What does expressive mean?
Word: Expressive
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Expressive means showing your feelings or thoughts clearly, through your face, voice, movements or work.
Synonyms: meaningful, vivid
Antonyms: expressionless, deadpan
How do you spell expressive?
Syllables: ex - pres - sive
Tricky part: The middle has a double s, as in press and dress; pupils who rush often write only one.
Watch out for: expresive, expressiv
Memory tip: You press your feelings out so others can see them, and press always keeps both of its s's.
Expressive in a sentence
Example 1: Leila's grandmother tells stories with such expressive hands that we can almost see the characters.
Example 2: The pianist's expressive playing made the slow piece sound almost like singing.
Example 3: Our dog has an expressive face and tilts his head whenever someone opens the fridge.
Fun Fact
On sheet music, the Italian word espressivo tells players to perform with feeling. Many musical directions, such as piano and forte, come from Italian in the same way.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
e_pressi_e
a) c,v
b) x,f
c) x,v
d) s,v
Show answer
c) x,v. The word starts with ex, like explain, and ends in ive, like active.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word expressive as used in the sentence:
The actor's expressive eyes told the audience everything before he spoke a word.
a) telling
b) blank
c) lively
d) animated
Show answer
b) blank. Blank eyes show no feeling at all, the opposite of eyes that say everything.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. eloquance 2. dramatic 3. expressive 4. gesture
a) the skill of speaking or writing so well that others are moved
b) sudden and exciting, or connected with plays and acting
c) showing feelings clearly through the face, voice or work
d) a movement of the hand or head that shows a meaning
Show answer
a) the skill of speaking or writing so well that others are moved. Eloquence ends in ence; gesture, expressive and dramatic are spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses expressive correctly?
a) The expressive train left the station at nine.
b) We drove home along the expressive lane.
c) Her expressive face showed her joy at the news.
d) He paid an expressive price for those shoes.
Show answer
c) Her expressive face showed her joy at the news.
2. Mr Hughes asked the class to read the poem in a more expressive way. He wanted them to ____.
a) read the whole of it without stopping
b) put real feeling into their voices
c) say each of the words very softly
d) read it a great deal more quickly
Show answer
b) put real feeling into their voices
