What does supplementary mean?
Word: Supplementary
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Supplementary means added to something in order to complete it or make it bigger.
Synonyms: extra
How do you spell supplementary?
Syllables: sup - ple - men - ta - ry
Tricky part: The double p near the start is the slip to watch: many students write only one.
Watch out for: suplementary, suplementery
Memory tip: Extra notes add to your supply, and supply has the same double p.
Supplementary in a sentence
Example 1: The hotel charges a small supplementary fee for an extra bed.
Example 2: Our maths book has supplementary exercises at the end of each chapter.
Example 3: A supplementary question from the back row kept the speaker talking.
Fun Fact
In geometry, two angles are called supplementary when they add up to 180 degrees, which is the angle of a straight line.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word supplementary as used in the sentence:
The school library keeps supplementary readers for pupils who finish the class text early.
a) previous
b) essential
c) temporary
d) additional
Show answer
d) additional. These readers come on top of the class text, so they are additional books.
Word Makeup
Three of these words take the suffix ary, as the page word does. Which one does not?
ary
a) argument
b) compliment
c) document
d) element
Show answer
a) argument. Element, document and compliment all take this ending, but argument has no such form.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
supplementtary
a) t
b) m
c) e
d) r
Show answer
a) t. A single t links the middle of the word to its ending.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled letters in the sentence hide a word. Choose it.
The exam paper came with a mnpapulseteyr sheet of maps for the geography section.
a) sedimentary
b) supplementary
c) parliamentary
d) rudimentary
Show answer
b) supplementary. Look for two p letters together with a y: no other option has that mix.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A student fills her answer book before the end of an exam, so the invigilator hands her a supplementary sheet. Why?
a) so that she can leave the hall early
b) so that she can finish her answer
c) so that she can copy the questions
d) so that she can check her marks
Show answer
b) so that she can finish her answer
2. A school adds a supplementary bus on exam days. What does the new bus do?
a) runs as well as the usual buses
b) stops running after a single day
c) carries only teachers and staff
d) takes the place of every usual bus
Show answer
a) runs as well as the usual buses
