2.4 Words and Phrases

Vocabulary

Word Meaning Example sentence
crazy (path) here, winding or extreme / unusual The crazy path zig-zagged between the rocks.
rockery a heap of rough stones with soil between, planted with rock plants She grew tiny ferns in her rockery.
lily pond a small pool where water lilies grow Goldfish darted across the lily pond.
sundial a device that shows time using the sun’s shadow The garden’s sundial only worked on bright days.
device a clever design or mechanism The sundial had a strange device on its face.
delicate easily broken, damaged, or harmed The delicate petals tore at the lightest touch.
quarter of an hour fifteen minutes We waited a quarter of an hour for the bus.
lovely very beautiful or pleasing “Where is this lovely thing?” he cried.
neighbour a person who lives next door or nearby My neighbour keeps a wonderful garden.
insignificant too small or unimportant to be noticed The flower looked insignificant among the stones.

Phrases and expressions

Expression What it means
a garden full of stones a garden decorated mainly with rocks rather than plants
plants them with a pin (humorous exaggeration) places the tiny flowers with great precision
“You’re standing on it” the punchline — the prized flower is under the speaker’s foot

Exam Tip Poems are often tested with “find a word that means ___” questions. Note that crazy here does not mean “mad” — in this poem it describes a winding, unusual path. Always read a word in its context.

Use what you’ve learnt

Fill each blank with the right word: delicate, rockery, quarter, sundial, neighbour.

  1. The ___ told time by the shadow it cast.
  2. My ___ next door loves gardening.
  3. The ___ flowers could be crushed in an instant.
  4. They chatted for a ___ of an hour.
  5. Small rock plants grew all over the ___.
  1. sundial   2. neighbour   3. delicate   4. quarter   5. rockery