What does belongings mean?
Word: Belongings
Part of Speech: Noun (plural)
Meaning: Belongings means the things that are yours, especially the ones you can pack and carry.
Synonyms: things, property, stuff
Word origin: Formed in English from the verb belong, from Middle English, made of be- (used to strengthen a verb) and an old verb longen, "to go with".
How do you spell belongings?
Syllables: be - long - ings
Tricky part: There is only one l, even though some students double it, as in bell.
Watch out for: bellongings, belongeings
Memory tip: A bell has two l's, but belongings has only one, so keep the ring of the bell out of your spelling.
Belongings in a sentence
Example 1: Please keep your belongings with you at all times on the train.
Example 2: After the school trip, the teacher found three water bottles and a jumper among the lost belongings.
Example 3: We packed our belongings into cartons the night before moving to Bengaluru.
Fun Fact
Shakespeare used belongings in Measure for Measure, first performed in 1604, but there it meant a person's gifts and good qualities rather than bags and boxes.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Read the two sentences and choose the correct option:
1. The hotel asked guests to collect all their belonging from the rooms before noon. 2. Joining the school choir gave Neha a real sense of belongings.
a) both
b) only 2
c) neither
d) only 1
Show answer
c) neither. Sentence 1 needs the plural belongings, for things you own; sentence 2 needs belonging, the feeling of being accepted.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
Before the bus left, the conductor reminded the pilgrims to check that no belongins were left under the seats.
a) people who travel to a holy place
b) a person who collects fares on a bus
c) personal items that someone owns
d) places where people sit in a vehicle
Show answer
c) personal items that someone owns. The ending is i-n-g-s, with a g before the s just as in sings; the word names the things people own.
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, o, i
a) f_ll_w_ng
b) c_mp_t_ng
c) b_l_ng_ngs
d) d_v_d_ng
Show answer
c) b_l_ng_ngs. Only belongings takes e, o and i in that order; competing needs o, e, i, following o, o, i and dividing i, i, i.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. belongings 2. remedy 3. fatigue a. tiredness b. cure c. possessions
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Your possessions are your belongings, a cure is a remedy, and tiredness is fatigue.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A traveller's belongings would include ___.
a) the time the train leaves
b) the weather at the station
c) a suitcase and a phone charger
d) the seat number on the train
Show answer
c) a suitcase and a phone charger
2. If you lose track of your belongings, you have ___.
a) missed the start of a film
b) forgotten a friend's address
c) lost count of the days
d) lost sight of your things
Show answer
d) lost sight of your things
