What does illumination mean?
Word: Illumination
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Illumination means the light that lets you see a place clearly, or the act of giving it light; also decoration with coloured lights.
Synonyms: glow
How do you spell illumination?
Syllables: il - lu - mi - na - tion
Tricky part: Two l's begin the word, as in illustrate, but there is only one m: ilumination and illummination are both wrong.
Watch out for: ilumination, illuminasion
Memory tip: Light floods in from both sides: the two l's at the start of illumination are like two lamps at a gate.
Illumination in a sentence
Example 1: The new lamps bring illumination to every street on our estate.
Example 2: The dim illumination in the hall made it hard to read.
Example 3: Solar lamps now provide illumination in many remote villages.
Fun Fact
The Blackpool Illuminations in England stretch for about ten kilometres along the seafront, and the first lights were switched on there in 1879.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. lantern 2. firework 3. illumination 4. chandalier
a) a lamp with a frame that shields its flame
b) a small device that bursts into coloured sparks
c) lights hung up to decorate streets for a celebration
d) a hanging light with many branches for bulbs or candles
Show answer
d) a hanging light with many branches for bulbs or candles. Chandelier has an e after the d, chan-de-lier; lantern, illumination and firework are spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
illum_n_tion
a) e, a
b) a, a
c) i, e
d) i, a
Show answer
d) i, a. Said slowly the word is il-lu-mi-na-tion, so the missing vowels are the i of mi and the a of na.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word illumination as used in the sentence:
The illumination along Marine Drive at night makes it look like a glittering necklace.
a) radiance
b) darkness
c) lighting
d) brightness
Show answer
b) darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, the opposite of illumination; lighting, brightness and radiance all mean light.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
After sunset, the lonmltuiaini of the old bridge turns the river gold.
a) illumination
b) imagination
c) illustration
d) elimination
Show answer
a) illumination. Illustration needs an s and an r, elimination an e and imagination a g, so the letters can only make illumination.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A sudden illumination while solving a puzzle is ____.
a) a bulb that suddenly breaks
b) a guess that turns out wrong
c) a flash of understanding
d) a loud noise from outside
Show answer
c) a flash of understanding
2. Scribes in the Middle Ages added illumination to their handwritten books. Here the word means ____.
a) a leather cover to protect the pages
b) gold and coloured decoration on the pages
c) a list of the chapters at the front
d) candles lit so they could read at night
Show answer
b) gold and coloured decoration on the pages
