What does antioxidant mean?
Word: Antioxidant
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Antioxidant means a substance that slows down the damage oxygen can do, for example to the cells in your body or to stored food.
Word origin: Built in English from a Greek prefix meaning against and a word linked to oxygen.
How do you spell antioxidant?
Syllables: an - ti - ox - i - dant
Tricky part: The last vowel is hardly heard when the word is spoken, so antioxident is a common slip. It closes with ant.
Watch out for: antioxident, antioxidunt
Memory tip: Picture a tiny ant guarding the last three letters, so that no e can sneak into the ending.
Antioxidant in a sentence
Example 1: Tomatoes and carrots get their bright colours partly from natural antioxidants.
Example 2: The label on the bottle of cooking oil lists an added antioxidant.
Example 3: Our science teacher used a sliced pear to show how an antioxidant works.
Fun Fact
A cut apple turns brown when air reaches it. A squeeze of lemon slows this down, because the vitamin C in the juice acts as an antioxidant.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
i, o, i
a) ant__ __x__dant
b) inst__t__t__on
c) s__m__l__rly
d) obl__g__t__on
Show answer
a) ant__ __x__dant. This word takes i, o and i; the others need an a or a u along the way.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. Many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants. 2. Protein is a nutrient that helps the body build muscle. 3. A vitemin is a mineral that is dug out of the ground.
a) both 1 and 2 are true
b) only 3 is true
c) all three are true
d) only 1 is true
Show answer
a) both 1 and 2 are true. Statement 3 misspells vitamin and also gets its meaning wrong, so only 1 and 2 stand.
Sound Check
In which word is 'x' pronounced differently?
a) antioxidant
b) exact
c) oxygen
d) boxer
Show answer
b) exact. Exact is the odd one: its x is said like gz, not the ks of box.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Sliced guava, blueberries and pomegranate seeds are all rich in antioxidants, so the canteen now serves a colourful fruit bowl at the morning break.
a) 1
b) 0
c) 3
d) 2
Show answer
b) 0. Every word in this sentence is spelt correctly, so the count is zero.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. To get more antioxidants at lunch, you would add ___.
a) refined white sugar
b) fresh spinach leaves
c) boiled tap water
d) plain white salt
Show answer
b) fresh spinach leaves
2. Food makers add antioxidants to packed snacks mainly to ___.
a) make them taste sweeter
b) make them cost less
c) keep them fresh for longer
d) give them a brighter colour
Show answer
c) keep them fresh for longer
