What does patience mean?
Word: Patience
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Patience means the ability to wait calmly, or to keep trying, without getting upset or angry.
Synonyms: tolerance
Sounds like: patients (people who are being treated by a doctor)
How do you spell patience?
Syllables: pa - tience
Tricky part: The sh sound in the middle is spelt ti, and the word sounds exactly like patients.
Watch out for: pashence, pacience
Memory tip: Picture a doctor's patients waiting calmly in a long queue: they need patience, and the two words sound exactly alike.
Idioms and Phrases
- lose patience: To become annoyed after waiting or trying for a long time. Example: "The driver lost patience in the long traffic jam."
Patience in a sentence
Example 1: Fishing needs a lot of patience.
Example 2: Our teacher explained the sum again with great patience.
Example 3: Have patience; the cake needs ten more minutes in the oven.
Fun Fact
Patience is also the name of a card game for one player; in American English it is called solitaire.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) honesty
b) courage
c) kindness
d) patiense
Show answer
d) patiense. Patience ends in ce, like silence.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: patience
a) hurry
b) calmness
c) noise
d) anger
Show answer
b) calmness. Staying calm while you wait is what patience means.
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
patience
a) un
b) im
c) dis
d) in
Show answer
b) im. In becomes im before a p, so the opposite of patience is impatience.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
p_tienc_
a) e, e
b) o, e
c) a, a
d) a, e
Show answer
d) a, e. Patience starts pa and finishes with a silent e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which job needs the most patience?
a) switching off the lights at night
b) pouring a glass of water for a guest
c) tying your own shoelaces each morning
d) teaching a toddler to tie shoelaces
Show answer
d) teaching a toddler to tie shoelaces
2. Patience and patients sound the same. Which sentence uses patience correctly?
a) Waiting in a long queue needs patience.
b) Two patience waited to see the nurse.
c) The patience in Ward 3 are resting.
d) The doctor saw ten patience this morning.
Show answer
a) Waiting in a long queue needs patience.
