Longest name title awarded

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An Australian man has set a world record for having the longest name in the world, taking over an hour to say it all.

Laurence Watkins legally changed his name in 1990 to include 2,251 middle names, creating a full name with 2,253 unique words.

Watkins recently read out his entire name for a special Guinness World Records video. The task took more than 60 minutes to complete. At his wedding, even the officiant took around 20 minutes just to read it aloud.

His name starts with dozens of names beginning with the letter “A” and continues through the alphabet. One of his favourite parts is “AZ2000,” showing that his name includes names from A to Z and adds up to over 2,000.

Watkins said he was always interested in strange and fun world records. As a boy, he read the Guinness World Records book from cover to cover, looking for something he could beat. He realised the longest name was a record he could try for.

Changing his name wasn’t easy. It required lots of paperwork and several visits to court. Soon after, new laws were made to stop others from attempting to break his record.

How did this story make you feel?

SMART Prep | Quick Question 211176

At the local library, a bright poster appeared on the community noticeboard. It showed a picture of a girl carrying a reusable bag and a line that read, ‘Bring your own bag and help reduce waste.’ Small print underneath explained that the council was trialling a new recycling programme. The poster also listed the dates of free workshops where families could learn how to sort rubbish correctly. Near the bottom, a website address invited readers to find out more. The poster used short sentences, clear colours, and simple pictures so people could understand the message quickly.

What is the author's main purpose in this poster?

  

Vocabulary

Click on the words in the article. See if you can find them all.

Thinking Question