instructions

«instructions» in Mova's school dictionary: Words that tell you how to do or use something, step by… — 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

noun (an instruction, instructions — usually plural)

meaning for a pupil

1) Words that tell you how to do or use something, step by step, like the instructions for building a model or a recipe. tree →

2) Orders telling someone what to do: the teacher gave clear instructions. tree →

3) In computing, commands that tell a computer what to do. tree →

sense in the lessons

In school English, instructions are a type of text: a title, a list of what you need, numbered steps, and bossy verbs (imperatives) like "cut", "mix", "place". In maths and tests, read the instructions carefully ("show your working", "circle the answer"). In science, follow safety instructions. In everyday life, medicine instructions tell the right dose — only take medicine with an adult. In coding, instructions must be exact and in the right order (an algorithm). Phrases: "follow the instructions", "read the instructions", "give instructions", "safety instructions", "step-by-step instructions".

examples

• Read the instructions before you start the test. tree →
• Follow the instructions to build the model plane. tree →
• The recipe instructions say to mix the eggs and sugar. tree →
• Our robot follows the instructions we program. tree →
• The teacher gave us clear instructions for the fire drill. tree →
• Instructions often begin with a bossy verb like "cut" or "stir". tree →
• Dad threw away the instructions and then couldn't build the shelf! tree →
• The medicine bottle has instructions on how much to take. tree →
• Go, my son, and do not forget any of my instructions.” tree →

note

Usually plural ("the instructions are…"); singular "an instruction" means one step or order. Verb: instruct; person: instructor. In maths problems, follow every instruction in order, because changing the order can change the answer (add then double is not the same as double then add).

In the corpora

• Following instructions is a real skill, and builders learn tricks from sets that they later use in their own models.
• Instructions tell you how to do something.
• Dad builds a bookcase without reading the instructions, and it wobbles.
• Instructions have a title, a list of what you need, numbered steps and bossy verbs.
• Steps in instructions are numbered so you do them in the right order.

Trees and pragmatics

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