What does gnarled mean?
Word: Gnarled
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Gnarled means bent out of shape, rough and full of hard lumps, as old trees and hands can be.
How do you spell gnarled?
Syllables: gnarled
Tricky part: The g at the front is silent, so pupils who spell by sound leave it out.
Watch out for: narled, knarled
Memory tip: Picture a little gnome sitting on a gnarled root: both words begin with a g that says nothing.
Gnarled in a sentence
Example 1: The gnarled banyan tree has shaded the village square for over a hundred years.
Example 2: Grandfather's gnarled hands still tie the neatest knots.
Example 3: We sat on a gnarled root and ate our lunch by the lake.
Fun Fact
One of the earliest known uses of the word is in Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure, which speaks of a gnarled oak.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
gn_rl_d
a) u, e
b) o, e
c) a, e
d) a, i
Show answer
c) a, e. The vowel in the middle is the one in car, and the ending is the usual past-tense ending.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
gnarlled
a) l
b) r
c) n
d) d
Show answer
a) l. A single one of this letter comes before the ending.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
gnarled
a) tender
b) twisted
c) slender
d) polished
Show answer
b) twisted. Old branches of this kind curl and bend in every direction.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) wrinkeled
b) knobbley
c) shriveld
d) gnarled
Show answer
d) gnarled. Wrinkled has no e before the l, shrivelled has a double l and an e, and knobbly has no e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An artist wants to paint a gnarled tree. Which one does she pick?
a) an ancient oak full of knots and bends
b) a neat hedge cut into a square
c) a young sapling tied to a stick
d) a smooth palm in a hotel garden
Show answer
a) an ancient oak full of knots and bends
2. How would a gnarled old walking stick feel in your hand?
a) cold and glassy
b) perfectly smooth
c) soft and spongy
d) bumpy and uneven
Show answer
d) bumpy and uneven
