What does qualitative mean?
Word: Qualitative
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Qualitative means to do with how good something is or what it is like, rather than how much of it there is.
How do you spell qualitative?
Syllables: qual - i - ta - tive
Tricky part: Pupils often swallow a whole syllable near the end and finish the word too soon.
Watch out for: qualitive, qualitetive, qualititive
Memory tip: Spot the little tat before the ending: it reads the same both ways, and a good check looks at both sides of a thing.
Qualitative in a sentence
Example 1: Our teacher wrote a qualitative comment on each essay in place of a mark.
Example 2: The survey collected qualitative answers about how pupils felt about the new canteen.
Example 3: Colour and smell are qualitative details in a science notebook.
Fun Fact
In a school chemistry lab, a qualitative test tells you which substance is present in a sample. It does not tell you how much of it there is.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
q_al_tative
a) w, i
b) u, a
c) u, i
d) u, e
Show answer
c) u, i. Q takes its usual partner, and the next gap is the short vowel of sit.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
quallitative
a) l
b) v
c) u
d) q
Show answer
a) l. The l stays single here.
Mingle-Mangle
Choose the word hidden in the jumbled letters in this sentence.
Our science teacher asked for a vteqiltauai report on how each fruit tasted.
a) qualitative
b) equitable
c) quarterly
d) qualifying
Show answer
a) qualitative. Eleven letters with a v and two t's fit one option alone.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word qualitative as used in the sentence:
The teacher's report gave a qualitative picture of each child's reading.
a) subjective
b) descriptive
c) quantitative
d) detailed
Show answer
c) quantitative. Quantitative work deals in amounts and numbers, the opposite side of the same coin.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A librarian wants qualitative feedback on the new reading corner. Which question should she ask?
a) How many minutes do you spend reading daily?
b) How many books did you borrow last term?
c) How many pupils use the corner each week?
d) What do you enjoy about the reading corner?
Show answer
d) What do you enjoy about the reading corner?
2. Which of these is a qualitative note about a leaf?
a) It feels waxy and smells faintly of lemon
b) It weighs about two grams on the lab balance
c) It is seven centimetres long from tip to stalk
d) It has fourteen small veins on each side
Show answer
a) It feels waxy and smells faintly of lemon
