chalk

«chalk» in Mova's school dictionary: a soft white rock made from tiny shells of sea creatures — 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 (chalk, chalks, a piece of chalk); verb (chalk, chalks, chalked, chalking)

meaning for a pupil

1) Chalk is a soft white rock made from tiny shells of sea creatures. tree →

2) Chalk is a stick made of this or similar stuff, used for writing on a blackboard or drawing on the ground. tree →

3) To chalk something is to write or draw it with chalk. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons chalk is a soft sedimentary rock (calcium carbonate); the White Cliffs of Dover are chalk. In school life teachers write with chalk on a blackboard; children draw hopscotch with chalk. Phrases: a piece of chalk, chalk and cheese (very different), chalk up (score or achieve), chalk drawings.

examples

• The teacher wrote on the board with chalk. tree →
• We drew a hopscotch grid with chalk. tree →
• Can I have a piece of chalk? tree →
• The White Cliffs of Dover are made of chalk. tree →
• Chalk is a soft rock. tree →
• The twins are like chalk and cheese. tree →
• Our team chalked up another win. tree →
• He sat down to work out his sum with a piece of chalk on a smooth stone. tree →

note

The «l» is silent: say «chawk». As a material it is uncountable (a piece of chalk, some chalk); coloured sticks can be «chalks». «Like chalk and cheese» means completely different. Chalk is soft and wears away easily — a test in rock lessons.

In the corpora

• 3D pavement art uses perspective tricks so a chalk drawing looks deep from one spot; chalk washes away in the rain.
• Chalk and limestone are calcium carbonate too and fizz with acid; chalk cliffs are made from the shells of countless tiny sea creatures.
• Chalk drawings belong on your own driveway or a quiet path, never on the road where cars come.
• Limestone and chalk are made mostly from the shells and skeletons of tiny sea creatures.
• The Downs, like the ones the Rat looks at, are rounded hills of chalk in southern England, covered in short grass.

Trees and pragmatics

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