hold

«hold» in Mova's school dictionary: to have something in your hand or arms: hold my hand — 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 (hold, holds, held, holding); noun (a hold)

meaning for a pupil

1) To hold is to have something in your hand or arms: hold my hand. tree →

2) To hold is to have room for, to contain: the jar holds 10 sweets. tree →

3) To hold is to keep in a place or state: hold still, hold on. tree →

4) To hold a party or a meeting is to have it. tree →

5) A hold is a grip. tree →

6) The hold is the large space deep inside a ship where cargo is stored. tree →

sense in the lessons

how many things one container or pack contains («A pack holds 3 cards» = size of one group; multiply by the number of packs); with a total given, «how many … needed» = divide by what one holds; in safety «hold hands when you cross», «hold the rail»; in everyday life «hold on» (wait), «hold your breath»

examples

• Mia buys 8 packs of cards. A pack holds 3 cards. How many cards does Mia buy? tree →
• A jar holds 10 sweets. tree →
• Each tray holds 6 cupcakes. How many trays are needed for 24 cupcakes? tree →
• Hold my hand when we cross the road. tree →
• Can you hold the baby for a minute? tree →
• Hold on, I'm coming! tree →
• The school will hold a concert in the hall. tree →
• This bottle holds one litre of water. tree →
• There was powder in the hold. tree →

note

«a pack holds N» gives the size of one equal group: multiply by the number of packs. Trap: with a total given and «how many … needed», divide by the size. Past form «held», not «holded».

In the corpora

• A text saying a parcel is held and asking for a small payment is a common scam to steal bank details.
• A rental deposit is money held in case of damage, and it comes back if the home is left in good condition.
• Families visit graves, send cards, mark the anniversary, hold memorial services and even put up benches with little plaques.
• Vivid example: in a Leeds corner shop, Auntie Bev holds up a magazine: "SOAP STAR'S SECRET HEARTBREAK!
• A good judge would hold firm and explain why.

Trees and pragmatics

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