gunpowder
part of speech
noun (gunpowder, uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
Gunpowder is a black powder that explodes when lit, made from saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur; it was used in old guns and cannons and is still used in fireworks. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons gunpowder was invented in China, first used for fireworks and then weapons, and changed warfare around the world. In the UK, the Gunpowder Plot was a failed plan by Guy Fawkes and others to blow up Parliament and King James I, remembered on Bonfire Night with fireworks. In science lessons it shows a chemical reaction that gives out heat, light and gas very fast. Phrases: the Gunpowder Plot, barrels of gunpowder, keep your powder dry.
examples
- Gunpowder was invented in ancient China. tree →
- Guy Fawkes hid barrels of gunpowder under Parliament. tree →
- We remember the Gunpowder Plot on Bonfire Night. tree →
- Fireworks use a kind of gunpowder to shoot into the sky. tree →
- Pirates kept their gunpowder dry in the ship's hold. tree →
- Gunpowder is a mixture of saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur. tree →
- Never play with fireworks or anything that contains gunpowder. tree →
- The cannon fired with a bang and a puff of gunpowder smoke. tree →
- The air was cold, the battle was hot; there was mist in the air, but still more gunpowder-smoke. tree →
note
Uncountable: «some gunpowder», «barrels of gunpowder», not «a gunpowder». Compound word: gun + powder. Safety: gunpowder and fireworks are dangerous and only adults should handle them. «Gunpowder tea» is a kind of green tea rolled into little balls, not explosive.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «gunpowder» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.