What's In a Name?
Advanced - Vocabulary
the ARTICLE (for teachers)
What's In a Name?
In many countries, tradition has had the woman assume her husband's family name upon marriage. Long, long
ago, this signified that the woman became the property of her husband. Times have definitely changed.
Thankfully, the original purpose of the tradition has long since lost all meaning in most countries. What's more,
with the increased independence and the pursuit of careers, more and more women opt to maintain their premarriage identity. They either keep their maiden name or attach their husband's name to it via a hyphen.
However, what options does a man possess should he want to take his wife's name instead?
Michael Buday found the answer. He discovered that it's ridiculously time-consuming and troublesome to do just
that. Not only would it cost more than $300 in licensing fees, but he would also need to place a public
advertisement in a newspaper for four weeks. And that's not all, as he would also need to attain a judge's
approval. Forty-three other states in the US have similar, outdated policies on the books. And although Buday
decided to sue the state of California only, it may impact other states too. The lawsuit challenges the
longstanding and outdated belief that a "proper man" doesn't take his wife's name.
Michael Buday had never really given much thought to a name change before he met Diana Bijon. But she
broached the subject while they were dating because, with no brothers, she wanted to preserve her family
name. Estranged from his own father, the first real father figure in Michael's life was his fiancee's dad. As a
result, he wholeheartedly supported the idea.
Teacher's Notes:
* Underlined words in red typeface are the answers.
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What's In a Name?
Advanced - Vocabulary
the Article (for students)
Fill in the blank with the correct word.
preserve
tradition
attain
consuming
assume
licensing
pursuit
what
broached
wholeheartedly
longstanding
signifying
outdated
brothers
estranged
What's In a Name?
In many countries, tradition has had the woman (a. _______________) her husband's family name upon
marriage. Long, long ago, this (b. _______________) that the woman became the property of her
husband. Times have definitely changed.
Thankfully, the original purpose of the (c. _______________) has long since lost all meaning in most
countries. What's more, with the increased independence and the (d. _______________) of careers,
more and more women opt to maintain their pre-marriage identity. They either keep their maiden name
or attach their husband's name to it via a hyphen. However, (e. _______________) options does a man
possess should he want to take his wife's name instead?
Michael Buday found the answer. He discovered that it's ridiculously time-(f. _______________) and
troublesome to do just that. Not only would it cost more than $300 in (g. _______________) fees, but he
would also need to place a public advertisement in a newspaper for four weeks. And that's not all, as he
would also need to (h. _______________) a judge's approval. Forty-three other states in the US have
similar, (i. _______________) policies on the books. And although Buday decided to sue the state of
California only, it may impact other states too. The lawsuit challenges the (j. _______________) and
outdated belief that a "proper man" doesn't take his wife's name.
Michael Buday had never really given much thought to a name change before he met Diana Bijon. But
she (k. _______________) the subject while they were dating because, with no (l. _______________),
she wanted to (m. _______________) her family name. (n. _______________) from his own father, the
first real father figure in Michael's life was his fiancee's dad. As a result, he (o. _______________)
supported the idea.
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What's In a Name?
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP ONE
Define: What does "maiden name" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples?
STEP TWO
Word Search: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. How long did it take to find all the words?
pursuit
estranged
broached
attain
B
R
O
A
C
H
E
D
F
A
C
P
D
T
L
assume
longstanding
E
G
N
A
R
T
S
W
S
R
R
A
G
C
G
U
U
R
Z
B
R
R
S
L
E
R
S
G
I
O
C
X
B
X
M
M
U
J
S
D
J
N
R
R
E
Y
E
M
A
I
M
H
E
Q
D
I
H
K
G
S
Z
H
H
K
E
H
R
A
A
D
I
D
Y
N
T
H
Y
W
H
P
V
R
Y
N
A
E
N
B
I
R
W
H
O
L
E
H
E
A
R
T
E
D
L
Y
A
J
R
U
D
Z
A
T
K
A
T
A
F
T
F
N
outdated
wholeheartedly
Y
C
E
T
S
S
R
D
Y
A
I
I
I
I
G
X
X
Z
T
G
B
T
T
U
I
H
D
U
N
E
B
F
C
N
A
U
W
B
E
N
Z
E
S
G
D
Z
A
O
J
O
I
S
X
J
D
Z
Y
R
A
Q
S
L
B
U
R
G
N
M
Q
I
L
M
U
M
R
preserved
signifying
G
N
I
Y
F
I
N
G
I
S
U
Y
P
U
I
STEP THREE
Vocabulary Match: Match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. Use a
dictionary for any words you don't know, but be sure to check your English-English dictionary, too.
a. assume
b. signify
q. mean
c. pursuit
s. bring up
d. attain
e. outdated
t.
u. take
f.
v.
longstanding
r.
old fashioned
divide
enthusiastic
g. broach
h. preserve
w. continuous
i.
estrange
y.
j.
wholehearted
z. get
x. chase
save
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What's In a Name?
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP FOUR
The Article: 1) Read the article, but don't worry about the missing words. 2) Fill in the blanks with today's
vocabulary, followed by all the other words. 3) Read the article again, and circle any unknown words/phrases. In
pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the words or phrases your circled. 4) Answer the questions to
check your comprehension.
a. More women want to keep their pre-marriage identity, so they keep their maiden names.
T/F
b. Michael Buday would need to advertise his name change in magazines and newspapers.
c. Less than half of the states in the US have similar policies to California.
T/F
d. Michael thought of changing his name, and Diana agreed.
e. According to the article, other states may begin to change their laws too.
T/F
T/F
T/F
STEP FIVE
Discuss: Write down five vocabulary words from today's article that you want to use.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Now talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Every time you use a vocabulary word, place a check
next to it.
a. What was your general impression after reading this article?
b. Do you think it's fair that women are expected to change their names after marriage? Why/not?
c. Would you expect your fiancee to change his/her name (or would you change your name)?
d. For what reasons might your change your name? Do you think they are good reasons?
Score yourself:
10 or more times: Fantastic! Be sure to review the words at home.
6-9 times:
Pretty good! You're on your way to acquiring today's vocabulary. Try writing your own
sentences at home for additional practice.
5 or less times:
Try harder next time! To acquire new vocabulary, you need to use the new words as much
as possible.
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