What does harness mean?
Word: Harness
Part of Speech: Verb, noun
Meaning: Harness means to control a natural force such as wind, water or sunlight and use it to make power or do work. As a noun, a harness is a set of straps fitted on a horse or a person, for example to pull a cart or hold a climber.
Synonyms: control
How do you spell harness?
Syllables: har - ness
Tricky part: The double s at the end is heard as a single s, so students often leave one of them out.
Watch out for: harnes, harnness
Memory tip: A harness wraps two straps around the horse, so give the word two s's at the end.
Harness in a sentence
Example 1: Windmills in Gujarat harness the wind to make electricity.
Example 2: Before the ride, the camel owner checked every buckle on the harness.
Example 3: Our science club built a small cooker that harnesses sunlight to heat water.
Fun Fact
Bhadla Solar Park in the Rajasthan desert, one of the largest solar parks in the world, harnesses sunlight across thousands of hectares of dry land.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
h_rn_ss
a) a, i
b) a, e
c) e, e
d) o, e
Show answer
b) a, e. The first vowel is the a of car, and the vowel before the double s is the one you hear in kindness.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
harness
a) channel
b) waste
c) utilise
d) tap
Show answer
b) waste. To harness energy is to put it to use; to waste it is to let it go for nothing. The other three all mean using it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
snrhase
a) harshness
b) hardness
c) harness
d) rashness
Show answer
c) harness. The jumble has seven letters with no d and only one h, so the longer options cannot be made.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) generator
b) eletricity
c) turbine
d) harness
Show answer
b) eletricity. Electricity needs a c after the first l and e, as in electric.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these harnesses the energy of moving water?
a) a hydroelectric dam
b) a rain gauge
c) a swimming pool
d) an overhead tank
Show answer
a) a hydroelectric dam
2. Why does a rock climber wear a harness?
a) to measure the height
b) to stay clipped to the rope
c) to keep the hands warm
d) to carry a water bottle
Show answer
b) to stay clipped to the rope
