What does percussion mean?
Word: Percussion
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Percussion means musical instruments that you play by hitting, tapping or shaking them, such as drums, bells and cymbals; also the players of these instruments.
Word origin: Comes from Latin percussio, a striking, from percutere, to strike through, from per, through, and quatere, to shake or strike.
How do you spell percussion?
Syllables: per - cus - sion
Tricky part: The end is -ssion with a double s, as in discussion.
Watch out for: percusion, percution
Memory tip: Percussion ends like discussion: two s letters before -ion.
Percussion in a sentence
Example 1: The percussion section kept the beat for the whole school orchestra.
Example 2: Castanets, the triangle and the gong are all percussion instruments.
Example 3: Marco plays percussion in a band that performs at weddings.
Fun Fact
The steelpan, a drum made from an old oil barrel, was developed in Trinidad and Tobago in the twentieth century and is now its national instrument.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: e, u, io
a) p__rc__ss__n
b) p__rm__ss__n
c) p__rs__s__n
d) d__sc__ss__n
Show answer
a) p__rc__ss__n. Percussion takes e, u, io; discussion needs i, u, io, persuasion e, ua, io and permission e, i, io.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. percussion 2. woodwind 3. brass a. instruments such as the bongo and the gong b. instruments such as the trumpet and the trombone c. instruments such as the flute and the clarinet
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Percussion is struck, woodwind is blown through a reed or across a hole, and brass is buzzed through the lips.
Word Tally
2 marks for each misspelt word. How many marks do these words score?
cymbel, tamberine, xylophone, marracas, percussion
a) 8
b) 6
c) 2
d) 4
Show answer
b) 6. Cymbal ends in -al, tambourine needs ou, and maracas has one r; three slips give 6 marks.
Sound Check
In which word is 'cu' pronounced differently?
a) curry
b) customer
c) cushion
d) percussion
Show answer
c) cushion. Cushion has the short oo of put; percussion, curry and customer share the u of cup.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which instrument belongs in the percussion section of an orchestra?
a) timpani
b) violin
c) flute
d) cello
Show answer
a) timpani
2. Add re- to percussion and you get a word meaning ___.
a) an unwanted result that follows an action
b) a new kind of cymbal made of brass
c) a loud echo that repeats round a hall
d) a second drum solo at the end of a show
Show answer
a) an unwanted result that follows an action
