Basic Details
Word: Abnormal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Not normal or usual, often in a way that is worrying or needs checking.
Synonyms: unusual, odd, irregular
Antonyms: normal, usual, typical
How to Spell Abnormal
Syllables: ab - nor - mal
Tricky part: It is two parts joined: ab and normal. Students sometimes change the ending to el or le, but normal never changes.
Watch out for: abnormel, abnormle, abbnormal
Memory tip: Ab means away from. Something abnormal has moved away from normal, so write ab and then normal letter for letter.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The vet said the puppy's breathing was abnormal and kept him overnight.
Example 2: An abnormal amount of rain fell in Bengaluru last October.
Example 3: The machine made an abnormal clicking sound, so Papa switched it off.
Fun Fact
Normal comes from Latin norma, a carpenter's square used to check right angles. Something normal once meant something that matched the square.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
____normal
a) ab
b) ob
c) ap
d) ad
Show answer
a) ab. Ab, meaning away from, turns normal into its opposite.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
abnormal
a) healthy
b) regular
c) unusual
d) common
Show answer
c) unusual. An abnormal sound is an unusual one; regular and common point the other way.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The doctor said the boy's temperature was abnormel and asked him to rest at home.
a) rest
b) doctor
c) temperature
d) abnormel
Show answer
d) abnormel. Normal does not change inside abnormal, so the ending stays al.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rmalbano
a) abnormal
b) informal
c) abysmal
d) normally
Show answer
a) abnormal. Informal needs an i and an f, abysmal a y and an s, and normally a y and a second l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A heartbeat of 200 per minute while sitting still would be ____.
a) restful
b) normal
c) abnormal
d) slow
Show answer
c) abnormal
2. A doctor calls a test result abnormal. The result is ____.
a) outside the usual range
b) lost in the post
c) exactly as expected
d) written in pencil
Show answer
a) outside the usual range
