bacterium

«bacterium» in Mova's school dictionary: one tiny living thing made of a single cell, so small you… — 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 (a bacterium, bacteria)

meaning for a pupil

1) A bacterium is one tiny living thing made of a single cell, so small you need a microscope to see it. tree →

2) Bacteria (plural) live almost everywhere: in soil, water, air and inside our bodies; some are helpful and some cause illness. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons about germs and microorganisms, pupils learn that some bacteria cause illnesses like food poisoning, while many are helpful, like those in our gut and those that make yoghurt and cheese. In health and hygiene, washing hands and cooking food properly kills harmful bacteria. Phrases: harmful bacteria, good bacteria, kill bacteria.

examples

• A bacterium is too small to see without a microscope. tree →
• Washing your hands with soap removes bacteria. tree →
• Some bacteria help us digest our food. tree →
• Bacteria in milk turn it into yoghurt. tree →
• Harmful bacteria can grow on raw chicken. tree →
• Keep food in the fridge so bacteria grow more slowly. tree →
• One bacterium can split into two, then four, then eight. tree →
• Antibiotics can kill bacteria but not viruses. tree →

note

Bacterium is singular; bacteria is plural (people often say a bacteria by mistake). Bacteria are not the same as viruses: antibiotics work against bacteria but not against colds and flu, which are viruses. Myth: not all bacteria are bad. In maths, bacteria that double each time give 1, 2, 4, 8, 16...

In the corpora

• Milk left out on a warm table goes sour because bacteria multiply fast in warmth and make acid; the fridge slows them down.
• The large intestine soaks up water and salts from what is left, and its bacteria break down some of the fibre.
• Gut bacteria help digest food, make some vitamins and protect against harmful germs.
• The rainbow colours of hot springs in Yellowstone come from different bacteria living at different temperatures, some in water near boiling.
• Most viruses are much smaller than bacteria and too small to be seen with an ordinary light microscope.

Trees and pragmatics

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