expect

«expect» in Mova's school dictionary: To think or believe that something will happen: I expect… — 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

verb (expect, expects, expected, expecting)

meaning for a pupil

1) To think or believe that something will happen: I expect it will rain. tree →

2) To wait for someone or something that should arrive: we are expecting visitors. tree →

3) To think someone should do something because it is right or their duty: teachers expect us to listen. tree →

4) "Expecting (a baby)" means pregnant. tree →

5) In British speech, "I expect" can mean "I suppose": I expect you're hungry. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths and science, we "expect" a result before an experiment (a prediction), then compare with what really happened; in probability, if you flip a coin 10 times, you expect about 5 heads, though it may not be exactly 5. In everyday life and school, rules say what is expected of us. In stories, surprises happen when the unexpected occurs. Phrases: "expect to", "as expected", "more than expected", "what do you expect?", "expected of you", "unexpected".

examples

• I expect it will be sunny tomorrow. tree →
• We are expecting Grandma at six o'clock. tree →
• What do you expect will happen when we add the vinegar? tree →
• The results were just as we expected. tree →
• My teacher expects us to hand homework in on time. tree →
• I didn't expect so many people to come! tree →
• Roll a dice 60 times and you'd expect about 10 sixes. tree →
• Aunt Sue is expecting a baby in spring. tree →
• It is just what I expected. tree →

note

Regular verb: expected, expecting. Nouns: expectation; adjective: unexpected (surprising). "Expect" vs "wait": you wait for a bus; you expect it to come at 3. In maths problems, "expected" usually means predicted, not certain: "expect about 5" does not mean exactly 5.

In the corpora

• Grown-ups often say "we're expecting" instead of "pregnant".
• "We're expecting" means a baby is growing inside Mum and will be born in a few months.
• Having life insurance is a sensible plan made by many parents; it does not mean anyone expects to die soon.
• Bots love the expected.
• Bots often choose the most expected ending for a story.

Trees and pragmatics

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