What does gearbox mean?
Word: Gearbox
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gearbox means the metal case in a car, bus or machine that holds the toothed wheels used to change how fast the wheels turn compared with the engine.
How do you spell gearbox?
Syllables: gear - box
Tricky part: The vowel sound at the start is spelt e-a. Pupils who go by sound write geerbox or gierbox.
Watch out for: geerbox, gierbox
Memory tip: Listen with your ear: the e-a that spells ear also spells the vowel sound here.
Gearbox in a sentence
Example 1: The mechanic said our old van needs a new gearbox before the long drive to Goa.
Example 2: Bicycles with many speeds use a chain and a set of sprockets instead of a closed gearbox.
Example 3: Papa could hear a grinding noise from the gearbox every time he changed speed.
Fun Fact
Drivers in the United States usually call this part the transmission, while gearbox is the everyday British word.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these compound words is spelt correctly. Choose it:
a) gearbox
b) headlite
c) skatebord
d) machbox
Show answer
a) gearbox. A t has dropped out of matchbox, the a has gone from skateboard, and headlight needs igh.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
gearbbox
a) a
b) b
c) x
d) r
Show answer
b) b. Nothing in this word is doubled, so a single b does the job.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rebogax
a) gearbox
b) jukebox
c) sandbox
d) toolbox
Show answer
a) gearbox. Try the letters against each option: sandbox needs a d, jukebox a j and toolbox a t, and none of those is here.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) exhost
b) gearbox
c) clutch
d) engine
Show answer
a) exhost. Exhaust has a silent h and au, the same au as in August.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a car with a manual gearbox, the driver works it by using ____.
a) the steering wheel on its own
b) the wipers and the mirrors
c) the horn and the indicators
d) a lever and a clutch pedal
Show answer
d) a lever and a clutch pedal
2. Which of these vehicles would you expect to find a gearbox in?
a) a tractor
b) a wheelbarrow
c) a rowing boat
d) a sledge
Show answer
a) a tractor
