Basic Details
Word: Virtue
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A good quality in a person's character, such as honesty, patience or kindness.
Synonyms: goodness, merit
Antonyms: vice, wickedness
How to Spell Virtue
Syllables: vir - tue
Tricky part: The first syllable is vir with ir, and the word ends in ue, which students often write as ew or oo.
Watch out for: virtew, virchue, virtoo
Memory tip: A virtue is true goodness, and virtue ends just like true: in ue.
Idioms and Phrases
- patience is a virtue: it is good to be able to wait calmly Example: "The bus was forty minutes late, and Dadi reminded us that patience is a virtue."
- by virtue of: because of Example: "By virtue of her long service, Mrs Das was asked to open the new library."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Honesty is a virtue that every good friend needs.
Example 2: Grandpa believed hard work was the greatest virtue of all.
Example 3: The story praises the virtue of sharing what little you have.
Fun Fact
Virtue comes from the Latin virtus, which first meant manliness or courage, from vir, a man, and only later came to mean goodness in general.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word virtue as it is used in the sentence:
Kindness was the virtue that the old headmaster admired most in his pupils.
a) merit
b) vice
c) quality
d) goodness
Show answer
b) vice. Merit, goodness and quality all point to good things; a vice is a bad habit or fault.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. generousity 2. patiance 3. virtue 4. humbel
a) the ability to wait calmly
b) not proud; modest
c) a good quality in a person's character
d) willingness to give freely
Show answer
c) a good quality in a person's character. Humble ends in le, patience has ence, and generosity drops the u of generous.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
v_rt_e
a) a, u
b) i, o
c) i, u
d) i, a
Show answer
c) i, u. The first sound is ir, as in bird, and the end is ue, as in true.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Patience is a virtue means ____.
a) waiting calmly is a good quality
b) nobody likes to be patient
c) waiting is a waste of time
d) patient people are always slow
Show answer
a) waiting calmly is a good quality
2. By virtue of means ____.
a) instead of
b) because of
c) in front of
d) in spite of
Show answer
b) because of
