What does pathos mean?
Word: Pathos
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Pathos means the power of a story, film or performance to make people feel pity or sadness.
How do you spell pathos?
Syllables: pa - thos
Tricky part: The faint last syllable is the problem. Students write pathose or pathus, but it finishes with just os.
Watch out for: pathose, pathus
Memory tip: Remember the two final letters as a small sigh at a moving scene: oh, so sad.
Pathos in a sentence
Example 1: The tale of the lost kite has real pathos, and the whole class fell silent.
Example 2: The song has a quiet pathos that suits her soft voice.
Example 3: There is pathos in the way the old toy waits on the shelf for the child to return.
Fun Fact
The Greek thinker Aristotle named pathos as one of three ways to win over an audience, along with ethos, a speaker's character, and logos, reasoned argument.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
patthos
a) t
b) p
c) s
d) h
Show answer
a) t. Say the two syllables and listen: the first closes on an open vowel, so no letter is doubled.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Many viewers praised the gentle paythos of the closing scene, in which an old fisherman waves goodbye to his grandson.
a) fisherman
b) grandson
c) viewers
d) paythos
Show answer
d) paythos. The long vowel in the first syllable is shown here by one letter alone.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word pathos as used in the sentence:
The pathos of the clown's silent act moved many in the audience to tears.
a) pride
b) speed
c) poignancy
d) humour
Show answer
c) poignancy. Poignancy is the quality that brings on sadness, which is what the clown's act did.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. capricous 2. pathos 3. frivilous 4. elaquent
a) changing mood suddenly and without warning
b) able to speak beautifully and persuasively
c) a quality in art that stirs tender feeling
d) silly and not serious
Show answer
c) a quality in art that stirs tender feeling. Capricious has lost an i, and frivolous and eloquent both want an o, which leaves the short Greek noun.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which scene is most likely to be praised for its pathos?
a) an old dog waiting at the gate for its owner
b) a joke about a talking parrot at a party
c) a teacher reading out the class timetable
d) a noisy chase through a crowded market
Show answer
a) an old dog waiting at the gate for its owner
2. A reviewer says a comedy 'has moments of pathos'. What can you expect?
a) no laughter at any point in the film
b) a great many loud songs and dances
c) long speeches about the laws of physics
d) some quiet scenes that touch the heart
Show answer
d) some quiet scenes that touch the heart
