Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
let to rent out (as real property, and denoting the transaction from the owner's perspective); Tenants "take" or "rent" the property being let. *("rooms to let") (n.) the act of renting; rented premises (let out) to reveal allow, give permission. leave (as in let him be or let it be) ease (as in let up on the accelerator) indicate (as in don't ...
A group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words: “She let the cat out of the bag” or “He was caught red-handed.” Inductive teaching Also known as induction, from the verb “to induce”; a facilitative, student-centred teaching technique where the students discover language rules through extensive ...
English adjectives, as with other word classes, cannot in general be identified as such by their form, [24] although many of them are formed from nouns or other words by the addition of a suffix, such as -al (habitual), -ful (blissful), -ic (atomic), -ish (impish, youngish), -ous (hazardous), etc.; or from other adjectives using a prefix ...
Everyday (one word) is an adjective meaning "ordinary". [48] exacerbate and exasperate. Exacerbate means "to make worse". Exasperate means "to annoy". Standard: Treatment by untrained personnel can exacerbate injuries. Standard: Do not let Jack talk to the state trooper; he is tactless and will just exasperate her. expedient and expeditious.
Sometimes, English has a lexical distinction where other languages may use the distinction in grammatical aspect. For example, the English verbs "to know" (the state of knowing) and "to find out" (knowing viewed as a "completed action") correspond to the imperfect and perfect forms of the equivalent verbs in French and Spanish, savoir and saber ...
The use of "an" before words beginning with an unstressed "h" is less common generally in AmE. [35] Such usage would now be seen as affected or incorrect in AmE, [36] which normally uses a in all these cases. According to The New Oxford Dictionary of English, such use is also increasingly rare the UK. [34]
Compounds are units of meaning formed with two or more words. The words are usually written separately, but some may be hyphenated or be written as one word. Often the meaning of the compound can be guessed by knowing the meaning of the individual words. It is not always simple to detach collocations and compounds. car park; post office; narrow ...