raft
part of speech
noun (a raft, rafts); verb (raft, rafts, rafted, rafting)
meaning for a pupil
1) A raft is a flat floating platform, often made of logs, planks or barrels tied together, used to travel on water. tree →
2) A raft is also an inflatable rubber boat. tree →
3) A raft of things means a large number of them. tree →
4) To raft means to travel on a raft, especially down a river (rafting). tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and adventure books, characters build a raft to escape an island or float down a river. In science (materials and floating): children build rafts from lolly sticks and test how many coins they hold before sinking. In outdoor activities: white-water rafting needs life jackets and a guide. Phrases: build a raft, life raft, rubber raft, a raft of ideas.
examples
- They built a raft from logs and rope. tree →
- Our lolly-stick raft held twenty coins before it sank. tree →
- The sailors climbed into the life raft. tree →
- We went rafting down the river with a guide. tree →
- Always wear a life jacket on a raft. tree →
- The council announced a raft of new ideas. tree →
- A raft of ducks floated on the pond. tree →
- Dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held Toto in her arms. tree →
note
Countable: a raft, rafts. «Rafting» = the sport. In floating experiments, a wider raft spreads the weight and holds more. Not the same as «rafter» (a roof beam).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «raft» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.