alga
part of speech
noun (an alga, algae)
meaning for a pupil
1) An alga is a single simple plant-like living thing that grows in water or damp places and makes food from sunlight; it has no roots, stems, leaves or flowers. tree →
2) Usually the word is used in the plural, algae: the green slime in ponds, the green on fish tanks, and seaweeds are all algae. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons algae are producers at the start of water food chains and make much of the world's oxygen. Too much algae can turn a pond green and harm fish (an «algal bloom»). In everyday life algae make rocks, pools and fish tanks slippery. Phrases: «algae grow», «green algae», «algal bloom».
examples
- Algae made the pond look green. tree →
- One tiny alga can only be seen under a microscope. tree →
- Seaweed is a kind of algae. tree →
- Algae make food from sunlight like plants. tree →
- We cleaned the algae off the fish tank glass. tree →
- Watch out, the rocks are slippery with algae. tree →
- Some blue-green algae are poisonous to dogs. tree →
- Fish and tadpoles eat algae. tree →
note
Irregular plural: one alga, many algae (say «AL-guh», «AL-jee» or «AL-gee»). «Algae» is far more common; «alga» is the singular, mostly in science. Myth: algae are not exactly plants; scientists put them in their own groups. Safety: keep pets out of water with a thick green or blue scum.
In the corpora
- Green algae grow in a sloth's fur and help to hide it among the leaves.
- Almost all the oxygen we breathe was made by plants and tiny algae in the sea.
- Corals are tiny animals called polyps that build limestone skeletons; algae living inside them make food from sunlight and share it.
- When the sea gets too warm, coral throws out its algae and turns white, which is called bleaching.
- Green algae grow in sloth fur and give camouflage among leaves, and moths live in the fur too.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «alga» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.