What does gymnast mean?
Word: Gymnast
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gymnast means a sports person trained to perform exercises on mats, bars and beams.
How do you spell gymnast?
Syllables: gym - nast
Tricky part: Said quickly, the last part can sound like est or ist, and many children write it that way. It is spelt ast.
Watch out for: gymnest, gymnist
Memory tip: A gymnast must be fast, and both words finish the same way.
Gymnast in a sentence
Example 1: The gymnast held a steady handstand on the beam.
Example 2: My cousin trains as a gymnast at a club in Melbourne.
Example 3: Every gymnast in the team practised her cartwheels before the competition.
Fun Fact
Gymnastics has been part of every modern Olympic Games since the first one, held in Athens in 1896.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The young gimnast landed neatly on the mat and smiled at the cheering crowd.
a) only gimnast
b) gimnast and cheering
c) only cheering
d) landed and crowd
Show answer
a) only gimnast. The second letter of the sports word is wrong; cheering, landed and crowd are fine.
Sound Check
Which word has a different 'y' sound from the others?
a) myth
b) gymnast
c) sky
d) crystal
Show answer
c) sky. Sky has the long sound of my; in the other three the letter makes a short sound.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
nsagtym
a) someone who sells tickets at a stadium
b) someone who paints scenes for stage shows
c) someone who writes reports on cricket matches
d) someone who leaps and balances in competitions
Show answer
d) someone who leaps and balances in competitions. These seven letters make the name of a sports person, and only one option describes what that person does.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
gymnast
a) stamp
b) mast
c) stay
d) gnat
Show answer
a) stamp. There is no p in the given word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What would a gymnast need most?
a) a strong singing voice
b) a fast racing bicycle
c) a good bat and ball
d) strength and balance
Show answer
d) strength and balance
2. Why does a gymnast rub chalk on the hands before using the bars?
a) to show which team won
b) to get a firmer grip
c) to mark up the score
d) to make them look clean
Show answer
b) to get a firmer grip
