physical
part of speech
adjective (physical); noun (a physical — US, a medical check)
meaning for a pupil
1) Physical means about the body, not the mind: physical exercise, physical pain. tree →
2) Real and solid, things you can touch and see. tree →
3) About physics or nature: a physical change. tree →
4) (US noun) A physical is a check-up of your body by a doctor. tree →
sense in the lessons
Used at school in "physical education" (PE). In science: a physical change (melting ice) can be undone and makes no new substance, unlike a chemical change. In geography: physical features like mountains and rivers. Phrases: "physical activity", "physical contact".
examples
- PE stands for physical education. tree →
- Running is good physical exercise. tree →
- Melting ice is a physical change. tree →
- Rivers and mountains are physical features on a map. tree →
- Rugby is a very physical sport. tree →
- A book is a physical object, but an e-book is not. tree →
- I had a physical before joining the team. tree →
- The Giants personified brute strength alone, but the Titans united to their great physical power intellectual qualifications variously developed. tree →
note
Pronounced "FIZ-ick-al". Opposite ideas: mental, emotional (about the mind); chemical (in science). Do not confuse "physical" with "physics" (the science) or "psychical".
In the corpora
- Folding, bending and cutting change only shape; they are physical changes, not chemical ones.
- "Special needs" means learning or physical disabilities that need extra help, especially at school.
- Bullying can be physical, with words, by leaving someone out, or online.
- A look, a rude word or an insult is not a physical attack, so hitting for it is not self-defence.
- If rows ever turn physical or frightening, tell a teacher, a trusted adult or Childline (0800 1111 in the UK).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «physical» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.