What does asphalt mean?
Word: Asphalt
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Asphalt means a dark, sticky material that is mixed with small stones and spread to make road surfaces.
How do you spell asphalt?
Syllables: as - phalt
Tricky part: The f sound is spelt ph, and pupils who think of an sh sound often slip in an extra h and write ashphalt.
Watch out for: asfalt, ashphalt
Memory tip: Asphalt makes a Pretty Hard road: P and H team up for the f sound.
Asphalt in a sentence
Example 1: The new asphalt on our lane shone after the rain.
Example 2: Dad's car tyres hummed over the smooth asphalt.
Example 3: Children drew hopscotch squares on the asphalt with chalk.
Fun Fact
Pitch Lake in Trinidad is one of the largest natural deposits of asphalt in the world, and material from it has been used to surface roads overseas.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
asph_l_
a) a, t
b) o, t
c) e, t
d) a, d
Show answer
a) a, t. A short a sound and a firm closing consonant finish the word.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
asphallt
a) p
b) s
c) l
d) t
Show answer
c) l. The ending carries a single l.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Workers spread hot hapslta along the new road through the village.
a) asphalt
b) cement
c) plaster
d) gravel
Show answer
a) asphalt. None of the other three can be made, since the jumble has no e.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is correct. Choose its meaning:
1. graneet 2. asphalt 3. conkrete 4. limstone
a) a pale rock often used to make cement
b) a very hard grey or pink rock
c) the sticky black mix laid on many roads
d) a hard mix of cement, sand and water
Show answer
c) the sticky black mix laid on many roads. Concrete has a c where the slip has a k, granite ends in ite and limestone keeps the e of lime.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do road workers lay asphalt while it is still hot?
a) it smells better to people nearby
b) it turns a brighter colour when hot
c) it needs less sunlight to stay warm
d) it spreads and presses flat more easily
Show answer
d) it spreads and presses flat more easily
2. On a very hot day, an asphalt road may feel soft underfoot because ____.
a) the rain below it begins to rise
b) the heat softens the sticky material in it
c) the stones in it start to melt away
d) the road gets thicker in the sun
Show answer
b) the heat softens the sticky material in it
