What does swerve mean?
Word: Swerve
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Swerve means to change direction suddenly, usually to avoid something in the way.
Synonyms: turn aside
How do you spell swerve?
Syllables: swerve
Tricky part: The vowel sound can be spelt er, ir or ur in English, so students guess and write swirve or swurve. This word uses no i and no u.
Watch out for: swirve, swurve
Memory tip: Picture a cyclist calling E for Edge as the bike leans away. That letter does the job of both vowels here.
Swerve in a sentence
Example 1: The bus had to swerve around a cow in the middle of the road.
Example 2: Birds swerve past the tall tower every evening on their way to the lake.
Example 3: Watch the ball swerve in the air after a hard free kick.
Fun Fact
A spinning football can swerve in the air because of the Magnus effect, named after the German scientist Heinrich Magnus.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
wvesre
a) weaver
b) swerve
c) server
d) swivel
Show answer
b) swerve. Server has no w, swivel has an i and l, and weaver an a, so these six letters make just one word.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
swerve
a) veer
b) climb
c) halt
d) float
Show answer
a) veer. A car that veers has moved sharply off its line, which is the same idea.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
swerrve
a) e
b) s
c) v
d) r
Show answer
d) r. One r is enough; a second one adds nothing to the sound.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) swerve
b) accelarate
c) pedestrain
d) vehical
Show answer
a) swerve. Each of the others has one slip: the words are vehicle, accelerate and pedestrian.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a cyclist swerve?
a) to rest after a long ride
b) to pay at the toll booth
c) to read a map by the road
d) to miss a puddle in the lane
Show answer
d) to miss a puddle in the lane
2. Pick the move that counts as a swerve.
a) a bike pushed slowly up a hill
b) a bike going straight down the lane
c) a bike darting left round a pothole
d) a bike standing on its stand
Show answer
c) a bike darting left round a pothole
