Basic Details
Word: Perspective
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A particular way of looking at or thinking about something; in art, the method of showing depth and distance on a flat surface.
Synonyms: viewpoint, outlook, point of view
Sounds like: prospective (likely to happen or to be something in the future)
Word origin: From Latin perspectivus, from perspicere, to look through.
How to Spell Perspective
Syllables: per - spec - tive
Tricky part: It begins with per, not pre, which is the most common slip (prespective). The middle is spec, and the ending is tive with one i.
Watch out for: prespective, perspektive, perspectve, perspecitve
Memory tip: Spect means look, as in inspect and spectator. A perspective is a way of looking, so spell per, then spect, then ive.
Idioms and Phrases
- keep things in perspective: to judge how important something really is without getting too upset Example: "Losing one match is sad, but try to keep things in perspective."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Talking to my grandmother gave me a new perspective on how life was before mobile phones.
Example 2: The drawing teacher showed us how to use perspective to make the railway lines meet in the distance.
Example 3: From the farmer's perspective, the late rain was a blessing.
Fun Fact
Italian artists of the early 1400s, among them Filippo Brunelleschi, worked out the rules of linear perspective, which let painters show depth on a flat wall.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. perspective 2. dimention 3. horizen 4. illusoin
a) a particular way of seeing or judging something
b) a measurable extent such as length or width
c) the line where the earth and sky seem to meet
d) something that deceives the eye or the mind
Show answer
a) a particular way of seeing or judging something. Illusion, horizon and dimension each carry a slip in this list; only perspective is written correctly.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Travelling abroad changed Arjun's evctisepper of his own country.
a) prospectus
b) perspective
c) inspection
d) perception
Show answer
b) perspective. The jumble has a v and no o or n, which rules out perception, prospectus and inspection.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
pers_ect_ve
a) p, e
b) b, i
c) p, i
d) p, a
Show answer
c) p, i. The look root spect needs its p, and the ending is tive, as in active.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a painting, perspective is the technique that makes a flat picture seem to have ____.
a) depth and distance
b) bright colours
c) a shiny finish
d) a smooth texture
Show answer
a) depth and distance
2. 'Try to see it from her perspective' asks you to ____.
a) stand where she is standing
b) think about how she sees it
c) paint a picture of her
d) look through her glasses
Show answer
b) think about how she sees it
