What does recollection mean?
Word: Recollection
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Recollection means a memory of something from the past, or the ability to remember it.
Word origin: From the verb recollect, which goes back to the Latin word recolligere.
How do you spell recollection?
Syllables: rec - ol - lec - tion
Tricky part: The word has a double l in the middle. Only one l is heard, so only one often gets written.
Watch out for: recolection, recollecton
Memory tip: All my memories: the double l of all is the pair to keep.
Recollection in a sentence
Example 1: I have only a faint recollection of my first day at nursery.
Example 2: Ask Nana about the old trams in Kolkata and his recollection is wonderfully sharp.
Example 3: Her recollection of the match differed from mine, so we checked the scorebook.
Fun Fact
One of the most famous recollections in literature comes in a novel by Marcel Proust, where the taste of a small cake dipped in tea carries the narrator back to his childhood.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, o, e
a) d__c__r__tion
b) pr__m__t__on
c) r__c__ll__ction
d) r__s__l__tion
Show answer
c) r__c__ll__ction. This word alone takes e, o and e in turn; the others finish with a, u or i.
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa's earliest recollecsion is of the village fair, with hot jalebis, loud drums and a giant wheel turning slowly beside the old banyan tree.
a) a large outdoor event with rides and stalls
b) a sweet fried in coils and soaked in syrup
c) a picture of an earlier time that stays in the mind
d) a tree with roots that grow down from its branches
Show answer
c) a picture of an earlier time that stays in the mind. The sound at the end is spelt tion; jalebis, fair and banyan need no change.
Word Twins
Choose the correct option to fill both blanks:
1. Amma has a clear ___ of the day she first saw the sea at Chennai. 2. Neel's ___ of old coins fills three thick albums.
a) collection/recollection
b) 'recollection' in both
c) 'collection' in both
d) recollection/collection
Show answer
d) recollection/collection. A memory suits the first sentence, and a set of coins suits the second.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. recollection 2. recommend 3. recognition 4. recollect
a) 3421
b) 3142
c) 4312
d) 3412
Show answer
d) 3412. The fourth letters are o in all, so the fifth decides: g, then l, then m; the shorter recollect goes before the longer word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. To have no recollection of a film means that you ___.
a) have lost your ticket
b) want to see it again
c) did not enjoy watching it
d) cannot remember seeing it
Show answer
d) cannot remember seeing it
2. A diary helps your recollection of a holiday because it ___.
a) records details you might forget
b) shows you the weather ahead
c) makes the holiday cost less
d) tells you where to go next
Show answer
a) records details you might forget
