What does pardon mean?
Word: Pardon
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Pardon means forgiveness for something wrong, or an official decision to let someone off a punishment. People also say Pardon? when they want you to repeat something.
Synonyms: forgiveness
Antonyms: blame
How do you spell pardon?
Syllables: par - don
Tricky part: The second syllable is spelt don, even though it sounds like dun. Students write pardun or pardan.
Watch out for: pardun, pardan, pardonn
Memory tip: The ending sounds like dun but is spelt don, just like the end of London, which is said with the same soft sound.
Idioms and Phrases
- I beg your pardon: A polite way of saying sorry, or of asking someone to repeat what they said. Example: "I beg your pardon, I did not see your bag on the seat."
Pardon in a sentence
Example 1: Pardon? I did not hear what you said over the noise of the fan.
Example 2: In the story, the kind king gave the shepherd a pardon for wandering into the palace garden.
Example 3: The coach gave Arjun a pardon for missing practice, since he had been ill.
Fun Fact
Pardon came into English from French, where pardonner means to forgive. French speakers still say Pardon when they bump into someone.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
In which word is 'ar' pronounced differently?
a) pardon
b) garden
c) harden
d) warden
Show answer
d) warden. After w, ar sounds like the or in fork, as in war; in the others it is the ar of car.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. pardon 2. retreat 3. expand a. condemn b. shrink c. advance
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. To pardon is to forgive, the opposite of condemn; retreat is the opposite of advance; expand is the opposite of shrink.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
dropan
a) forgiveness for something wrong
b) a short rest in the middle of work
c) a reward for brave work
d) a written promise to pay money
Show answer
a) forgiveness for something wrong. Sorted out, dropan spells the word you also say when you did not hear someone.
Word Champ
Read the three statements. Which of them are true?
1. Pardon can also be a verb, as in 'Please pardon my mistake.' 2. A parade is a line of people marching or moving through the streets to celebrate something. 3. A parasol is an umbrella made to keep off heavy rain.
a) only 1 and 2 are true
b) only 2 and 3 are true
c) all three are true
d) only 1 is true
Show answer
a) only 1 and 2 are true. A parasol is a light umbrella that gives shade from the sun, not shelter from heavy rain.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Rahul broke his sister's pencil by mistake and asked for her pardon. What did he want from her?
a) her to stop being cross
b) help with his homework
c) a new pencil from her
d) a ride on her bicycle
Show answer
a) her to stop being cross
2. The library pardons Meera's fine for a late book. This means Meera ___.
a) must pay it twice over
b) has to pay it by Monday
c) gets a new library card
d) need not pay the fine
Show answer
d) need not pay the fine
