parcel

«parcel» in Mova's school dictionary: A thing or things wrapped in paper or put in a box so it… — 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 parcel, parcels); verb (parcel, parcels, parcelled/parceled, parcelling — parcel out, parcel up)

meaning for a pupil

1) A thing or things wrapped in paper or put in a box so it can be sent by post or given to someone. tree →

2) A piece of land: "a parcel of land". tree →

3) As a verb, "parcel up" means wrap something into a package, and "parcel out" means share something out in parts. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life parcels come by post or delivery van; you may need to sign for one. Parcels are weighed at the post office, and heavier ones cost more to send, which appears in maths problems about mass and cost. The game "pass the parcel" is played at British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand birthday parties. Phrases: pass the parcel, part and parcel of, a parcel of land, parcel up, parcel out.

examples

• A parcel came for Mum this morning. tree →
• The parcel weighs 2 kilograms. tree →
• We played pass the parcel at Ella's party. tree →
• Please do not open a parcel addressed to someone else. tree →
• The farmer sold a small parcel of land. tree →
• Grandma parcelled up some cookies and sent them to us. tree →
• The teacher parcelled out the jobs among the groups. tree →
• Getting wet is part and parcel of a camping trip. tree →
• One day the Emperor received a large parcel on which was written ‘The Nightingale.’ tree →

note

Countable: a parcel, two parcels. In the USA people often say "package" instead of "parcel"; they mean the same thing. British spelling is "parcelled, parcelling", American is "parceled, parceling". "Part and parcel" means an expected part of something. Safety: do not open parcels that are not for you, and tell an adult about a strange parcel left somewhere. In maths, the mass of a parcel is often given in grams or kilograms and the cost to post it depends on that mass.

In the corpora

• A food bank is a charity that gives free food parcels, usually after a referral from someone like a school or a doctor.
• A text saying a parcel is held and asking for a small payment is a common scam to steal bank details.
• A parcel for a neighbour is taken in only if a parent agrees, and given back the same day.
• A grown-up opens parcels with a craft knife or box cutter, because the blades slip easily.
• Texts about a parcel that could not be delivered are a very common scam; adults check deliveries on the official site.

Trees and pragmatics

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