engage
part of speech
verb (engage, engages, engaged, engaging)
meaning for a pupil
1) To take part or get involved in something: «engage in a discussion». tree →
2) To catch and keep someone's interest or attention: «The story engaged the class.» tree →
3) (formal) To employ someone to do a job: «engage a builder». tree →
4) (of machinery) To fit together and start working: «The gears engage.» tree →
5) (formal) To start fighting with an enemy. tree →
6) (formal) To promise or agree to do something. tree →
sense in the lessons
In school, teachers try to «engage pupils»; pupils «engage with» a text by thinking about it. In everyday life, «engaged» means promised to marry, and a UK phone or toilet that is «engaged» is busy or occupied. In science and design, gears engage to turn wheels. Phrases: «engage in», «engage with», «engage someone's attention», «engage the brake».
examples
- The teacher used puppets to engage the younger children. tree →
- Pupils engaged in a lively debate about school uniform. tree →
- (formal) We engaged a plumber to fix the pipe. tree →
- When you press the pedal, the gears engage. tree →
- Try to engage with the story by asking questions. tree →
- The army engaged the enemy at dawn. tree →
- The game is so engaging I forgot the time. tree →
- But I must tell you I engage my labourers without wages. tree →
note
Adjective forms: «engaged» (busy, or promised to marry) and «engaging» (interesting, charming). Noun: «engagement». Pattern: «engage in + noun/-ing», «engage with + someone/something». Formal compared with «take part».
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «engage» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.