Basic Details
Word: Begging
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Asking for something very earnestly or humbly, such as food, money, help or a favour.
Synonyms: pleading, imploring, appealing
How to Spell Begging
Syllables: beg - ging
Tricky part: The g is doubled. Beg has one short vowel followed by one consonant, so the g doubles before -ing.
Watch out for: beging, beggeing
Memory tip: Think of hug and hugging, or dig and digging: a short word ending in one vowel and one consonant doubles that last letter, so beg becomes begging.
Idioms and Phrases
- going begging: available because nobody has taken or wanted it. Example: "That last samosa is going begging, so pass it to Rohan."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The puppy sat by the table, begging for a piece of roti.
Example 2: My little brother kept begging Mum to let him stay up for the cricket final.
Example 3: After the flood, the villagers were not begging for charity; they wanted work and fair wages.
Fun Fact
The phrase 'begging the question' first meant arguing in a circle, by assuming the very point you are trying to prove. Today many people also use it to mean 'raising a question'.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. begging 2. embarass 3. ocassion 4. persue
a) asking for something very earnestly
b) a particular time when something happens
c) to make someone feel awkward or ashamed
d) to follow or chase someone
Show answer
a) asking for something very earnestly. Embarass is a common trap (it needs two r's and two s's), and persue and ocassion are wrong too, so begging is the one to pick.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to begging as used in the sentence:
The twins were begging their parents to adopt the stray kitten from the temple steps.
a) refusing
b) pleading with
c) ordering
d) thanking
Show answer
b) pleading with. To beg someone is to plead with them; ordering is almost the opposite, because it gives no choice.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
A thin street dog was ggbenig for scraps outside the dhaba.
a) begging
b) bagging
c) beginning
d) bugging
Show answer
a) begging. The jumble holds three g's, an e and an i, which is exactly what begging needs; bagging and bugging have the wrong vowel and beginning is far too long.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
begginng
a) i
b) g
c) e
d) n
Show answer
d) n. Take out one n and you are left with begging; only the g is doubled in this word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Begging for forgiveness means ____.
a) refusing to say you are sorry
b) forgiving somebody else first
c) forgetting what really happened
d) asking humbly to be forgiven
Show answer
d) asking humbly to be forgiven
2. Begging comes from the verb beg. What do we call a person who lives by begging?
a) a beggor
b) a beggir
c) a beggar
d) a begger
Show answer
c) a beggar
