What does elongate mean?
Word: Elongate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Elongate means to make something longer, or to become longer.
How do you spell elongate?
Syllables: e - lon - gate
Tricky part: The opening is the trap. The word starts with a long ee sound, and pupils write i there. It begins with a single e.
Watch out for: ilongate, eelongate, ilongat
Memory tip: Picture an eel: it is a long creature and its name starts with e, just as this word about length does.
Elongate in a sentence
Example 1: The dancers elongate their necks and arms in the opening pose.
Example 2: The artist chose to elongate the faces in her portraits.
Example 3: Pulling gently will elongate a piece of warm toffee.
Fun Fact
A giraffe has seven neck bones, the same number as a person. Each bone is greatly elongated, and that is where the famous long neck comes from.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
el_ng_te
a) u, a
b) o, e
c) o, a
d) a, a
Show answer
c) o, a. The middle is the everyday word that means not short, and the close rhymes with gate.
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
Our art teacher showed the younger children how to ellongate a clay figure gently between their fingers without weakening the delicate joints or cracking the fragile base.
a) ellongate
b) weakening
c) fragile
d) delicate
Show answer
a) ellongate. Only one l follows the opening letter.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word elongate as used in the sentence:
A tailor can elongate a dress by adding a band of cloth at the hem.
a) shorten
b) lengthen
c) extend
d) stretch
Show answer
a) shorten. To shorten is to cut down in length; stretch, lengthen and extend all go the other way.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
With wet hands, the potter began to alognete the neck of the vase.
a) elaborate
b) relegate
c) elongate
d) delegate
Show answer
c) elongate. Look for an n and an o: no other option has both.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What will elongate your shadow on a sunny day?
a) thick cloud covering the whole sky
b) the sun climbing to its highest point
c) moving into the shade of a tree
d) the sun sinking low in the sky
Show answer
d) the sun sinking low in the sky
2. If you elongate a circle, which shape do you get?
a) an oval
b) a triangle
c) a square
d) a smaller circle
Show answer
a) an oval
