allergy

«allergy» in Mova's school dictionary: when your body reacts badly to something that is harmless… — 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

noun (an allergy, allergies); adjective allergic

meaning for a pupil

1) An allergy is when your body reacts badly to something that is harmless for most people, such as nuts, pollen, cats or bee stings. tree →

2) The reaction can be sneezing, itching, a rash, swelling or, sometimes, serious trouble breathing. tree →

sense in the lessons

In health and safety lessons, allergies matter because a serious reaction (anaphylaxis) can be dangerous and needs an adrenaline pen and emergency help. Schools often have nut-free rules and lists of pupils' allergies. In everyday life people with allergies read food labels and tell others what they cannot eat. Phrases: be allergic to, a nut allergy, hay fever (an allergy to pollen), allergic reaction.

examples

• My friend has a nut allergy, so we don't share snacks with nuts. tree →
• I'm allergic to cats; they make me sneeze. tree →
• Hay fever is an allergy to pollen in spring and summer. tree →
• Always tell the teacher if you have an allergy. tree →
• Her lips swelled because of an allergic reaction. tree →
• Some people carry a special pen in case of a serious allergy. tree →
• Read the label to check for things you are allergic to. tree →
• Bee stings can cause an allergy in some people. tree →

note

Plural: allergies. Adjective: allergic («allergic to peanuts», with «to»). An allergy is not catching: you cannot give it to someone else. Never offer food to someone with an allergy without checking with an adult. If someone's face swells or they cannot breathe, call emergency services (999 in the UK and Ireland, 911 in the USA and Canada, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand).

In the corpora

• People with a serious sting allergy may carry an adrenaline pen, such as an EpiPen, given into the outer thigh.
• Some people have a severe allergy to stings that can make their throat swell and needs emergency help at once.
• No dog is completely allergy-free; some breeds shed less, but all dogs make the proteins people react to.
• Animal allergies can trigger asthma attacks that make breathing very hard; a child with asthma uses his inhaler and tells an adult.
• Share food with a friend only if neither of you has an allergy and an adult agrees.

Trees and pragmatics

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