What does carnival mean?
Word: Carnival
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Carnival means a big public festival with music, dancing, colourful costumes and processions. It can also mean a fair with rides and games.
Synonyms: festival, fair, fiesta
How do you spell carnival?
Syllables: car - ni - val
Tricky part: The ending is -val, with an a. Because the last part is said quickly, students write -vel or -vul.
Watch out for: carnivel, carnivul, karnival
Memory tip: At a carnival you can win a VALuable prize: keep the val at the end.
Carnival in a sentence
Example 1: Our town carnival fills the streets with floats, music and dancers.
Example 2: Our school held a carnival with a ring toss and a big wheel.
Example 3: Bright masks and feathers are worn at carnivals in many countries.
Fun Fact
Carnival comes from Italian carnevale. Many scholars link it to words meaning putting away meat, because the feasting came just before a long period when many people stopped eating meat.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
car__val
a) ne
b) ni
c) nu
d) na
Show answer
b) ni. The middle beat is ni, with an i: car-ni-val.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks will the list get?
carnival, parade, fierworks, accrobat, juggler
a) 10
b) 4
c) 8
d) 6
Show answer
d) 6. Carnival, parade and juggler are right; fireworks and acrobat are misspelt, so 3 words earn 6 marks.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. carnival 2. pageant 3. exhibition a. a public show of art or goods for people to look at b. a public festival with music, dancing and processions c. a show in which people in costume act out scenes from history
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A carnival fills the streets with music and dancing, a pageant acts out history, and an exhibition puts things on show.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ar' pronounced differently?
a) warmth
b) carnival
c) garden
d) market
Show answer
a) warmth. In carnival, garden and market, ar says the ah of car; in warmth it sounds like the or of fork.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would you most likely enjoy at a carnival?
a) a quiet hour in a library
b) a check-up at the dentist
c) a ride on a merry-go-round
d) a spelling test in class
Show answer
c) a ride on a merry-go-round
2. People who go to a carnival are mostly there to ___
a) buy their weekly groceries
b) wait for a late train
c) celebrate and enjoy themselves
d) study quietly for an exam
Show answer
c) celebrate and enjoy themselves
