Basic Details
Word: Function
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The job or purpose of something; also a formal party or ceremony. In maths, a function is a rule that links each input to exactly one output.
Synonyms: purpose, role, job, ceremony
How to Spell Function
Syllables: func - tion
Tricky part: The k sound in the middle is written with c alone. Students drop it (funtion) or add a k (funktion).
Watch out for: funtion, fuction, funktion
Memory tip: Say func like the music funk, then write a c for the k sound and finish with tion.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The function of the heart is to pump blood around the body.
Example 2: Our school's annual function will be held in the town hall this year.
Example 3: Press this key to use the calculator's square-root function.
Fun Fact
In Indian English a function very often means a party or ceremony, such as a wedding function or an annual day function. British English uses it this way too, mostly for formal events.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. funtion 2. auction 3. junction 4. sanction
a) official permission or a penalty
b) the purpose or job of something
c) a place where roads or railway lines meet
d) a sale where things go to the highest bidder
Show answer
b) the purpose or job of something. Junction and sanction both carry a c before tion, and function needs one too.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word function as used in the sentence:
The function of a fuse is to cut off the current when too much electricity flows.
a) weight
b) price
c) purpose
d) colour
Show answer
c) purpose. The function of a fuse is the job it is there to do, its purpose.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Each organ in the body has its own nnoticuf.
a) fraction
b) fiction
c) junction
d) function
Show answer
d) function. Two n's, a u and an f: fiction has one n, junction starts with j and fraction needs an r and an a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. At a wedding function, guests ____.
a) play in a cricket match
b) attend a party or ceremony
c) sit for a written test
d) do their school homework
Show answer
b) attend a party or ceremony
2. In maths, a function is ____.
a) a rule linking each input to one output
b) a shape with four equal sides
c) the answer to a long sum
d) a number that cannot be divided
Show answer
a) a rule linking each input to one output
