What does berate mean?
Word: Berate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Berate means to tell someone off loudly and angrily.
How do you spell berate?
Syllables: be - rate
Tricky part: There is only one r. Pupils who think of berry or terrible tend to double it.
Watch out for: berrate, beratte, berat
Memory tip: A telling-off should not be repeated, and neither should the r.
Berate in a sentence
Example 1: The manager berated the delivery firm for losing the parcel.
Example 2: Clara berated herself for leaving her umbrella on the bus.
Example 3: Our class teacher never berates anyone for an honest mistake.
Fun Fact
This is an old word. English speakers were using it by the middle of the 1500s, and its sense has barely changed since.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
b_r_te
a) a, a
b) e, i
c) e, a
d) i, a
Show answer
c) e, a. Each gap has its own vowel: it opens with be, and the next vowel is the a of plate.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word berate as used in the sentence:
The cricket coach did not berate the young bowler for that wide ball in the last over.
a) praise
b) reprimand
c) rebuke
d) scold
Show answer
a) praise. Praise is warm approval, the opposite of an angry telling-off.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose what it means.
1. dissapprove 2. exclame 3. reproche 4. berate
a) to show somebody you feel let down by them
b) to think that something is not right or good
c) to cry out suddenly in surprise
d) to speak sharply and crossly to somebody
Show answer
d) to speak sharply and crossly to somebody. Reproach has an a, disapprove one s and two p's, and exclaim ends in aim; nothing is wrong with the other word.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Although the shop had lost her order, the polite customer chose not to beraet the tired young assistant and thanked him instead.
a) customer
b) thanked
c) assistant
d) beraet
Show answer
d) beraet. The t belongs before the closing e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does berating another person look like?
a) quietly thanking the driver at the door
b) sending a polite note with a small gift
c) shouting about a late parcel for ten minutes
d) waving happily from the balcony upstairs
Show answer
c) shouting about a late parcel for ten minutes
2. A team is berated at half-time. How would the players most likely feel?
a) embarrassed and keen to do better
b) delighted with the warm words
c) bored by a quiet team talk
d) proud of a fine first half
Show answer
a) embarrassed and keen to do better
