Basic Details
Word: General
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Including or affecting most people or things; not detailed or exact. As a noun, a general is a very senior army officer.
Synonyms: common, broad, overall, usual
Antonyms: specific, particular, detailed
How to Spell General
Syllables: gen - er - al
Tricky part: There are three beats, gen-er-al, and each has a vowel. Students often skip the middle e (genral) or end with -el.
Watch out for: genral, generel, jeneral
Memory tip: Clap the three beats, gen-er-al, and write one vowel for each clap: e, e, a.
Idioms and Phrases
- in general: Usually, or in most cases. Example: "In general, the trains to Pune leave on time."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The general opinion in class was that the test was fair.
Example 2: We have a general knowledge quiz every Friday.
Example 3: The general inspected the troops at the parade ground.
Fun Fact
Field Marshal is a rank above General in the Indian Army. Sam Manekshaw became the first Indian officer to hold it, in 1973.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of 'general' as it is used in the sentence:
The teacher gave us a general idea of the chapter before we began reading.
a) specific
b) broad
c) overall
d) common
Show answer
a) specific. A general idea is broad and rough; the opposite is a specific one, with exact details.
Word Cookie
Fill in the blanks with the correct letters:
gen_r_l
a) e, a
b) a, e
c) e, e
d) a, a
Show answer
a) e, a. Say the word in three beats; the middle beat has e and the last has a.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. strenght 2. disipline 3. general 4. secratary
a) the quality of being strong
b) including most people or things; not detailed
c) training to obey rules and control oneself
d) a person who handles letters and records for an office
Show answer
b) including most people or things; not detailed. Strength has ng before th, discipline has sc, and secretary has e after the first r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A 'general store' is a shop that sells ____.
a) only school books
b) many different kinds of things
c) only shoes and sandals
d) only medicines and bandages
Show answer
b) many different kinds of things
2. Which sentence uses general as a noun?
a) That is a general rule for all the players.
b) It was a general meeting of the whole club.
c) The general view in our class is quite clear.
d) The general led his army across the river.
Show answer
d) The general led his army across the river.
