What does consumption mean?
Word: Consumption
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Consumption means the using up of something, such as food, fuel, water or electricity, or the amount that is used.
Synonyms: use, usage
Antonyms: production, saving
How do you spell consumption?
Syllables: con - sump - tion
Tricky part: There is a p after the m that many students leave out, because consume has no p.
Watch out for: consumtion, consummtion, comsumption
Memory tip: Find the sump hiding in consumption. A sump is a pit that collects water, and you cannot spell the word without it.
Consumption in a sentence
Example 1: Our family cut its water consumption by fixing the leaking taps.
Example 2: Fuel consumption goes up when a car is driven too fast.
Example 3: The doctor advised Dadi to reduce her consumption of salt.
Fun Fact
In older books, consumption was a common name for tuberculosis, because the illness seemed to waste the body away.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. polution 2. resourses 3. electricty 4. consumption
a) a form of energy carried along wires to light and power things
b) harmful waste that makes air, water or land dirty
c) the using up of things such as food, fuel or power
d) supplies such as water, coal or minerals that people can use
Show answer
c) the using up of things such as food, fuel or power. Consumption keeps every letter, including the p after the m; pollution, electricity and resources have each lost or changed one.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to consumption as used in the sentence:
Sports coaches often tell young athletes to keep an eye on their consumption of fried snacks before a big race.
a) cooking
b) taste
c) intake
d) supply
Show answer
c) intake. Consumption of food is how much of it you take in, which is your intake.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The headmistress told the assembly that the school's water consumpsion had doubled since the new garden was planted, so every class would take turns checking the taps.
a) headmistress
b) planted
c) consumpsion
d) assembly
Show answer
c) consumpsion. The shun sound at the end is spelt tion here, as in description.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows high consumption of water?
a) leaving the tap running while brushing
b) reusing rinse water for plants
c) bathing with one bucket
d) fixing a leaking pipe
Show answer
a) leaving the tap running while brushing
2. If a fridge has low power consumption, it ____.
a) uses little electricity
b) is very heavy
c) keeps food very cold
d) costs a lot to buy
Show answer
a) uses little electricity
