What does meteor mean?
Word: Meteor
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Meteor means a small piece of rock or metal from space, seen as a bright streak of light in the night sky.
How do you spell meteor?
Syllables: me - te - or
Tricky part: There is only one t. Students who stress the start sometimes double it and write metteor.
Watch out for: metteor, meteour
Memory tip: A meteor flashes past far too fast to pick up a second t: one quick t is all it has.
Meteor in a sentence
Example 1: I made a wish when I saw a meteor over the hills.
Example 2: The astronomy club met on the roof to look for meteors.
Example 3: A meteor lit up the sky for less than a second.
Fun Fact
The Perseid meteor shower is seen every year around the middle of August, when the Earth passes through dust left behind by a comet.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill both blanks with the letter 'e'. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. m__rr__r 2. m__t__or 3. m__n__r 4. m__nt__r
a) an experienced person who advises someone younger
b) a piece of space rock seen as a streak of light
c) small or not very important
d) a glass that shows your reflection
Show answer
b) a piece of space rock seen as a streak of light. Only m-e-t-e-or takes e in both blanks; mirror needs i and o, minor i and o, and mentor e and o.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
We stayed up past midnight on the terrace to watch the meteor shower, and we counted thirty streaks of light before we fell asleap.
a) meteor and asleap
b) only asleap
c) terrace and asleap
d) only terrace
Show answer
b) only asleap. Asleep has a double e, like sleep; meteor and terrace are correct.
Word Tally
You get 3 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
meteor, galaxey, planet, telescope, satelite, commet
a) 15
b) 6
c) 9
d) 12
Show answer
c) 9. Galaxey, satelite and commet are the three errors; three correct words at 3 marks each make 9.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. meteor 2. constellation 3. eclipse a. a time when one object in space blocks the light of another b. a streak of light made by a bit of space rock c. a group of stars that forms a pattern
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Meteor goes with the streak of light, constellation with the star pattern and eclipse with the blocked light.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A meteor is often called a ___ star, though it is not a star at all.
a) morning
b) polar
c) shooting
d) dwarf
Show answer
c) shooting
2. Why does a meteor glow?
a) it is a falling star
b) lightning lights it up
c) it reflects moonlight
d) it heats up in the air
Show answer
d) it heats up in the air
