HOME / VOCABULARY EXERCISES / MOTHER'S DAY

MOTHER'S DAY & FATHER'S DAY VOCABULARY EXERCSE (ESOL)

Choose the best response to complete each sentence.

1. Mother's Day is a holiday, celebrated in many countries around the world, that honors mothers and (motherhood/moms).

2. Traditionally on this day, mothers receive a (bouquet/collection) of flowers, a gift, a greeting card, or a combination of these things.

3. According to a recent survey, in the United States, Mother's Day is the most popular day to dine (outside/out) in a restaurant. Taking one's mother out to a restaurant (senses/seems) to be a very popular present.

4. The holiday exists thanks to the (efforts/action) of Anna Jarvis, an American woman who campaigned to create a special holiday for mothers. She was (success/successful), and this version of the holiday later spread to other countries.

5. Father's Day is a (relatively/relative) recent holiday. In the United States it was only officially recognized in 1972.

6. Soon after the (creativity/creation) of Mother's Day (1922), a woman named Sonora Dodd promoted the idea of a national holiday to honor fathers.

7. Dodd's idea had (limited/limiting) success at the time, but eventually it (went/caught) on and became an official holiday.

8. These days fathers usually receive typically (masculine/muscular) gifts such as electronics and tools, as well as greeting cards.

9. An even more (recent/recently) holiday is "National Grandparents Day", which only obtained official (status/state) in the United States in 1978, and in Canada in 1995. Sadly, in North America this holiday is not as popular as Mother's Day or Father's Day.

DID YOU KNOW?

When is Mother's Day? Well, it depends on where you live...

SECOND SUNDAY IN MAY (MANY COUNTRIES)
This is the most common date globally (including North America):
• United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, and more!

DIFFERENT MAY DAYS
Some countries in Europe celebrate on other Sundays in May:
• France - last Sunday of May
• Spain & Portugal - first Sunday of May
• Tunisia - May 31

MARCH / SPRING / OTHER DATES In many regions the date is tied to religion, seasons, or local tradition:
• United Kingdom & Ireland (Mothering Sunday) - fourth Sunday in Lent
• Arab countries (e.g., Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.) - March 21 (start of spring in many countries)
• International Women's Day used as Mother's Day (celebrated instead of a separate day in some countries) - March 8 (e.g., Albania, Armenia, Russia & several others)

TRY OUR OTHER HOLIDAY VOCABULARY EXERCISES:

Australia Day (Australia)
Hanukkah
St. Nicholas Day
Christmas 1
Christmas (Visual matching) 1
Christmas (Visual matching) 2
St. Stephen's Day
New Year's Eve/New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Day
Valentine's Day
Presidents Day
St. Patrick's Day
April Fools' Day
Anzac Day (Australia/NZ)
Easter
Cinco De Mayo
Victoria Day (Canada)
Mother's Day/ Father's Day
Memorial Day
Canada Day
Independence Day (USA)
Ramadan
Labor Day
Halloween
Thanksgiving 1
Thanksgiving 2

Tired of ads? Sign up for our ad-free PREMIUM EDITION for lots of great content!