car
part of speech
noun (car, cars)
meaning for a pupil
1) A car is a machine with four wheels and an engine that people drive on roads. tree →
2) A car is one part of a train, like a dining car. tree →
3) A car can be the part of a lift or a cable car that carries people. tree →
4) (casual) Slang words for a car: «wheels», «ride», «motor» (UK), «ute» (Australia, NZ: a small truck), «banger» or «clunker» (an old car). tree →
5) (casual) «Carpool», «car share» mean going together in one car; «car boot sale» (UK) is a market sold from car boots. tree →
6) (rude) «Get in the bloody car!» is everyday grumbling. tree →
7) (formal) Exams and notices say «motor vehicle», «automobile» (USA), «passenger vehicle», «seating capacity» and «fuel consumption». tree →
sense in the lessons
things counted (cars, wheels, seats), or a ride with distance, speed and gas; in safety lessons, seat belts and crossing roads; phrases «by car», «car park», «car seat», «get in the car», «electric car», «car boot», «car sick»; in casual talk «nice wheels», «my old banger», «can I get a ride?», «shotgun!» (I sit in the front); in rough talk «get in the bloody car, we're late»; in the exam voice «a motor vehicle with a seating capacity of 5», «fuel consumption per 100 kilometres»
examples
- There are 9 cars. How many wheels? tree →
- Each car holds 5 people. tree →
- The car goes 60 miles an hour. tree →
- Always wear your seat belt in the car. tree →
- We went to the beach by car. tree →
- The train has 8 cars. tree →
- Look both ways for cars before you cross. tree →
- Small children ride in a car seat. tree →
- Shotgun! I'm in the front. tree →
- Get in the bloody car, we're late! tree →
- Dad's old banger broke down again. tree →
- Each motor vehicle has a seating capacity of 5 persons. Determine the number of vehicles required to convey 23 persons. tree →
note
Cars have 4 wheels each; people ÷ seats per car, rounded up. Trap: a train car is one part of a train. Distance = speed × time. «motor vehicle» and «automobile» in an exam mean car; «seating capacity» is how many people fit. «wheels» in slang may mean a car, not 4 wheels. Safety: always buckle up, and never play near parked cars.
In the corpora
- Some families pay children for extra jobs, like washing the car, but tidying your own room is just part of living together.
- Most adults have some, like a mortgage or a car loan, and planned debt can be fine.
- A speed camera photographs cars going over the limit, and the driver must pay a fine and may get points on their licence.
- Speed limits exist because faster cars cause worse accidents, especially near schools and homes.
- Most of the time it goes smoothly, but small things like a hedge or a parked car can grow into big rows.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «car» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.