What does approaching mean?
Word: Approaching
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Approaching means coming nearer to someone or something, in distance or in time. It can also mean starting to deal with a problem or task in a certain way.
Synonyms: nearing, advancing, coming
Antonyms: leaving, retreating, departing
How do you spell approaching?
Syllables: ap - proach - ing
Tricky part: There is a double p at the start. Students often write aproaching.
Watch out for: aproaching, approacheing
Memory tip: Many words that begin with ap- double the p straight away: approach, appear, appoint. Approaching follows them.
Approaching in a sentence
Example 1: We could hear the train approaching long before we saw it.
Example 2: With Diwali approaching, every shop in the market was lit with fairy lights.
Example 3: The coach showed us a new way of approaching a difficult penalty kick.
Fun Fact
Pilots and air traffic controllers call the last stage of a flight, as the plane lines up with the runway, the approach.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
In which word is 'ch' pronounced differently?
a) ache
b) kitchen
c) peach
d) approaching
Show answer
a) ache. In ache, ch says k; in approaching, peach and kitchen it says 'tch'.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
As the monsoon was approaching, the farmers hurried to finish sowing the paddy before the heavy rains arived.
a) paddy and sowing
b) only arived
c) only approaching
d) arived and farmers
Show answer
b) only arived. Arrived has a double r; approaching is spelt correctly.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
appr__ching
a) ow
b) ou
c) oa
d) oo
Show answer
c) oa. The long o sound here is written oa, as in coach and road.
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'e' and 'a' in that order. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. appr__ __ching 2. arr__v__ng 3. retr__ __ting 4. dep__rt__ng
a) reaching a place at the end of a trip
b) moving back or away, often to a safer place
c) coming nearer to something
d) leaving a place to go somewhere else
Show answer
b) moving back or away, often to a safer place. With e and then a, the third word becomes retreating, which means moving back.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. With exams approaching, what is Meera most likely doing?
a) collecting her result card
b) revising her notes each evening
c) packing away her books
d) celebrating the end of term
Show answer
b) revising her notes each evening
2. In 'Try approaching the sum in a different way', the speaker wants you to ___.
a) tackle it by another method
b) copy the answer from a friend
c) walk closer to the board
d) leave the sum unfinished
Show answer
a) tackle it by another method
