Basic Details
Word: Copper
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A soft, reddish-brown metal that lets heat and electricity pass through it easily. It is used for wires, pipes and coins.
How to Spell Copper
Syllables: cop - per
Tricky part: There is a double p after the short o, and the ending is er, not ar or or.
Watch out for: coppar, copor, coppor
Memory tip: Copper keeps its o short with a double p, just like hopper and shopper: c-o-pp-er.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Dadi still stores drinking water in a copper pot.
Example 2: Electric wires inside the wall are usually made of copper.
Example 3: The electrician stripped the plastic off the wire to show the shiny copper inside.
Fun Fact
Copper's chemical symbol is Cu, from the Latin cuprum, a name linked to the island of Cyprus, a major source of the metal in Roman times.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is not. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. aluminium 2. mercury 3. nickel 4. coppar
a) a hard, silvery-white metal often mixed into coins
b) a light, silver-coloured metal used for cans and foil
c) a silvery metal that is liquid at room temperature
d) a reddish-brown metal used for wires and pipes
Show answer
d) a reddish-brown metal used for wires and pipes. Copper ends in er, just as silver does, so coppar is the slip.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it:
The temple bell in our village was cast from rpcepo and tin more than a hundred years ago.
a) copier
b) topper
c) pepper
d) copper
Show answer
d) copper. Only copper uses these six letters, and it is a metal used for bells.
Word Makeup
Only one of these compound words is spelt correctly. Choose it.
a) goldsmyth
b) silversmeth
c) coppersmith
d) blaksmith
Show answer
c) coppersmith. Copper and smith join with no change; blacksmith needs a c, and goldsmith and silversmith end in smith.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most likely to be made of copper?
a) a cotton shirt
b) an electric wire
c) a glass bottle
d) a wooden spoon
Show answer
b) an electric wire
2. When copper is left outside for many years, it often turns ____.
a) green
b) black and white
c) clear
d) bright yellow
Show answer
a) green
