inconvenience

«inconvenience» in Mova's school dictionary: Trouble or difficulty that stops things going smoothly or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (inconvenience — uncountable; an inconvenience, inconveniences); verb (inconvenience, inconveniences, inconvenienced, inconveniencing)

meaning for a pupil

1) (noun) Trouble or difficulty that stops things going smoothly or easily: Sorry for the inconvenience. tree →

2) (noun) Something that causes small trouble: The broken lift is an inconvenience. tree →

3) (verb) To cause someone trouble or extra work: I don't want to inconvenience you. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life notices say «We apologise for any inconvenience» when trains are late or roads closed; it is often a polite, soft word for real trouble. Phrases: «sorry for the inconvenience», «cause inconvenience», «a minor inconvenience».

examples

• We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the roadworks. tree →
• Having no hot water is a big inconvenience. tree →
• I hope I'm not inconveniencing you. tree →
• The late bus was a small inconvenience. tree →
• Sorry for the inconvenience — the shop opens again soon. tree →
• Living far from school is an inconvenience. tree →
• The magic waters, of course, soon remedy this temporary inconvenience.[309] tree →

note

Formal and polite. Adjective: inconvenient (opposite: convenient). Spelled -ience. In notices it softens bad news; the real trouble may be bigger.

Trees and pragmatics

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