counter
part of speech
noun (counter, counters); verb (counter — to answer back or act against)
meaning for a pupil
1) A counter is a long flat top in a kitchen, or the long table in a shop where you pay. tree →
2) A counter is a small round piece used to count or to play board games. tree →
3) A counter is a machine that counts things. tree →
4) To counter is to answer or act against something. tree →
sense in the lessons
maths: small pieces counted in lessons (red and blue counters, grouping and sharing), or the top where things are placed in a story; everyday life: kitchen counter, the shop counter, medicine «over the counter»; games: move your counter 3 spaces; safety: keep hot pans away from the edge of the counter
examples
- Put 10 counters in a row. tree →
- There are 6 cups on the counter. tree →
- Tim has 15 red counters and 9 blue counters. tree →
- The baker put 24 muffins on the counter. tree →
- Pay at the counter. tree →
- Move your counter 4 spaces. tree →
- The step counter showed 8000 steps. tree →
- Wipe the kitchen counter after cooking. tree →
- Rufus!" and hearing his voice, I jumped on to the counter. tree →
note
As game pieces it is the thing counted; as a kitchen counter it is just a place. Trap: none special; it carries no operation. British kitchens say «worktop» too.
In the corpora
- Turned inward, over the counter, it is out of the way.
- If you are lost in a shop, a worker at the counter or wearing a name badge can help you.
- Climb only on a steady step stool, never on a chair with wheels or the counter edge.
- To reach a high cupboard, use a steady step stool or ask someone tall, never a wheeled chair or the counter edge.
- Money boxes with counters can be wrong, so count yourself now and then.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «counter» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.