Basic Details
Word: Individual
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: One single person, thought of separately from a group; as an adjective, meant for or belonging to one person or thing.
Synonyms: person, single, separate, personal
Antonyms: collective, group
How to Spell Individual
Syllables: in - di - vid - u - al
Tricky part: The middle is vid, and the end is ual; together the d and ual sound like jool. That sound tempts students into indivijual or individul.
Watch out for: individul, indivisual, indevidual
Memory tip: An individual cannot be divided into parts: in + divid + ual. Look for divid, from divide, in the middle.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Every individual in the class gets a turn to speak.
Example 2: The tiffin came in individual steel boxes, one for each child.
Example 3: Each individual snowflake has its own pattern.
Fun Fact
In 2014 Rohit Sharma scored 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, setting the record for the highest individual score in a men's one-day international.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. temprament 2. charactor 3. personallity 4. individual
a) a person's usual mood and way of reacting
b) the qualities that make up a person's nature
c) a single person, considered separately from a group
d) a person in a story, play or film
Show answer
c) a single person, considered separately from a group. Individual is spelt correctly; personality has one l, character ends in er and temperament has an e after the p.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to individual as used in the sentence:
Each student was given individual attention during the swimming lessons.
a) single
b) personal
c) collective
d) separate
Show answer
c) collective. Individual attention is given to one person at a time; collective means shared by the whole group.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
ind_v_d_al
a) i, e, u
b) i, i, o
c) i, i, u
d) e, i, u
Show answer
c) i, i, u. Divide gives the two i's, and the ending is ual.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An individual portion of dessert is meant for ____.
a) one person
b) nobody
c) a class
d) a whole family
Show answer
a) one person
2. As a noun, individual means much the same as ____.
a) team
b) person
c) crowd
d) nation
Show answer
b) person
