What does chute mean?
Word: Chute
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Chute means a steep channel or tube that sends people or things down from a higher place to a lower one, such as the one that carries parcels in a sorting office.
Sounds like: shoot (to move very quickly in one direction, as when a car shoots past)
How do you spell chute?
Syllables: chute
Tricky part: The opening sound is sh, but it is written ch, a spelling that came into English from French, as in chef and machine. Spelling it by ear, many pupils start it with sh.
Watch out for: schute, chut
Memory tip: Picture a chef in a tall white hat zooming down a chute. Chef and chute begin with the same ch, said like sh.
Chute in a sentence
Example 1: At the recycling centre, glass bottles rattle down a chute into a huge metal skip.
Example 2: In the old hotel, a laundry chute carried sheets from the top floor to the basement.
Example 3: The farmer opened the hatch, and the grain poured down the chute into the trailer.
Fun Fact
Parachute is built from the same French word. Chute means a fall, and para- means guarding against, so a parachute is something that protects you from a fall.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. escalator 2. pulley 3. choot 4. conveyor
a) a moving staircase that carries people between floors
b) a sloping passage that carries things or people down to a lower level
c) a moving belt that carries goods from one place to another
d) a wheel with a rope round it, used to lift heavy loads
Show answer
b) a sloping passage that carries things or people down to a lower level. Choot is the misspelt one; it should be chute, while escalator, conveyor and pulley are all correct.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
chutte
a) u
b) t
c) h
d) e
Show answer
b) t. Take out one of the two t's and the word reads correctly, with a single t before the final e.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word chute as used in the sentence:
At the swimming pool, Sofia went down the curly yellow chute six times before lunch.
a) ladder
b) fountain
c) slide
d) railing
Show answer
c) slide. Sofia rode down it into the water, which is what you do on a slide.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses chute correctly?
a) The coal tumbled down the chute into the cellar.
b) The film crew planned a chute in the park.
c) A green chute pushed up through the soil.
d) The striker took a quick chute at goal.
Show answer
a) The coal tumbled down the chute into the cellar.
2. Why might a tall block of flats have a chute on every floor?
a) so people can look out over the city
b) so fresh air can blow into every room
c) so the lifts can move faster between floors
d) so rubbish can drop straight down to the bins
Show answer
d) so rubbish can drop straight down to the bins
