bulk

«bulk» in Mova's school dictionary: most of it: «the bulk of the work» — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (bulk, uncountable; the bulk of); verb (bulk up, bulks, bulked, bulking); adjective (bulk buying)

meaning for a pupil

1) The bulk of something is most of it: «the bulk of the work». tree →

2) Bulk is the large size or weight of something: «the elephant's huge bulk». tree →

3) In bulk means in large amounts, usually for a cheaper price each: «buy rice in bulk». tree →

4) To bulk up is to get bigger, often by gaining muscle. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths and shopping, buying in bulk usually means a lower price per item, so pupils compare unit prices. In stories «bulk» describes a large heavy body or object. In science «bulk» can mean the main mass of something. Phrases: the bulk of, in bulk, bulk buy, bulk up.

examples

• The bulk of the class finished early. tree →
• We buy toilet paper in bulk because it's cheaper. tree →
• The bear's great bulk blocked the path. tree →
• He's trying to bulk up for rugby. tree →
• The bulk of the money went on the new library. tree →
• A bulk pack of 24 pencils costs less per pencil. tree →
• The great bulk of them are not the immediate work of Æsop. tree →

note

«The bulk of» = most of, more than half. In maths: bulk buying a pack of 10 for 4 pounds makes each one cost 40p. Adjective «bulky» means big and awkward to carry.

In the corpora

• Anyone offered something to «bulk up» should say no and tell an adult.
• Bulk buying only saves money on things that last and get used, like rice and pasta, not on food that goes off.
• Shops buy goods in large amounts from wholesalers, firms that sell in bulk to shops, and sell them at a higher price.

Trees and pragmatics

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