What does amnesia mean?
Word: Amnesia
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Amnesia means a loss of memory, often after a head injury, a shock or an illness. A person with amnesia may forget past events or find it hard to store new memories.
Synonyms: memory loss, forgetfulness
How do you spell amnesia?
Syllables: am - ne - sia
Tricky part: The ending is -sia, said like 'zee-uh' or 'zhuh'. Students often write amnesea or amnezia.
Watch out for: amnesea, amnezia, amnisia
Memory tip: Think of the map of the world: the last part of amnesia is spelt just like the end of the continent Asia, even though it can sound like zee-uh.
Amnesia in a sentence
Example 1: In the film, the hero gets amnesia after a fall and cannot remember his own name.
Example 2: The doctor said the footballer's amnesia after the collision would probably last only a few hours.
Example 3: My uncle jokes that he has amnesia whenever it is his turn to wash the dishes.
Fun Fact
Many films show a person curing amnesia with a second bump on the head, but doctors say this does not happen in real life.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. amnesia 2. fatigue 3. insomnia a. great tiredness b. loss of memory c. being unable to sleep
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Amnesia takes away memories, fatigue is deep tiredness and insomnia keeps you awake.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
a___esia
a) nm
b) mn
c) mm
d) m
Show answer
b) mn. Say it slowly and both letters show: am, then ne, so m comes before n.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
nisaema 1234567
a) 4615723
b) 4615327
c) 4165327
d) 7235164
Show answer
b) 4615327. Taking letters 4, 6, 1, 5, 3, 2 and 7 in turn rebuilds amnesia.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
In the cartoon, a forgetful wizard caught amnesia from a magic sneeze and could not find the way to his own castel.
a) 3
b) 1
c) 2
d) 0
Show answer
b) 1. Castle has a silent t and ends in -le; amnesia is spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A person with amnesia may find it hard to ___.
a) hear loud sounds
b) recall their own address
c) walk quickly
d) see bright colours
Show answer
b) recall their own address
2. Amnesia and amnesty both come from a Greek word about ___.
a) sleeping
b) forgetting
c) travelling
d) healing
Show answer
b) forgetting
