What does commentator mean?
Word: Commentator
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Commentator means a person who describes an event, such as a cricket match, live on radio or television; also someone who writes about events.
Synonyms: announcer, broadcaster, reporter
How do you spell commentator?
Syllables: com - men - ta - tor
Tricky part: There is a double m straight after the co; comentator, with one m, is a common slip.
Watch out for: comentator, commantator
Memory tip: Two m's stand side by side, like two commentators sharing one microphone.
Commentator in a sentence
Example 1: The commentator's voice rose as the ball sailed over the boundary.
Example 2: Ritu dreams of becoming a Hindi radio commentator.
Example 3: Political commentators argued about the election results all night.
Fun Fact
The BBC broadcast its first live radio commentary of a football match in 1927, so listeners could follow the game without seeing it.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'e' and 'o'. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. comm__ntat__r 2. spect__t__r 3. narr__t__r 4. transl__t__r
a) someone who talks listeners through a game as it happens
b) the person who tells the story in a book, film or play
c) a person who changes writing or speech into another language
d) a person who watches an event, especially a sport
Show answer
a) someone who talks listeners through a game as it happens. Spectator, narrator and translator all need a and o, so the e and o belong to commentator.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) sculptor : statue
b) composer : symphony
c) auther : novel
d) commentator : commentary
Show answer
c) auther : novel. Each pair is a person and what he or she produces; author ends in or, so auther is the slip.
Word Tally
You get 3 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
commentator, umpier, pavillion, scoreboard, stadiom
a) 9
b) 12
c) 3
d) 6
Show answer
d) 6. Umpire, pavilion and stadium are misspelt, so only two words score, and two times three is six.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) commentator
b) microphone
c) broadcast
d) tournamment
Show answer
d) tournamment. Tournament has a single m before the ent; commentator, microphone and broadcast are correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. During a cricket match, where does a commentator usually sit?
a) in a box high up in the stands
b) beside the stumps
c) at the ticket counter
d) in the players' dressing room
Show answer
a) in a box high up in the stands
2. A commentator needs, above all, to be good at ___.
a) bowling at top speed
b) rolling the pitch
c) keeping the score book
d) speaking clearly and quickly
Show answer
d) speaking clearly and quickly
