What does gondola mean?
Word: Gondola
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gondola means a long, flat-bottomed boat used on the canals of Venice. It can also mean a cabin hanging from a cable that carries people up a mountain.
How do you spell gondola?
Syllables: gon - do - la
Tricky part: The vowel in the middle is said very lightly, so pupils write gondala or gondula. It is an o.
Watch out for: gondala, gondula, gondela
Memory tip: You row a gondola, and the o of row belongs straight after the d.
Gondola in a sentence
Example 1: Tourists in Venice often take a gondola at sunset.
Example 2: We rode the gondola at Gulmarg and watched the snowy slopes slide past below us.
Example 3: Our hotel window looked out over a canal where a gondola was tied to a striped pole.
Fun Fact
A Venetian gondola is built slightly lopsided on purpose. The uneven hull helps it travel straight even though it is rowed with a single oar on one side.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
gondolla
a) l
b) d
c) n
d) a
Show answer
a) l. A single l comes before the closing a.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
During our summer holiday in Italy, my cousin Tara and I took a slow gundola ride along the narrow waterways while an elderly boatman hummed a cheerful tune.
a) gundola
b) waterways
c) elderly
d) cheerful
Show answer
a) gundola. The first vowel is the same o as in got.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Snow was falling as we climbed into a dnalgoo at the foot of the mountain.
a) gondola
b) gazebo
c) cupola
d) pergola
Show answer
a) gondola. Pergola, cupola and gazebo all lack the d that the letters contain.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is correct. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. gondola 2. catamaren 3. cannoe 4. kayack
a) a narrow, open boat moved along with paddles
b) a sailing boat with two joined hulls
c) a slender boat that one person rows while standing up
d) a light, covered boat paddled by one person
Show answer
c) a slender boat that one person rows while standing up. The misspelt words should be kayak, canoe and catamaran, which leaves gondola as the correct one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why is a gondola more useful than a car in the old part of Venice?
a) Petrol is not sold in that city
b) Cars cost too much to hire there
c) Boats carry more people than cars
d) Water takes the place of many roads
Show answer
d) Water takes the place of many roads
2. What do a gondola in Venice and a gondola at Gulmarg have in common?
a) Both float on water
b) Both carry passengers
c) Both need a long oar
d) Both hang from a cable
Show answer
b) Both carry passengers
