A clean slate
We often take the colour white for granted. But it is much more than just a background colour.
White nouns
Take a look at these important white nouns and decide what each of them means.
Is a white elephant exactly what it appears?
1) A white lie
a) A lie that you tell frequently.
b) A lie that you tell to be polite or to stop someone being hurt by the truth.
2) A whitewash
a) White soap or gel that you use when you are taking a shower.
b) Hiding the full truth about something bad so that it does not look as bad as it is.
3) A white-collar worker
a) Someone who works in an office doing mental not physical work.
b) Someone who sells shirts in a department store.
4) A white elephant
a) Something that is expensive but is completely useless.
b) A baby elephant under six months old.
5) A white flag
a) A flag that is waved to show defeat or surrender.
b) A flag that flies outside a government building when someone important is there.
6) White goods
a) Large electrical items for the house such as cookers and fridges.
b) Special presents that you wrap up in expensive white paper.
White adjectives
What does the white adjective mean in each of these sentences?
Have you ever been to a white-tie dinner?
1) White hot
Don't touch it! It's white hot!
a) It's extremely hot.
b) It is hot but won't burn you seriously.
2) Off-white
Cindy wore an off-white trouser suit that looked elegant.
a) A white trouser-suit with shades of grey in it.
b) A white trouser-suit with black buttons.
3) Snow-white
Paul has just bought a snow-white kitten for his sister's birthday.
a) A kitten with shades of other colours in its fur.
b) A pure white kitten.
4) White-tie
We've been invited to a white-tie dinner on New Year's Eve.
a) A dinner where the men have to wear formal clothes including a white bow-tie.
b) A dinner where all guests have to wear white clothes.
5) As white as a sheet.
'You looked as white as a sheet when you opened that letter.'
a) All the blood drained out of your face and you looked shocked.
b) You gave a big smile and looked very pleased.
6) Black-and-white
You must tell the teacher he stole the money - it's black-and-white.
a) It is easy to understand whether the situation is right or wrong.
b) It is a complicated situation to understand
Which white?
White goods or a white elephant?
Choose the correct phrase to make each sentence make sense.
1) She was (black-and-white / as white as a sheet) when she opened the envelope and looked at the photo.
2) My sister works in the (white elephant / white-goods) section of a department store in Kowloon.
3) The molten lava was (off-white / white-hot) as it spewed out of the volcano.
4) A plain (off-white / white-tie) top would look very stylish with that skirt.
5) Do you think that telling a (white-wash / white lie) is okay when you don't want to hurt someone's feelings?
6) I wouldn't want to be a (white-collar worker / white elephant). I think that being stuck in an office all day would bore me to tears.White haiku
White haiku
Look around you.
Think of something that is white and then write a haiku about it. Try to keep to the five syllables/ seven syllables/five syllables form.
White bed sheets like ghosts
Blowing in the cold north wind
Breaking their earth strings
Black words, a white page
Take us where we want to go
Tell us telling wonderful things
Here the first white snow
The sound of cold white silence
Travelling through still air
Answers