Basic Details
Word: Collaboration
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Working together with other people to make or achieve something.
Synonyms: teamwork, cooperation, partnership, alliance
Word origin: From Latin collaborare, to work together, from com-, with, and laborare, to work.
How to Spell Collaboration
Syllables: col - lab - o - ra - tion
Tricky part: Collaboration has a double l and a single b. The o after the b is unstressed, so students write collabaration or collaberation.
Watch out for: colaboration, collabaration, collaberation
Memory tip: Col (together) + labor (the Latin for work) + ation: working together. The double l comes from col meeting labor.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The mural on our school wall was a collaboration between Class 6 and Class 8.
Example 2: The song is a collaboration between a Punjabi singer and a Tamil composer.
Example 3: Scientists in many countries worked in collaboration to track the cyclone.
Fun Fact
The International Space Station is run as a collaboration between the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. persuasion 2. negotiation 3. ambition 4. colaboration
a) getting someone to agree by giving reasons
b) working together with others on a task
c) discussion aimed at reaching an agreement
d) a strong wish to succeed
Show answer
b) working together with others on a task. The col- at the front comes from com-, with, and it brings its own l to the l of labor.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
collab_r_t_on
a) o, a, i
b) e, a, i
c) o, e, i
d) a, a, i
Show answer
a) o, a, i. The middle is the Latin labor, so the vowel after b is o, followed by the -ation ending.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word collaboration as used in the sentence:
In close collaboration with the farmers, the students built a small solar pump for the village well.
a) rivalry
b) cooperation
c) isolation
d) argument
Show answer
b) cooperation. The students and farmers were working together, which is cooperation.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In wartime, a collaborator could also mean someone who ____.
a) carried messages for their own army
b) looked after the wounded
c) helped an enemy that had taken over their country
d) wrote songs for the soldiers
Show answer
c) helped an enemy that had taken over their country
2. Which of these is the best example of collaboration?
a) a student copying homework
b) two teams arguing over a trophy
c) three friends writing a play together
d) a runner training alone
Show answer
c) three friends writing a play together
