What does cavernous mean?
Word: Cavernous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Cavernous means very large and empty inside, rather like a huge cave.
How do you spell cavernous?
Syllables: cav - er - nous
Tricky part: The middle vowel is hard to hear. Pupils often write cavarnous, but the word comes from a noun whose vowel there is e.
Watch out for: cavarnous, cavirnous
Memory tip: Picture a bat in a cavern, with the e hanging in the middle like a bat from the roof. It stays there in the adjective too.
Cavernous in a sentence
Example 1: The railway station felt cavernous once the last train had left.
Example 2: The new sports hall seemed cavernous with only ten of us inside.
Example 3: Dad set up his small stall in a cavernous tent at the Delhi book fair.
Fun Fact
The Belum Caves in Andhra Pradesh run for more than 3 km underground and are known for their cavernous chambers.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
cavern____
a) eous
b) ous
c) ious
d) ose
Show answer
b) ous. Plain ous is added straight on, as it is in the word mountainous.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our footsteps rang through the cavernous museum as we walked to the exhibiton.
a) exhibiton
b) cavernous
c) footsteps
d) walked
Show answer
a) exhibiton. Exhibition has a third i, just before the on.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ercvosaun
a) cavernous
b) covetous
c) carnivorous
d) ravenous
Show answer
a) cavernous. There is a c but no second o or t, so three of the four cannot be made.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
cavernous
a) gloomy
b) cramped
c) vast
d) hollow
Show answer
b) cramped. A cramped room has too little space, the reverse of the page word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What happens when you speak aloud in a cavernous hall?
a) your voice fades instantly
b) your voice sounds muffled
c) your voice turns squeaky
d) your voice echoes back
Show answer
d) your voice echoes back
2. Pick the space that could fairly be called cavernous.
a) a tiny lift
b) a garden shed
c) a broom cupboard
d) an aircraft hangar
Show answer
d) an aircraft hangar
