What does unitary mean?
Word: Unitary
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Unitary means made up of, or working as, one whole unit.
How do you spell unitary?
Syllables: u - ni - ta - ry
Tricky part: The ending is said quickly, so students are unsure whether to write ary, ery or ory. It is ary.
Watch out for: unitery, unitory
Memory tip: Think of a dictionary: this adjective ends in the same ary.
Unitary in a sentence
Example 1: In maths we used the unitary method to find the cost of one pencil first.
Example 2: A unitary design means the whole toy is made from one moulded piece.
Example 3: In some parts of Britain, a single unitary council looks after all the local services.
Fun Fact
In Indian school maths, the unitary method solves problems by first finding the value of one unit, such as the price of one mango, then multiplying.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
unnitary
a) y
b) i
c) n
d) t
Show answer
c) n. Unit, the word at the heart of this adjective, has a single n.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
unitary
a) plural
b) scattered
c) divided
d) single
Show answer
d) single. Single means one whole; divided and scattered mean split into parts.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ytnuiar
a) unitary
b) sanitary
c) military
d) solitary
Show answer
a) unitary. The letters hold a u and a y but no s, o, l or m.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) secratary
b) imagenary
c) neccessary
d) unitary
Show answer
d) unitary. Check the middles: imaginary takes an i after the g, necessary has a single c, and secretary has an e after the r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which problem suits the unitary method?
a) How many sides does a hexagon have?
b) Which month comes after June?
c) Which planet is the largest of all?
d) If 5 pens cost 50 rupees, what do 8 pens cost?
Show answer
d) If 5 pens cost 50 rupees, what do 8 pens cost?
2. A country has a unitary system of government. What does this suggest?
a) there are no rules for elections
b) the country has two capitals
c) one central government holds most power
d) every town makes its own money
Show answer
c) one central government holds most power
