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What are people who study insects called? Find out in this quiz.

Complete the Word 2

Compound words are formed by joining two smaller words, like “cupcake” or “football”. They’re common in English and often appear in 11 Plus verbal reasoning questions.

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Fascinating Fact:

Some compound words change their meaning over time, for example cupboard once meant a board to put cups on, not a piece of furniture with doors.

In 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning, compound words test your ability to spot patterns and meanings. They show how English develops over time and strengthen vocabulary and problem-solving skills.

Key Terms

Compound word: A word formed by joining two smaller words, such as “blackboard”.
Vocabulary: The set of words that a person understands and uses in reading, writing, and speech.
Meaning: The idea or concept that a word or phrase represents.

For further support, explore our guide on 11 Plus courses and materials for parents.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are compound words in English?

Compound words are created when two smaller words are joined to form a new word, such as “sunflower” or “handbag”.

Do compound words always keep the same meaning?

No. Some compound words change meaning over time, like “cupboard”, which originally described a board for cups, not a closed piece of furniture.

Why are compound words tested in the 11 Plus?

They test vocabulary, logical thinking, and how well pupils understand language structures, all important skills for verbal reasoning.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
By the time they reached the PUDG stage of the meal, there was plenty of noise going on around the table.

EGG

DIN

FAD

SAP

There sounds to have been a merry DIN as people ate their pudDINg around the DINner table

2 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
We shall have to buy a bigger set of kitchen vessels now that our young family is EXDING.

CRY

PAN

DRY

LET

They need bigger pots and PANs if their family is exPANding

3 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
By the time the rain finished, the whole forest was SING.

ELM

ASH

OAK

CAP

Even the mighty OAK may be in for a sOAKing

4 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
People who study living things, from plants and trees to fish, birds, animals and insects, are all classed as BIOISTS.

PIG

LOG

AIR

STY

BioLOGy is the study of living things; bioLOGists are the people who work in this field.
A LOG is an interesting place to study this subject: it may be made of dead vegetable matter, but it probably plays host to all sorts of creatures

5 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
The child was so angry that it didn't care where it would be sent if it were DISOIENT.

FAR

OLD

BED

SAD

The child might have been sent to BED for being disoBEDient

6 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
There's another sponsored walk next week; I quite enjoy them, but we do seem to spend a lot of our time DRAISING these days.

JOG

FUN

RUN

BIG

We hope that such events are FUN, when you are FUNdraising

7 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
Frankly I would find it UNBABLE to have to work amid all that noise.

ROW

SAY

EAR

CAN

Yes, your EARs are at risk in a noisy environment; the pain they may give you is nature's warning to get clear, if it's unbEARable, before you allow yourself to do permanent damage to your hEARing

8 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
The soldiers burst through the gate, and TPLED everything behind it underfoot in their rush to reach the inner citadel.

DIG

POT

RAM

LAY

They may well have broken the big gate with a battering RAM before tRAMpling their way onwards and inwards

9 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
When I am old like my grandfather, I doubt there will be NEWSPRS for me to sit around and read all day.

PIG

APE

DOG

ANT

Well, we did say they wouldn't all be animals this time ... but this one was: there's an APE in the newspAPEr!

10 .

Pick the three-letter word which would make the best sense if added into the word in capitals in the sentence.
If you still can't find your lost purse by first thing next week, we'd better go back and have a careful look around the place where we were sitting during the performance on URDAY evening.

WED

FRY

SUN

SAT

... Where did they sit on SATurday?

Author: Ian Miles (Linguist, ESL and RE Quiz Writer & Tutor)