direct

«direct» in Mova's school dictionary: going straight from one place to another without stopping… — 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

adjective (direct, more direct, most direct); verb (direct, directs, directed, directing); adverb (direct: "fly direct")

meaning for a pupil

1) Direct means going straight from one place to another without stopping or turning: "a direct flight". tree →

2) Direct means with nothing or nobody in between: "direct sunlight", "direct contact". tree →

3) A direct person says exactly what they mean, plainly. tree →

4) (verb) To direct someone means to tell or show them the way: "can you direct me to the station?" tree →

5) (verb) To direct means to manage or control, and to direct a film or play means to be in charge of the actors. tree →

6) (verb) To direct something at someone means to aim it at them: "his question was directed at me". tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths, two amounts in direct proportion grow together at the same rate; direct routes are shortest distances. In science, plants and skin are affected by direct sunlight. In safety lessons "never look directly at the sun". In grammar, direct speech is the exact words someone says, inside speech marks. Phrases: direct flight, direct route, direct speech, direct proportion, direct debit, directly.

examples

• We took a direct train to London. tree →
• Never look directly at the sun. tree →
• Keep the plant out of direct sunlight. tree →
• "Please be direct: did you take it?" tree →
• Could you direct me to the library? tree →
• She directed the school play. tree →
• The police officer directed the traffic. tree →
• "I like cake," said Tom — that is direct speech. tree →
• I will direct you if you have a mind to see it." tree →

note

Opposite: indirect. Adverb: directly. Noun: direction, director. In maths "direct proportion": double one amount, the other doubles too. "Direct" as an adverb ("fly direct") means without stopping.

In the corpora

• Antacid tablets contain an alkali that cancels some stomach acid; medicines are taken only as an adult or doctor directs.
• Direct speech is the exact words someone says; it goes inside inverted commas, also called speech marks.
• Creams work where they are put, so less medicine goes round the whole body; a thin layer as directed is enough.
• A direct debit is an automatic payment from a bank account that pays a bill on time each month, so no late fees.
• Go thee one way to the right, or direct thyself to the left; whither is thy face set?

Trees and pragmatics

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