Basic Details
Word: Intervening
Part of Speech: Adjective and verb
Meaning: Coming between two times, places or events. As a verb, stepping in to stop or change something.
Synonyms: in-between, interceding, mediating, stepping in
Word origin: Comes from Latin intervenire, to come between, from inter (between) and venire (to come).
How to Spell Intervening
Syllables: in - ter - ven - ing
Tricky part: Intervene drops its final e before -ing. The n is not doubled, because the vowel before it is a long ee sound.
Watch out for: interveneing, intervenning, intervining
Memory tip: Inter means between and vene means come: something intervening comes between. To add ing, let the final e of intervene go.
Usage Examples
Example 1: In the intervening years, the small village grew into a busy town.
Example 2: The teacher stopped the argument by intervening calmly.
Example 3: Two intervening hills hid the lake from our camp.
Fun Fact
The Latin venire, to come, is also hidden in convene, where people come together, and in venue, the place they come to.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word intervening as used in the sentence:
In the intervening months, the builders finished the new school block.
a) future
b) golden
c) previous
d) in-between
Show answer
d) in-between. The months that came between two points in time are the in-between months.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
intervenning
a) v
b) e
c) n
d) g
Show answer
c) n. The ee sound in vene is long, so the n stays single when ing is added.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Mr Bose stopped the quarrel by gneteirvinn before it turned into a fight.
a) interviewing
b) intervening
c) interfering
d) intervention
Show answer
b) intervening. There is no w, f or o in the jumble, which leaves intervening as the only fit.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A teacher intervening in a quarrel ____.
a) ignores it completely
b) starts the quarrel
c) steps in to stop it
d) joins one side
Show answer
c) steps in to stop it
2. Which phrase means the same as intervene?
a) give up
b) step in
c) fall asleep
d) step out
Show answer
b) step in
