real
part of speech
adjective (real, more real); adverb (real — informal for «really»)
meaning for a pupil
1) Existing in fact, not imagined: «Dragons are not real.» tree →
2) True, not fake: «real gold». tree →
3) Actual, true: «the real reason». tree →
4) Used to make something stronger: «a real friend». tree →
5) In maths, real numbers are all the numbers on the number line. tree →
6) (casual, US) «Real» means very: «real good», «real quick». tree →
7) (casual, slang) «For real?» asks are you serious; «keep it real» means be honest, be yourself; «get real» means be sensible, stop dreaming. tree →
8) (rough) «A real pain» or «a real idiot» makes an insult stronger. tree →
9) (formal) «Actual», «genuine», «authentic» and «tangible» are stiff words for real. tree →
10) In a story, to be "Real" means to have become a true, living friend through being loved. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and reading, pupils sort real from make-believe (fiction versus non-fiction). In everyday life and safety: online, people may not be who they say they are — not everything is real. In maths: real-life problems use real situations. In casual talk: «for real», «real quick». In the exam voice: «the actual cost», «a genuine article», «authentic». Phrases: for real, real life, the real thing, real-world, get real.
examples
- D., remarked very truly in his German preface to the book "Yezirah," published in Leipzig, 1830: "This book is for two reasons highly important: in the first place, that the real Cabala, or mystical (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- Is that a real dinosaur bone? tree →
- Unicorns are not real. tree →
- This ring is made of real silver. tree →
- What is the real reason you're late? tree →
- She is a real friend. tree →
- Use maths to solve real-life problems. tree →
- The pictures online may not be real. tree →
- Is this for real? tree →
- brb real quick, getting 2 more chairs (casual) tree →
- Get real, you can't run 50 km in an hour. (rough) tree →
- You're a real pain, you know that? (rough) tree →
- Determine the actual expenditure, given that the advertised price of 20 dollars is reduced by 5. (formal exam) tree →
- "I am Real!" said the little Rabbit. tree →
note
«Real» sounds like «reel» (a spool for thread or fishing line) — homophones. Adverb is «really». Saying «real good» is informal; in writing use «really good». Formal «actual» = real; «the actual cost» is the cost after any change. Trap: «real» and «get real» do not change a number. Safety: a «real» photo or message online may be fake.
In the corpora
- Hard times are also when scammers strike, with messages that look urgent and real.
- A real apology names what you did wrong and does not add "but".
- Ghost stories and playground legends are fun, but they should not turn a real neighbour into a villain.
- And behind every story is a real person who may read it too.
- Many online photos are filtered or edited; comparing your real face to an edited picture is unfair on yourself.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «real» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.