desperately
part of speech
adverb (desperately)
meaning for a pupil
1) Very much, so much it hurts: she desperately wanted a puppy. tree →
2) In a wild way, because things are bad and there is little hope: he swam desperately for the shore. tree →
3) Extremely, very badly: they were desperately poor; it was desperately cold. tree →
sense in the lessons
Used in stories to show great need, fear or effort. In news: people desperately need help after a flood. In The Wind in the Willows Toad desperately wants motor cars; Mole runs desperately through the Wild Wood.
examples
- I desperately need a drink of water. tree →
- The kitten clung desperately to the branch. tree →
- Mole ran desperately through the Wild Wood. tree →
- She desperately wanted to win. tree →
- The family were desperately poor. tree →
- He looked around desperately for his mum. tree →
- Toad desperately wanted a motor car. tree →
- We were desperately tired after the hike. tree →
- And Pinocchio swam desperately with his arms, his body, his legs, his feet. tree →
note
Adverb of «desperate». Spelling trap: desp-E-rate (not desparate). Do not use it for small wishes in careful writing; it means a very strong need or a bad situation.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «desperately» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.