Basic Details
Word: Barking
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Making the short, loud cry of a dog. It can also mean shouting orders in a sharp, rough voice.
Synonyms: yapping, woofing, shouting
How to Spell Barking
Syllables: bark - ing
Tricky part: Bark ends in rk, so ing is added with no change: no letter doubled and none dropped. There is no c before the k.
Watch out for: barcking, baarking, barkeing
Memory tip: Short words ending in one vowel and one consonant double that consonant before ing (run, running). Bark ends in two consonants, r and k, so it simply becomes barking.
Idioms and Phrases
- Barking up the wrong tree: Blaming the wrong person or looking for something in the wrong place. Example: "If you think Rohan took your pen, you are barking up the wrong tree; he was absent today."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The barking of the neighbour's dog woke the whole lane.
Example 2: The coach was barking instructions from the sideline.
Example 3: We heard barking from the street and ran to see what was wrong.
Fun Fact
The basenji, a hunting dog from central Africa, hardly barks at all. It makes a sound more like a yodel instead.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. barking 2. growlling 3. snarlling 4. wimpering
a) crying softly with weak sounds
b) making an angry sound while showing the teeth
c) making the short, loud sound of a dog
d) making a low, rough sound in the throat
Show answer
c) making the short, loud sound of a dog. Barking is fine as written; growling and snarling take one l, and whimpering has an h after the w.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The security guard heard loud barcking near the godown at midnight and found two stray dogs chasing a mongoose around the sacks of rice.
a) mongoose
b) godown
c) barcking
d) security
Show answer
c) barcking. Bark has a plain k after the r, with no c.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The grakbin of the dogs warned us that a stranger was near.
a) baking
b) braking
c) banking
d) barking
Show answer
d) barking. Braking has the same seven letters, but dogs make a barking sound.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A drill instructor barking orders is ____ them.
a) writing
b) whispering
c) forgetting
d) shouting
Show answer
d) shouting
2. A barking deer is named after ____.
a) its size
b) its speed
c) its colour
d) its sharp, dog-like call
Show answer
d) its sharp, dog-like call
