Basic Details
Word: Cardinal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Of the greatest importance; chief or basic. As a noun, a cardinal is a senior leader in the Roman Catholic Church.
Synonyms: chief, fundamental, principal, main
Antonyms: minor, unimportant
How to Spell Cardinal
Syllables: car - di - nal
Tricky part: The ending is -al, not -el or -le, and the middle syllable is di. Students often write cardinel or squeeze out the i.
Watch out for: cardinel, cardnal, cardinle
Memory tip: Cardinal ends the same way as final and signal: -al.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The cardinal led the Christmas prayers in the old cathedral.
Example 2: Wearing a helmet is the cardinal safety rule on every building site.
Example 3: For a goalkeeper, the cardinal skill is watching the ball all the way into the gloves.
Fun Fact
The bright red North American bird called the cardinal was named after the red robes worn by cardinals of the Catholic Church.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. arithmatic 2. parralel 3. diamiter 4. cardinal
a) of the greatest importance; chief
b) a straight line through the centre of a circle from one side to the other
c) side by side and always the same distance apart
d) the part of maths dealing with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
Show answer
a) of the greatest importance; chief. Maths words are easy to misspell: arithmetic ends in -tic, parallel has its double l in the middle, diameter has e after the m. Cardinal is correct.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to cardinal as used in the sentence:
Honesty is the cardinal rule of the debate club, and anyone caught inventing facts loses the round.
a) fundamental
b) ordinary
c) minor
d) optional
Show answer
a) fundamental. A cardinal rule is the most basic and important one, so fundamental fits; minor says the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Patience is a nalcrida virtue for anyone who wants to learn fishing.
a) cardinal
b) criminal
c) cordial
d) carnival
Show answer
a) cardinal. Cordial has an o, carnival a v and criminal an m, so the jumble can only be cardinal.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
During the trek our guide showed us how to find the four cardinel directions using only the sun, a stick and its shadow, even without a compass.
a) shadow
b) directions
c) cardinel
d) compass
Show answer
c) cardinel. Cardinal ends in -al, like final.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is a cardinal number?
a) seven
b) seventh
c) first
d) last
Show answer
a) seven
2. A cardinal error is one that is ____.
a) tiny
b) funny
c) made on purpose
d) very serious
Show answer
d) very serious
