What does normal mean?
Word: Normal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Normal means what is expected and happens most of the time; not strange or different.
Synonyms: usual, ordinary, regular
Antonyms: unusual, strange
How do you spell normal?
Syllables: nor - mal
Tricky part: It ends in al with one l. Normel and normall are both wrong.
Watch out for: normel, normall, normle
Memory tip: Picture a normal animal at the zoo: the two words finish the same way, with al and a single l.
Normal in a sentence
Example 1: After the holidays, school went back to its normal timetable.
Example 2: It is normal to feel nervous before a big match.
Example 3: The doctor said his blood test results were normal.
Fun Fact
Normal comes from Latin norma, a carpenter's square used for drawing right angles. In geometry, a normal line is still one drawn at right angles to a surface.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the prefix ab to form its opposite. Choose it.
ab
a) common
b) usual
c) normal
d) regular
Show answer
c) normal. Ab + normal gives abnormal; the others take un or ir: unusual, uncommon, irregular.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to normal as used in the sentence:
A normal body temperature for a healthy person is about 37 degrees Celsius.
a) typical
b) extreme
c) rare
d) sudden
Show answer
a) typical. Normal here means typical, what you would expect; an extreme or rare temperature would be a sign of illness.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
After the long holiday, life in our colony slowly went back to lomran.
a) formal
b) moral
c) manor
d) normal
Show answer
d) normal. Formal would need an f, moral is a letter short, and manor has no l; only normal fits.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. normal 2. occasional 3. temporery 4. separate
a) lasting for only a short time
b) usual and what you would expect
c) not joined to something else
d) happening now and then, not often
Show answer
a) lasting for only a short time. Temporary ends ary, like library and diary, so temporery is the slip.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which weather would be normal in Chennai in May?
a) freezing fog
b) hailstorms every day
c) hot and humid
d) heavy snowfall
Show answer
c) hot and humid
2. What is normal behaviour for a pet cat?
a) barking at strangers at night
b) sleeping for much of the day
c) laying eggs in a nest
d) swimming across rivers daily
Show answer
b) sleeping for much of the day
