What does improve mean?
Word: Improve
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Improve means to make something better, or to get better yourself.
Synonyms: better, develop, progress
How do you spell improve?
Syllables: im - prove
Tricky part: The word ends in a silent e, which children often leave off (improv).
Watch out for: improov, impruve, improv
Memory tip: Think of the last e as a full stop you cannot hear: improve is not finished until that silent e is written.
Improve in a sentence
Example 1: Reading every day will improve your spelling.
Example 2: Ravi wants to improve his bowling before the match.
Example 3: The new lights have improved the playground at night.
Fun Fact
Improve comes from an old French phrase meaning into profit. At first it meant to make money from land; the sense to make better came later.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: improve
a) polish
b) worsen
c) enhance
d) upgrade
Show answer
b) worsen. To worsen is to get worse; to enhance, upgrade or polish something is to make it better.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) prepare
b) achieve
c) inprove
d) practise
Show answer
c) inprove. Improve is built from im and prove, so inprove is the slip.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
im_ro_e
a) b, f
b) p, v
c) b, v
d) p, f
Show answer
b) p, v. A p follows the m, and the v is the sound you hear just before the silent e.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ropvime
a) imporve
b) imrpove
c) imprvoe
d) improve
Show answer
d) improve. The word begins with im and ends in its silent e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows that Arav's swimming has improved?
a) He goes to the pool every Sunday.
b) He swims a length faster than last month.
c) He watched a swimming race on TV.
d) He has bought a new pair of goggles.
Show answer
b) He swims a length faster than last month.
2. The coach asks, 'Can you improve on your time of 50 seconds?' What does she want?
a) a time faster than 50 seconds
b) a time of exactly 50 seconds
c) a time written in her notebook
d) a time slower than 50 seconds
Show answer
a) a time faster than 50 seconds
