law

«law» in Mova's school dictionary: a rule made by a government that everyone in a country or… — 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 (a law, laws; the law)

meaning for a pupil

1) A law is a rule made by a government that everyone in a country or place must follow. tree →

2) The law means all of these rules together, and the system of police and courts. tree →

3) A law of science (or of nature) is a rule that always seems to be true, such as the law of gravity. tree →

4) Law is also the subject people study to become lawyers. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life laws keep people safe and fair: seat belt laws, road laws, laws against stealing; breaking the law can lead to a fine or worse. In civics lessons laws are made by Parliament (UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) or Congress (USA). In science a law describes something that always happens, like objects falling because of gravity. Phrases: break the law, against the law, obey the law, by law, law and order, the law of gravity.

examples

• It is against the law to steal. tree →
• In many countries, wearing a seat belt is the law. tree →
• People who break the law may have to pay a fine. tree →
• Laws are made by the government. tree →
• The police help to keep the law. tree →
• The law of gravity explains why things fall down. tree →
• My aunt studied law at university. tree →
• By law, children must go to school. tree →
• The laws of nature are unchangeable. tree →

note

Countable (a law, laws) for single rules; «the law» for the whole system. Do not confuse with «lore» (old stories and knowledge) or «low» (not high). School rules are rules, not laws; laws are made by governments.

In the corpora

• Alcohol is against the law to buy before 18 because growing bodies and brains handle it badly.
• Drinking and driving is against the law and dangerous.
• Vapes are made colourful and sweet-tasting, and selling them to under-18s is against the law.
• Gambling is against the law under 18, and a child should never keep a grown-up's gambling or money worries secret.
• Parliament is where elected representatives, called MPs in the UK, debate and vote on new laws.

Trees and pragmatics

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