Addition & Subtraction Word Problems (Grade 4)
Word problems test your ability to read a real-life situation, identify whether to add or subtract, and calculate the answer. In Class 4, word problems involve 4-digit and 5-digit numbers.
The key skill is recognising keywords that tell you which operation to use.
What is Addition & Subtraction Word Problems - Class 4 Maths (Operations)?
Keywords that signal addition:
- total, sum, altogether, combined, in all, both together, increase, more than (when adding)
Keywords that signal subtraction:
- difference, remaining, left, less than, how many more, how much less, decrease, spent, gave away
Steps to solve a word problem:
- Read the problem carefully.
- Identify the numbers and what is being asked.
- Decide the operation: add or subtract.
- Calculate the answer.
- Write the answer with the correct unit (₹, km, kg, etc.).
Types and Properties
Types of word problems:
- Combining: Two or more quantities are put together (addition).
- Comparison: Finding how much more or less one quantity is than another (subtraction).
- Change (increase): A quantity increases by some amount (addition).
- Change (decrease): A quantity decreases by some amount (subtraction).
- Multi-step: Problems that require both addition and subtraction.
Solved Examples
Example 1: Example 1: Combining (addition)
Problem: Ria's school library has 3,456 English books and 2,378 Hindi books. How many books are there in all?
Solution:
Step 1: Keywords: "in all" — use addition.
Step 2: 3,456 + 2,378
Step 3: O: 6+8=14 (write 4, carry 1). T: 5+7+1=13 (write 3, carry 1). H: 4+3+1=8. Th: 3+2=5.
Answer: The library has 5,834 books in all.
Example 2: Example 2: Comparison (subtraction)
Problem: Aman scored 4,235 marks in the annual exam. Kavi scored 3,890 marks. How many more marks did Aman score?
Solution:
Step 1: Keywords: "how many more" — use subtraction.
Step 2: 4,235 - 3,890
Step 3: O: 5-0=5. T: 3-9, borrow: 13-9=4. H: 1-8, borrow: 11-8=3. Th: 3-3=0.
Answer: Aman scored 345 more marks than Kavi.
Example 3: Example 3: Change - decrease (subtraction)
Problem: A farmer had 5,200 mangoes. He sold 2,875 mangoes. How many mangoes are left?
Solution:
Step 1: Keywords: "sold", "left" — use subtraction.
Step 2: 5,200 - 2,875
Step 3: O: 0-5, borrow: 10-5=5. T: 9-7=2 (after borrow). H: 1-8, borrow: 11-8=3. Th: 4-2=2.
Answer: 2,325 mangoes are left.
Example 4: Example 4: Change - increase (addition)
Problem: A town had a population of 23,450. During the year, 1,780 new people moved in. What is the new population?
Solution:
Step 1: Keywords: "new people moved in" — use addition.
Step 2: 23,450 + 1,780 = 25,230
Answer: The new population is 25,230.
Example 5: Example 5: Multi-step problem
Problem: Priya had ₹8,500. She spent ₹3,250 on books and ₹2,175 on stationery. How much money is left?
Solution:
Step 1: Total spent = ₹3,250 + ₹2,175 = ₹5,425
Step 2: Money left = ₹8,500 - ₹5,425 = ₹3,075
Answer: Priya has ₹3,075 left.
Example 6: Example 6: Finding the missing number
Problem: Dev had some marbles. He gave 1,350 to his friend. Now he has 2,480 marbles. How many did he have at first?
Solution:
Step 1: He gave away marbles, so: Original = Remaining + Given away
Step 2: 2,480 + 1,350 = 3,830
Answer: Dev originally had 3,830 marbles.
Example 7: Example 7: Three quantities combined
Problem: In a school, Class 3 has 1,245 students, Class 4 has 1,380 students, and Class 5 has 1,175 students. What is the total number of students in these three classes?
