accident
part of speech
noun (an accident, accidents)
meaning for a pupil
1) An accident is something bad that happens by chance, often causing harm or damage, like a car crash or a fall. tree →
2) An accident is anything that happens without anyone planning it. tree →
3) «By accident» means not on purpose. tree →
sense in the lessons
In safety lessons, most accidents at home happen from falls, burns, cuts and poisoning, and many can be prevented; in an accident, stay calm, get an adult and call the emergency number if someone is badly hurt. In everyday life and friendship, saying «it was an accident» and «sorry» matters; an accident is not the same as doing something on purpose. Phrases: by accident, car accident, have an accident, accident-prone, a happy accident.
examples
- There was an accident on the motorway. tree →
- I broke the cup by accident. tree →
- Sorry, it was an accident! tree →
- Most accidents happen at home. tree →
- He had a bike accident and hurt his arm. tree →
- Tell an adult straight away if there is an accident. tree →
- Penicillin was discovered by a happy accident. tree →
- Little children sometimes have toilet accidents. tree →
- I know how easily accidents happen. tree →
note
Countable: an accident (use «an», because it starts with a vowel sound). «By accident» = «accidentally» = not on purpose; opposite: «on purpose» or «deliberately». Spelled with cc: ac-ci-dent.
In the corpora
- Speed limits exist because faster cars cause worse accidents, especially near schools and homes.
- The news on TV, the radio and phones shows real things: wars, earthquakes, floods, fires and accidents.
- Twists on reality shows are usually planned by producers to keep people watching, not lucky accidents.
- Seeing part of an 18 film by accident is common and is not the child's fault.
- Good parents make clear that an accident is not the child's fault.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «accident» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.