The definition of a nickname:
a descriptive name added to or replacing the actual name of a
person.
A nickname is also defined as a shortened form of a proper name.
Here are some common English names with their "nicknames":
Christopher …..Chris Jennifer……..Jenny
David…………..Dave Susan………..Sue
Donald…………Don Elizabeth…….Liz
Joseph…………Joe Sandra……….Sandy
Matthew………. Matt Theresa……...Terry
Vincent………... Vince Katharine……Kate
Sometimes a nickname is given to a person that
alludes to the person’s apparent intelligence
Einstein (genius) Sherlock (detective) Pollyanna (an
optimist)
Nicknames are also given to places. In the
U.S.A., each of the 50 states has a special nickname.
Here are a few:
New Jersey………………The Garden State
Massachusetts…………..The Bay State
Florida……………………The Sunshine State
California………………...The Golden State
Arizona………………….. The Grand Canyon State
Authors often use a "pen name". A pen name is a
pseudonym adopted by an author, to make his\her name more
distinctive, or to disguise his\her gender.
Here are famous authors and their pen names:
Samuel Clemens used the pen name, "Mark Twain"
Charles Dodgson used the name Lewis Carroll
Mary Ann Evans used the name George Eliot
Amandine Dupin wrote her books with the name George Sand
Tell the students that they see many famous
Hollywood stars without knowing their real names. Who are these
stars?
Allen Stewart Konigsberg
Archibald Leach
Tom Mapother
Margaret Ann Hyra
This lesson can be part of a class project where
the different groups have a particular area to research,
nicknames or pen names. It will be interesting with what
information they can find.
A Nice Thought
Nicknames stick to people and the most ridiculous
are the most adhesive.