The Mystery of the Shattered Ice, Glossary

An Intermediate Level Lesson to Practice Winter Vocabulary

This lesson is for intermediate students (see our chart of English levels). It practices reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, essay writing, sentence structure, and role play.

Follow these steps:

  1. Before reading: go over the story's glossary (this page). It contains winter words and other more advanced words.
  2. Reading: read the story. It has 3 parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
  3. After reading: do the exercises. The exercises section has several parts:
    vocabulary questions 1 (winter words)
    vocabulary questions 2 (non-winter words)
    grammar questions
    comprehension and essay writing
    sentence jumbles and role play
  4. Answers: check your answers using the answer key.

Before Reading: Story's Glossary

This story practices winter vocabulary. Therefore, all "winter words" are explained, as well as additional words students may find useful.

Bandits: thieves who usually steal from people travelling

Blizzard: a very large snowstorm that leaves a lot of snow on the ground

Boots: shoes that are usually stronger and offer more protection than regular shoes

Brisk: cold in a good way that gives you energy

Chilly: cold

Crack: make a sudden noise

Cruiser: a police car

Defroster: a device that blows hot air on something to remove ice from it

Diner: a restaurant that typically serves inexpensive food, like burgers and french fries

Drafty: full of moving cold air

Eggnog: a thick, sweet drink made with milk, sugar, and eggs, usually consumed around Christmas

Flurries: when a very small amount of snow falls from the sky

Fog: a group of a lot of tiny drops of water in the air or on a surface that makes it difficult to see

Frigid: extremely cold

Frost: a very thin layer of ice

Gingerbread man: a hard, spicy cookie shaped like a person

Hoodie: a sweatshirt with a hood attached to it

Ice: water that is frozen

Icicles: long, pointy pieces of ice that hang off of something

Jacket: a piece of clothing worn over your shirt, usually to keep you warm and dry

Mist: a group of very small drops of a liquid sprayed into the air that usually looks like a cloud

Nibbling: taking very small bites

Officer: a person work works as a member of the police

Overcast: when the sky is dark and grey because it is covered with clouds

Puff: a small burst of air or another gas

Set down: to place on something

Sledgehammers: very large hammers used to break things

Treasurer: a person who is charge of the money for an organization

Slippery: easy to slide on

Slush: snow that has partially melted so it is a mix of ice and water

Snow: a type of weather where tiny pieces of ice fall from the sky

Snowflakes: the single pieces of ice that falls from the sky during snow

Windchill: how cold the wind makes the temperature feel

Now read the story: The Mystery of the Shattered Ice