combination
part of speech
noun (a combination, combinations; combination, uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) A combination is two or more things joined or mixed together, like a combination of colours or flavours. tree →
2) A combination is the set of numbers you need to open a combination lock or safe. tree →
3) (maths) A combination is one way of choosing items from a group, where the order does not matter. tree →
4) Combination is the act of combining things. tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths lessons, pupils list all the possible combinations, for example how many outfits can be made from 3 tops and 2 skirts (3 × 2 = 6). In science, chemicals in combination make new substances. In everyday life, padlocks, safes and lockers have combinations. Phrases: «in combination with», «a winning combination», «combination lock».
examples
- Red and yellow is a bright combination. tree →
- I forgot the combination for my bike lock. tree →
- How many combinations can you make with 3 shirts and 4 pairs of trousers? tree →
- Hard work and luck were a winning combination. tree →
- Salt and vinegar is my favourite crisp combination. tree →
- Exercise in combination with good food keeps you healthy. tree →
- There are 10 combinations of two different fruits from a bowl of five. tree →
- This story is evidently a combination of two widely differing tales. tree →
note
Countable noun: a combination, combinations. Verb: combine. In maths, a combination ignores order (apple-pear is the same as pear-apple); a «permutation» cares about order. A «combination lock» really uses an order, so mathematically it is a permutation.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «combination» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.