Basic Details
Word: Scandalising
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Shocking people by doing or saying something they think is wrong, rude or improper.
Synonyms: shocking, outraging, appalling, offending
Antonyms: pleasing, reassuring, delighting
How to Spell Scandalising
Syllables: scan - dal - is - ing
Tricky part: Scandal stays whole with a single l, and the e of -ise falls away before -ing. The vowel after the d is a, not e.
Watch out for: scandelising, scandallising, scandaliseing
Memory tip: Spot the whole word scandal inside it: scandal + is + ing. Keep scandal untouched and let the e of -ise drop when -ing arrives.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The pop star was scandalising older fans with her rude interviews.
Example 2: Our neighbour's habit of playing loud music at midnight kept scandalising the whole building.
Example 3: The newspaper loves scandalising its readers with stories about match-fixing in cricket.
Fun Fact
Scandal reached English through Latin from the Greek word skandalon, which meant a trap or a stumbling block.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
scand_l_sing
a) a, e
b) e, i
c) a, i
d) o, i
Show answer
c) a, i. Both scandal and -ise keep their own vowels, a and i, when they join.
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the suffix -ise to make a real word. Choose it:
-ise
a) scandal
b) gossip
c) rumour
d) shock
Show answer
a) scandal. Scandal can become scandalise; gossipise, rumourise and shockise are not English.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word scandalising as used in the sentence:
The actor's behaviour at the awards ceremony was scandalising viewers across the country.
a) pleasing
b) amusing
c) shocking
d) reassuring
Show answer
c) shocking. Bad behaviour that upsets people is shocking them, which is what scandalising means.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A news story scandalising a town would most likely be about ____.
a) a new bus timetable
b) next week's weather
c) the annual sports day
d) a mayor caught taking bribes
Show answer
d) a mayor caught taking bribes
2. People who are scandalised by something feel ____.
a) proud and pleased
b) calm and uninterested
c) shocked and disapproving
d) sleepy and bored
Show answer
c) shocked and disapproving
