What does sediment mean?
Word: Sediment
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sediment means the sand, mud and other solid bits that sink and settle at the bottom of a liquid.
How do you spell sediment?
Syllables: sed - i - ment
Tricky part: The i in the middle is a weak sound. It is easy to put an e there instead.
Watch out for: sedement, sedament
Memory tip: Sediment is what sits at the bottom of a glass. Let the i in sit remind you of the i in the middle.
Sediment in a sentence
Example 1: A little sediment had settled at the bottom of the bottle.
Example 2: Rivers carry sediment down from the hills to the plains.
Example 3: Give the juice a shake so that the sediment mixes back in.
Fun Fact
Layers of sediment, pressed together over millions of years, turn into rock. Sandstone is one example, and scientists call such rocks sedimentary.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
sedi_ _ _ _
a) mont
b) ment
c) mint
d) mant
Show answer
b) ment. This ending is the one you see in moment and pavement.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
When we cleaned the water tank on the roof, we found a thick layer of seddiment at the bottom, and my brother carried it down to the vegetible patch in small buckets.
a) small and vegetible
b) only seddiment
c) seddiment and vegetible
d) only vegetible
Show answer
c) seddiment and vegetible. One d is enough in the first word, and vegetable needs an a after its t.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. sediment 2. erosion 3. lava a. hot melted rock pouring out of a volcano b. the slow wearing away of rock or soil c. fine mud that sinks through still water and builds up
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. The volcano points to lava, the wearing away to erosion and the sinking mud to the page word.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks do you get?
sediment, silt, pebbel, gravle, boulder
a) 4
b) 6
c) 10
d) 8
Show answer
b) 6. Pebble and gravel are misspelt, so three words score: 3 x 2 = 6.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Muddy river water stands in a glass overnight. How will the sediment look in the morning?
a) a clear layer of ice on the top
b) a thin brown layer at the bottom
c) a ring of salt around the rim
d) fine steam rising from the top
Show answer
b) a thin brown layer at the bottom
2. Why do farmers welcome the sediment a river leaves on its banks after the rains?
a) it keeps the birds away
b) it stops the river flowing
c) it dries the fields faster
d) it makes the soil more fertile
Show answer
d) it makes the soil more fertile
