “Benjamin Franklin”. You?When everyone turns in their Red Apple Cards, the judge reads them all and decides the best fit. The judge’s decision stands , no complaints. Hopefully, you can imagine how hilarity might ensue.
Do you see all the good stuff going on in this simple language game? Vocabulary! History! Parts of Speech! And, most importantly, in this age of education dominated by the regurgitation of facts for standardized tests, THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!
Salt water taffy could be sweet, or it could be uncomfortable if it got stuck on the bottom of your foot, or it could be inadequateif, like me, you prefer chocolate over any other candy.
Sometimes my kids don’t get it. They wrinkle their brows when they get a card that says “Chevy Chase” or “Beowulf”. I laugh the hardest when my husband throws out “Uma Thurman” for any derogatory adjective, like “eerie” or “tiresome,” and my kids ask, “What’s an Uma Thurman?”
Fortunately, we have found the “Junior” version of the game.
Sounds like fun, right? Okay, word nerds, flex your language muscles. Here are your seven Red Apple Cards:
· engagement rings· mannequins
· Matt Damon
· the seven deadly sins
· Mr. Spock
· under the covers
· Walter Cronkite
I’M the judge! Here’s the Green Apple Card, chosen randomly, I swear:
Yummy: mouthwatering, scrumptious, luscious
Pick the word or phrase from the list above that best fits “Yummy” and give your choice (and rationalization) in the comments below. Depending on your taste in men, this could be easy. Remember to think creatively. Thanks for stopping by.
Julia
