fraction
part of speech
noun (fraction, fractions)
meaning for a pupil
1) A fraction is a part of a whole, like one half or three quarters. It is written with one number over another, like 3/4. tree →
2) The bottom number (denominator) tells how many equal parts the whole has; the top number (numerator) tells how many parts we take. tree →
3) A fraction of something can also mean a very small part of it. tree →
sense in the lessons
maths: a part of a whole or of a group; problems ask for a fraction of an amount or what fraction is left; equal fractions, comparing and adding fractions; everyday life: half a pizza, a quarter of an hour; science: a fraction of a second
examples
- What fraction of the pizza is left? tree →
- She ate 2/8 of the cake. tree →
- A fraction of the class walks to school. tree →
- Write the fraction of red balls. tree →
- 1/3 of 12 apples is 4 apples. tree →
- One half and two quarters are equal fractions. tree →
- A quarter of an hour is 15 minutes. tree →
- The light flashed for a fraction of a second. tree →
note
«A fraction of» an amount means multiply (or divide by the bottom number and multiply by the top). Trap: «what fraction is left» needs the part left over the whole, not the part taken. The parts must be equal for a fraction.
In the corpora
- A Venus flytrap shuts in a fraction of a second when two trigger hairs inside the trap are touched within about 20 seconds.
- Chloe stops whispering answers, and finds a study buddy, Aisha, who helps with fractions and asks for help with spelling.
- Gareth makes Leon pancakes every Saturday and sits through his fractions without sighing.
- Because so few living things are buried just right, only a tiny fraction ever become fossils.
- Only a tiny fraction of living things ever become fossils.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «fraction» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.