Basic Details
Word: Affirmative
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Saying or showing yes; agreeing with something. In a debate, the affirmative side speaks for the motion.
Synonyms: positive, agreeing, assenting
Antonyms: negative, dissenting
How to Spell Affirmative
Syllables: af - firm - a - tive
Tricky part: Students drop one f, or turn the weak a after firm into an i (affirmitive). The vowel in firm is i, though it sounds like the u in fur.
Watch out for: afirmative, affirmitive, affermative
Memory tip: Picture the debate hall: the affirmative team raises two hands for yes, the two f's. Then say affirm-a-tive and keep the a you hear in affirmation.
Usage Examples
Example 1: When asked if she had finished her homework, Priya gave an affirmative nod.
Example 2: Our school team spoke on the affirmative side of the inter-school debate.
Example 3: The reply from the bank was affirmative, so the loan was approved.
Fun Fact
In international air traffic radio, the standard word for yes is affirm, not affirmative; the shorter word is less easily mistaken for negative on a noisy line.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word affirmative as used in the sentence:
The headmaster sent an affirmative reply to our request for a science fair.
a) approving
b) positive
c) negative
d) agreeing
Show answer
c) negative. An affirmative reply says yes; a negative one says no.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
a_firm_tive
a) f, u
b) f, i
c) f, e
d) f, a
Show answer
d) f, a. Affirm is kept whole and then -ative is added, so the vowel after firm is a.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
To our relief, the answer to our request was in the vfatiremifa.
a) informative
b) formative
c) affirmative
d) affirmation
Show answer
c) affirmative. The letters include a v and an e but no o or n, so the word must be affirmative.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. tentative 2. affermative 3. negative 4. sensitive
a) saying or showing yes
b) saying or showing no
c) not certain or fixed; done as a trial
d) quick to notice or to be hurt by things
Show answer
a) saying or showing yes. Affirmative is built on firm, so the vowel after the ff is i.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which reply is affirmative?
a) Certainly, I will come.
b) I am not sure.
c) Never again.
d) No, thank you.
Show answer
a) Certainly, I will come.
2. In a debate, the affirmative side ____.
a) opposes the topic
b) supports the topic
c) keeps the time
d) judges the speakers
Show answer
b) supports the topic
