invention
part of speech
noun (an invention, inventions; invention — uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) An invention is a new thing or idea that someone has made or thought of for the first time. tree →
2) Invention is the act of inventing something. tree →
3) An invention can also be a made-up story that is not true. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and history lessons inventions like the wheel, printing press, telephone and internet changed how people live; pupils design their own inventions. Phrases: «a great invention», «the invention of», «necessity is the mother of invention».
examples
- The light bulb was an important invention. tree →
- The invention of the wheel made travel easier. tree →
- My invention is a machine that walks the dog. tree →
- The telephone was Alexander Graham Bell's invention. tree →
- His excuse was pure invention. tree →
- We entered our inventions in the science fair. tree →
- The internet is one of the biggest inventions of all. tree →
- Ah, yes; sleep is a capital invention. tree →
note
Countable for things, uncountable for the activity. Verb: invent; person: inventor. Trap: invention vs discovery — you invent something new (a machine) but discover something already there (a planet, a law of nature).
In the corpora
- Every big invention, such as the telephone, seemed strange or scary at first and later became normal.
- Getting used to an invention does not mean ignoring its real risks.
- The Head Chief says Taffy has made a great invention which men will one day call writing, though pictures are not always understood.
- The Head Chief: «It is a great invention, and some day men will call it writing.
- Roots ending in t or te take -tion: act, action; invent, invention; complete, completion.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «invention» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.