What does monorail mean?
Word: Monorail
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Monorail means a railway that runs on one single track, usually raised high above the ground.
How do you spell monorail?
Syllables: mon - o - rail
Tricky part: The long a sound in the last part is spelt ai. Children often write ale or ayl, because that sound can be spelt in so many ways.
Watch out for: monorale, monorayl
Memory tip: As you reach the end of the word, say 'A train In the air': the a goes first and the i follows.
Monorail in a sentence
Example 1: The monorail glided above the busy road in Mumbai.
Example 2: From the monorail we could look down on the whole zoo.
Example 3: My cousin takes the monorail to college because it beats the traffic.
Fun Fact
Mumbai opened a monorail line in 2014, while the German city of Wuppertal has run one since 1901.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
lioarmon
a) monopoly
b) monorail
c) mineral
d) moorland
Show answer
b) monorail. Monopoly has a p and a y, moorland has a d, and mineral has no o at all.
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
____rail
a) mona
b) mano
c) mono
d) moni
Show answer
c) mono. This prefix means one, the same one you meet in monotone.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The new monorrail takes visitors around the park in ten minutes.
a) around
b) monorrail
c) visitors
d) minutes
Show answer
b) monorrail. A single r is all the word needs before the ai; the doubled letter is the slip.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) helicoptor
b) aeroplain
c) carrige
d) monorail
Show answer
d) monorail. Aeroplane ends in lane, helicopter ends in ter, and carriage has an a before the g.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a crowded city choose to build a monorail?
a) it carries only heavy goods
b) it travels under the sea
c) it saves space on the ground
d) it runs only at weekends
Show answer
c) it saves space on the ground
2. To board a monorail in a city, you would most likely ____.
a) walk down to a sandy beach
b) climb the steps to a platform
c) wait beside a small pier
d) cycle to a quiet airfield
Show answer
b) climb the steps to a platform
