What does viaduct mean?
Word: Viaduct
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Viaduct means a long, high bridge, usually on many arches, that carries a road or railway over a valley.
Word origin: Formed in the early 1800s from the Latin word for a road or way, on the pattern of an older English word for a water bridge.
How do you spell viaduct?
Syllables: vi - a - duct
Tricky part: The second beat is one small a, and it is easily swallowed, which gives viduct or vyduct.
Watch out for: viduct, vyduct, veduct
Memory tip: Every viaduct stands on arches, and arch starts with the a that students lose after the i.
Viaduct in a sentence
Example 1: The arches of the old stone viaduct rise above the tea gardens.
Example 2: Our train slowed down as it rolled across the viaduct near the hills.
Example 3: From the viaduct, the cars on the valley road looked like toys.
Fun Fact
The Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland has 21 arches, and the Hogwarts Express crosses it in the Harry Potter films.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that join to make the word that fits:
A railway crossing a deep gorge may run along one of these: 1. sub 2. via 3. pro 4. dukt 5. duct 6. duck
a) 2 and 6
b) 3 and 6
c) 1 and 4
d) 2 and 5
Show answer
d) 2 and 5. The second part is spelt as in aqueduct; a duck is a bird, and dukt is no word.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
auvtdic 1234567
a) 3612475
b) 3215476
c) 3615274
d) 7315264
Show answer
c) 3615274. The word ends in c and t, so the last two digits must be 7 and 4.
Word Puzzle
Match each structure with the job it does:
1. viaduct 2. culvert 3. jetty a. lets a stream pass under a road b. lets trains cross high above a gorge c. gives small boats a place to tie up
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. A viaduct stands high above a gorge, a culvert runs under a road, and boats tie up at a jetty.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
Arjun's model railway has a cardboard viaduct, a tiny signal cabbin and a station with a ticket window.
a) a place where trains stop
b) a small, simple room or hut
c) a tall bridge across low land
d) an opening in a wall for light
Show answer
b) a small, simple room or hut. Cabin has one b; a signal cabin is the small hut that controls a stretch of line.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might engineers build a viaduct instead of laying a road on the ground?
a) the land below is too low or uneven
b) the road needs room for more shops
c) the soil below is too rich for roads
d) the trains need more shade in summer
Show answer
a) the land below is too low or uneven
2. How does a viaduct differ from a tunnel?
a) it runs above the ground, not through it
b) it is built only of glass, not stone
c) it carries only bicycles, not cars
d) it runs under a river, not a hill
Show answer
a) it runs above the ground, not through it
