What does intersperse mean?
Word: Intersperse
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Intersperse means to place things here and there among other things.
How do you spell intersperse?
Syllables: in - ter - sperse
Tricky part: The word sparse gets in the way. Students put an a after the p, but the vowel there is e.
Watch out for: interspirse, interspurse, intersperss
Memory tip: Think of pepper interspersed through a dish: in both words the p is followed by an e.
Intersperse in a sentence
Example 1: The film-maker interspersed the interviews with old photographs.
Example 2: Our guide interspersed the history of the fort with funny stories.
Example 3: Bright marigolds were interspersed with green ferns along the garden path.
Fun Fact
It goes back to a Latin verb for sprinkling, and the picture still fits: think of raisins sprinkled through a bowl of kheer.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
interrsperse
a) p
b) r
c) s
d) t
Show answer
b) r. The first part of the word is plain inter, with one r.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The science teacher likes to intersperce her long explanations with short quizzes and little experiments so that nobody loses interest.
a) quizzes
b) intersperce
c) experiments
d) explanations
Show answer
b) intersperce. The final sound is spelt with an s, as in verse.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word intersperse as used in the sentence:
Tall coconut palms were interspersed among the rice fields of Kuttanad.
a) measured
b) hidden
c) scattered
d) uprooted
Show answer
c) scattered. The palms stood dotted about the fields, so scattered is the match.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. sprinkel 2. alternait 3. intersperse 4. dissemminate
a) to dot items at intervals among others
b) to take turns, one following the other
c) to spread information so that many people get it
d) to drop small amounts over a surface
Show answer
a) to dot items at intervals among others. Disseminate has a double s but one m, sprinkle ends in le, and alternate ends in ate.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A speaker who intersperses a talk with jokes ____.
a) drops them in at several points
b) reads them out before starting
c) leaves them out of the talk
d) tells them all at the very end
Show answer
a) drops them in at several points
2. In which of these are the items interspersed?
a) blue beads stored until next term
b) red beads kept in a separate box
c) red beads placed among the blue ones
d) blue beads sorted into a neat pile
Show answer
c) red beads placed among the blue ones
