shelf
part of speech
noun (shelf, shelves)
meaning for a pupil
1) A shelf is a flat board on a wall or in a cupboard for putting things on. tree →
2) A shelf is a flat layer of rock or ice, like an ice shelf. tree →
3) «On the shelf» can mean put aside and not used. tree →
sense in the lessons
an equal group: shelves with a number of books or cans on each; in shops and libraries; phrases «top shelf», «bottom shelf», «on the shelf», «bookshelf», «ice shelf»
examples
- This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
- Each shelf has 8 books. tree →
- There are 5 shelves. tree →
- How many books are on the shelves? tree →
- He put 24 books on 4 shelves equally. tree →
- The jam is on the top shelf. tree →
- The library has shelves of picture books. tree →
- Put the cups back on the shelf. tree →
- The cans were stacked on the shelves of the shop. tree →
- Antarctica has huge ice shelves. tree →
- She can't reach the top shelf without a step. tree →
- You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage.” tree →
note
A group: shelves × things each; «put equally on shelves» divides. Trap: shelves are not the things counted. Plural «shelves» (f changes to v). Safety: do not climb shelves to reach things; heavy shelves can fall.
In the corpora
- The sides of the well were filled with cupboards and book-shelves, with maps and pictures hung on pegs.
- "On the shelf" is an old, unkind phrase for someone seen as too old to marry (UK).
- Tall shelves can tip if climbed, so use the step stool or ask the librarian.
- In most US states the shelf price does not include sales tax, which is added at the till.
- In the USA the shelf price may not include sales tax, which is added at the checkout.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «shelf» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.