What does pollinate mean?
Word: Pollinate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Pollinate means to carry pollen from one flower to another so that seeds can form.
How do you spell pollinate?
Syllables: pol - li - nate
Tricky part: The double l is the trap. Pupils who hear only one l sound write polinate.
Watch out for: polinate, pollinnate
Memory tip: The job needs two flowers, one giving and one receiving. Let the two l's stand for them.
Pollinate in a sentence
Example 1: Honeybees pollinate the mustard flowers in the fields behind our school.
Example 2: Without insects to pollinate them, many fruit trees would give a poor crop.
Example 3: Wind helps to pollinate maize and other grasses.
Fun Fact
Vanilla farmers in India and Madagascar often pollinate each flower by hand, because the insects that do the job in the plant's Mexican home are missing.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
poll_n_te
a) a, a
b) i, e
c) e, a
d) i, a
Show answer
d) i, a. The noun has an e in that spot, but the verb changes it to i, and the ending is the usual one for verbs like donate.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
pollinatte
a) i
b) l
c) t
d) n
Show answer
c) t. A single t is enough before the final e.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Butterflies help to lantliepo the hibiscus bushes around the garden pond.
a) populate
b) pollute
c) pollinate
d) postulate
Show answer
c) pollinate. Butterflies carry dust between blooms, so both the letters and the sense point to the plant word.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. pollinate 2. horticulture 3. fluorescent 4. chrysanthamum
a) to help a flower make seeds
b) giving out a very bright light
c) the study and practice of growing garden plants
d) a garden flower with many narrow petals
Show answer
d) a garden flower with many narrow petals. Chrysanthemum has an e before the m near its end.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do farmers sometimes place beehives among apple trees?
a) so the bees can help the blossom set fruit
b) so the hives can shade the young saplings
c) so the bees can chase away other insects
d) so the wax can protect the tree bark
Show answer
a) so the bees can help the blossom set fruit
2. Which plant part must a bee touch for its visit to help the plant?
a) the dusty tips inside a flower
b) the thin roots under the soil
c) the waxy surface of a leaf
d) the woody bark of the stem
Show answer
a) the dusty tips inside a flower