Solution:
Step 1: Total = 1,245 + 1,380 + 1,175
Step 2: 1,245 + 1,380 = 2,625
Step 3: 2,625 + 1,175 = 3,800
Answer: Total students = 3,800
Example 8: Example 8: Word problem with distances
Problem: Meera drove 2,458 km from Delhi to Bengaluru and then 1,342 km from Bengaluru to Kochi. What is the total distance? How much farther is the first trip?
Solution:
Part 1 (Total): 2,458 + 1,342 = 3,800 km
Part 2 (Difference): 2,458 - 1,342 = 1,116 km farther.
Answer: Total = 3,800 km; first trip is 1,116 km farther.
Example 9: Example 9: Word problem with money
Problem: Arjun's father earns ₹45,000 per month. He spends ₹28,500 on expenses. How much does he save?
Solution:
Step 1: Savings = Earnings - Expenses
Step 2: ₹45,000 - ₹28,500 = ₹16,500
Answer: He saves ₹16,500 per month.
Example 10: Example 10: Word problem requiring two operations
Problem: A shop had 4,500 notebooks. It received 2,350 more notebooks. Then it sold 3,870 notebooks. How many notebooks are in the shop now?
Solution:
Step 1: After receiving: 4,500 + 2,350 = 6,850
Step 2: After selling: 6,850 - 3,870 = 2,980
Answer: The shop has 2,980 notebooks now.
Key Points to Remember
- Read carefully to identify what the problem is asking.
- Look for keywords: "total", "in all", "altogether" = addition; "left", "remaining", "how many more" = subtraction.
- Some problems require both addition and subtraction (multi-step).
- Always write the unit in the answer (₹, km, kg, books, etc.).
- To find the original amount when something is removed, use addition (reverse the subtraction).
- Verify your answer by estimation or by using the inverse operation.
Practice Problems
- A school has 2,345 boys and 2,678 girls. How many students are there altogether?
- Ria had ₹7,500. She spent ₹4,325 on clothes. How much money is left?
- Two villages have populations of 5,432 and 3,987. What is the total population? What is the difference?
- A factory produced 8,450 toys in January and 7,680 toys in February. How many more toys were produced in January?
- Kavi read 1,245 pages in the first week and 1,378 pages in the second week. How many pages did he read in total?
- A water tank holds 9,000 litres. 3,475 litres were used. Then 1,250 litres were added. How much water is in the tank now?
- Neha collected 2,460 stamps. She gave 875 stamps to her friend. How many stamps does she have now?
- A train travels 3,456 km in 2 days. On the first day it covered 1,987 km. How far did it travel on the second day?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do I know whether to add or subtract?
Look for keywords. Words like 'total', 'altogether', 'combined', 'in all' mean addition. Words like 'left', 'remaining', 'how many more', 'difference', 'spent' mean subtraction.
Q2. What is a multi-step word problem?
A multi-step problem requires more than one operation. For example: 'Ria had ₹5,000. She earned ₹2,000 and then spent ₹3,500.' You first add (₹5,000 + ₹2,000 = ₹7,000) and then subtract (₹7,000 - ₹3,500 = ₹3,500).
Q3. How do I find the original number when something was taken away?
Add the remaining amount and the amount taken away. If Dev has 2,480 marbles after giving away 1,350, then he originally had 2,480 + 1,350 = 3,830 marbles.
Q4. Should I always write the unit in my answer?
Yes. Units like ₹, km, kg, litres, books, students, etc. make the answer meaningful. '3,500' alone is incomplete; '₹3,500' is a complete answer.
Q5. What if the problem has more than two numbers?
Solve step by step. If three quantities need to be added, add the first two, then add the third. For multi-step problems, complete one operation at a time.
Q6. How do I check if my answer is correct?
Use the inverse operation. For addition, subtract one number from the sum. For subtraction, add the difference to the smaller number. The result should match the original number.
Q7. Can a word problem have both addition and subtraction?
Yes. For example, a shop receives stock (addition) and sells items (subtraction). Identify each part of the problem separately and solve in order.
Q8. Is this topic covered in NCERT Class 4?
Yes. NCERT Class 4 Maths includes word problems on addition and subtraction of 4-digit and 5-digit numbers in the operations chapter.
