Basic Details
Word: Prevented
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Stopped something from happening, or stopped someone from doing something. It is the past tense of prevent.
Synonyms: stopped, blocked, averted
Antonyms: allowed, permitted
How to Spell Prevented
Syllables: pre - vent - ed
Tricky part: The first vowel is e (pre, meaning before), not i, and the middle is vent, not vant. Only one t comes before ed.
Watch out for: privented, prevanted, preventted
Memory tip: Look closely and you will find the word event inside it: pr + event + ed. You prevent an event by acting before it happens.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A quick-thinking lifeguard prevented the small boy from going into the deep end.
Example 2: Fog prevented the flight from landing at Amritsar, so it went on to Delhi.
Example 3: Regular brushing has prevented cavities in my teeth for years.
Fun Fact
In older English, prevent meant to come before or go ahead of someone. The modern sense of stopping something grew out of acting before it could happen.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Heavy rain prevanted the umpires from starting the final match, so the trophy was shared between the two schools.
a) between
b) umpires
c) prevanted
d) trophy
Show answer
c) prevanted. Prevent holds the word event inside it, so the vowel before nt is e, never a.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word 'prevented' as used in the sentence:
A locked gate prevented the goats from wandering into the vegetable garden.
a) stopped
b) blocked
c) allowed
d) hindered
Show answer
c) allowed. The gate kept the goats out; allowing them in would be the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Quick thinking by the guard dvenpreet a serious accident at the level crossing.
a) preventive
b) presented
c) pretended
d) prevented
Show answer
d) prevented. The jumble has a v, three e's and a single d: presented needs an s, pretended needs a second d, and preventive needs an i.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A seat belt is mainly meant to prevent ____.
a) a late arrival
b) a flat tyre
c) a traffic jam
d) serious injury
Show answer
d) serious injury
2. Which noun is formed from the verb prevent?
a) preventance
b) preventment
c) preventure
d) prevention
Show answer
d) prevention
