"Ooze" Words

---

GET READY:

Do you know the word "ooze"? It rhymes with "use" and "news." Look up the meaning.

---

READ THIS:

"Ooze" can be a noun or a verb.

When it's a verb, it refers to something liquid that comes slowly out of somewhere. You could say, "There is oil oozing out of the ground" or "Something oozed from the injured tree." You can also use it to refer to something that is not really a liquid: "My girlfriend oozes with personality."

When it's a noun, it refers to the thing that oozes. You could say: "There's some ooze coming out of the ground" or "Don't step in the ooze!"

Now, "ooze" is kind of a strange-sounding word. But there are (at least) three other English words that end with the same four letters. All three of them are slang. Can you guess them?

Here are some hints:

__ooze: (noun or verb) "alcoholic beverage." As a verb, means "to drink alcoholic beverages."
__ __ooze: (noun or verb) "to sleep," especially sleeping briefly or lightly. As a noun, means "a nap."
__ __ __ __ooze: (noun or verb) have a short chat, especially when one is trying to influence the other person. As a noun, means "a chat."

---

ANSWERS:

Here are the "ooze" words, with examples:

--booze: "If you want to be healthy, stay away from booze," (noun) or "He feels sick today because he was boozing last night" (verb). A person who drinks too much might be called a "boozer" or a "boozehound."
--snooze: "I think I'll snooze after lunch" (verb) or "I had a little snooze in my office (noun). Many alarm clocks have a button you can press that makes the alarm go again five or ten minutes later; this is called a "snooze button." "Hit the snooze button; I want to sleep another 5 minutes."
--schmooze: "A good politician knows how to schmooze people" (verb) or "I had a little schmooze with my neighbor." One who schmoozes a lot, especially if people feel he pressures them to get something, is called a "schmoozer." "I don't trust Ben; he's such a schmoozer."

---

QUESTION FOR WRITING:

Write a story that uses all of the "ooze" words. Post it in the comments.

---

This lesson is ©2011 by James Baquet. You may share this work freely. Teachers may use it in the classroom, as long as students are told the source (URL). You may not publish this material or sell it. Please write to me if you have any questions about "fair use."

---