grave
part of speech
noun (a grave, graves); adjective (grave, graver, gravest)
meaning for a pupil
1) A place in the ground where a dead person is buried, often marked with a stone. tree →
2) (adjective) Very serious and worrying: «a grave danger». tree →
3) (adjective) Looking serious and not smiling: «a grave face». tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, families visit graves in cemeteries to remember people who have died; it is respectful to be quiet there and not walk on graves. In stories, «a grave voice» shows a worrying moment. In safety, «grave danger» means very serious danger. Phrases: «visit a grave», «grave danger», «a grave mistake».
examples
- We put flowers on Grandma's grave. tree →
- The grave had a stone with her name on it. tree →
- Walk quietly and respectfully in the graveyard. tree →
- The doctor looked grave as she gave the news. tree →
- Playing on the ice is a grave danger. tree →
- Taking the wrong road was a grave mistake. tree →
- "I'm going to my comrade's grave. tree →
note
Countable noun: graves. The adjective means serious; «gravely» = seriously. Related: graveyard, gravestone. Do not confuse with «gravy» (meat sauce) or «gravity».
In the corpora
- Families visit graves, send cards, mark the anniversary, hold memorial services and even put up benches with little plaques.
- Many families visit graves to remember someone, tidy the spot and leave flowers; talking to the person there is normal.
- The anniversary of a death often brings the sadness back strongly; families may light a candle, visit the grave or share stories.
- The Rat looks very grave, and stands «in deep thought for a minute or two».
- Over lunch Toad tells all his adventures as if they were splendid fun, and the Rat grows more and more grave and silent.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «grave» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.