What does eclipse mean?
Word: Eclipse
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Eclipse means a time when the Sun or the Moon goes dark for a while, because another body in space passes in front of it or casts a shadow on it.
How do you spell eclipse?
Syllables: e - clipse
Tricky part: The ending is pse, with a silent e. Children who write only what they hear end up with eclips.
Watch out for: eclips, eclypse, eclipce
Memory tip: Eclipse ends in the same three letters as collapse and lapse: p-s-e.
Eclipse in a sentence
Example 1: Never look straight at the Sun during a solar eclipse.
Example 2: We stayed up late to watch the lunar eclipse turn the Moon red.
Example 3: Scientists can predict an eclipse years before it happens.
Fun Fact
A total solar eclipse lasts at most about seven and a half minutes at any one place.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) eclipse
b) astronomey
c) telescop
d) satelite
Show answer
a) eclipse. Satellite has two l's, telescope ends in e, and astronomy ends in my.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Millions of people watched the solar iclipse on television last year.
a) iclipse
b) television
c) Millions
d) watched
Show answer
a) iclipse. This word begins with an e, even when it is said quickly.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
plicese
a) ellipse
b) eclipse
c) pencils
d) special
Show answer
b) eclipse. Ellipse needs a second l, special an a and pencils an n, so the seven letters spell eclipse.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
e_l_pse
a) s, y
b) c, i
c) c, e
d) k, i
Show answer
b) c, i. A c makes the k sound, and an i comes after the l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. During a solar eclipse, what blocks the Sun?
a) a planet
b) a cloud
c) the Moon
d) a comet
Show answer
c) the Moon
2. How can scientists predict an eclipse years ahead?
a) the weather report shows them
b) they follow the rise and fall of tides
c) eclipses happen every Sunday
d) the Moon and Earth move in regular paths
Show answer
d) the Moon and Earth move in regular paths
