explain

«explain» in Mova's judaism dictionary: To make something clear or easy to understand by… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (explain, explains, explained, explaining)

meaning for a pupil

1) To make something clear or easy to understand by describing it. tree →

2) To give a reason for something: «Can you explain why you were late?» tree →

sense in the lessons

Interpretation: Jewish learning is full of explaining texts, and the Sefer Yetzirah has many commentators. In the primary lessons: In school: «Explain your answer» or «explain your thinking» means write or say HOW you got it and WHY it is right, not only the answer; science asks you to explain what happened in an experiment. In everyday life: explaining a problem to a trusted adult. Phrases: explain to someone, explain why, explain how, explain yourself, explain your answer, explanation.

examples

• Hermetic rituals explain this Yetziratic attri- bution. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• This idea is then symbolically explained in the next paragraph. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• This passage is explained by Isaac Satanow in his Hebrew Dictionary entitled Sephath Emeth, p. 44, b: (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• Can you explain how you got 24? tree →
• The teacher explained the rules of the game. tree →
• Please explain why you were late. tree →
• Explain your answer with a picture. tree →
• I'll explain it again more slowly. tree →
• Can you explain how a rainbow forms? tree →
• She explained the problem to her mum. tree →
• There's no need to explain — I understand. tree →
• I cannot explain more at present. tree →

note

Regular verb: explained. Say «explain something TO someone» — not «explain me». Noun: explanation (spelling: «explan-a-tion», no i after a). In maths tests, «explain» usually gives marks for working, not just the answer.

In the corpora

• Before an election, leaflets with smiling faces land on the mat: each candidate explains what they promise.
• An election is when adults vote to choose their leaders and representatives; candidates send leaflets to explain their promises.
• Later Mum explains: Grandpa needs a small operation and they were planning the trip to visit him.
• At bedtime Mum explains he had an awful week at work, and Dad comes up and says, "Sorry, mate.
• What's all this tax?" Dad laughs and explains where the missing money went.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «explain» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.