Basic Details
Word: Insurance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: An arrangement in which you pay a company a regular sum, and the company pays you if something is lost, damaged or if you fall ill.
Synonyms: cover, protection, safeguard
How to Spell Insurance
Syllables: in - sur - ance
Tricky part: It ends in -ance, not -ence. The sur in the middle has a u, even though people say it like shur.
Watch out for: insurence, inshurance, insurrance
Memory tip: Start from insure, drop its last e and add ance. Think of insurance paying an amount: a for amount, a for ance.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Our car insurance paid for the dented bumper after the accident.
Example 2: Many farmers buy crop insurance before the monsoon.
Example 3: Carrying an umbrella on a cloudy day is a kind of insurance against rain.
Fun Fact
Marine insurance for ships and their cargo is one of the oldest kinds. Coffee houses in London, such as Lloyd's in the 1680s, were where ship owners met people willing to insure their voyages.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word insurance as used in the sentence:
Papa bought travel insurance before our trip to Singapore.
a) luggage
b) passport
c) cover
d) discount
Show answer
c) cover. Travel insurance protects you against loss, which people also call travel cover.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ins_r_nce
a) e, e
b) u, e
c) u, a
d) o, a
Show answer
c) u, a. It is built on sure, so the first gap is u, and the ending is the -ance of an amount paid out.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Did you renew the scooter's ucnsnirea before it ran out?
a) assurance
b) ignorance
c) endurance
d) insurance
Show answer
d) insurance. With no d, g, o or double s in the jumble, only insurance can be built from it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do people buy health insurance?
a) to win a lucky draw
b) to get extra school holidays
c) to help with hospital bills
d) to skip a visit to the dentist
Show answer
c) to help with hospital bills
2. The regular payment made for insurance is called a ____.
a) fine
b) ransom
c) salary
d) premium
Show answer
d) premium
