What does charter mean?
Word: Charter
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Charter means an official written statement that sets out the rights of a group of people or the main aims an organisation promises to follow.
How do you spell charter?
Syllables: char - ter
Tricky part: The word ends in -er, said as a weak 'uh' sound, so chartar and chartor are easy slips to make.
Watch out for: chartar, chartor, chartre
Memory tip: A charter is a kind of letter of rights, and charter ends in exactly the same way as letter.
Charter in a sentence
Example 1: Our school's green charter asks every class to switch off the lights and fans before leaving the room.
Example 2: The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco in 1945.
Example 3: Before the vote, Kenji read the student council's charter aloud to the whole hall.
Fun Fact
The Magna Carta, agreed in England in 1215, takes its name from Latin words meaning 'Great Charter'.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
In which word is 'ch' pronounced differently?
a) cheetah
b) chapter
c) charter
d) chorus
Show answer
d) chorus. Chorus opens with a hard 'k' sound; the other three begin like cheese.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) plaster
b) chapter
c) chater
d) whisper
Show answer
c) chater. Charter needs an r straight after the a; chapter, plaster and whisper are all spelt correctly.
Word Champ
Read the three statements and choose the correct option:
1. A group of schools might draw up a charter listing what every pupil can expect. 2. A charter is a short chant that fans sing before a football match. 3. A ship's captain studies a charter to find the safest way across the sea.
a) only 2 and 3 are correct
b) only 1 is correct
c) only 1 and 3 are correct
d) all three are correct
Show answer
b) only 1 is correct. A chant is something sung and a captain steers by a chart, so statements 2 and 3 mix up look-alike words.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. charter 2. petition 3. census a. an official count of all the people living in a country b. a written request, signed by many people, asking someone in power to act c. a document in which an organisation lays down what it stands for and what its members are entitled to
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. A census counts people, a petition asks for something to be done, and a charter states what a group stands for.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would a sports club most likely set out in its charter?
a) the rights and duties of its members
b) the scores from last week's match
c) the colour of the changing rooms
d) the price of drinks in the canteen
Show answer
a) the rights and duties of its members
2. A family that charters a boat for a day on the lake has ___.
a) painted it a new colour
b) built it themselves
c) bought it to keep
d) hired it for that trip
Show answer
d) hired it for that trip
