scan

«scan» in Mova's school dictionary: to look quickly over something to find a particular piece… — 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

verb (scan, scans, scanned, scanning); noun (a scan, scans)

meaning for a pupil

1) To scan means to look quickly over something to find a particular piece of information («scan the page for the date»). tree →

2) To scan means to look carefully all around an area («scan the horizon»). tree →

3) To scan a picture or document means to copy it into a computer using a machine called a scanner; a shop scans barcodes to read prices. tree →

4) A scan is a medical picture of the inside of the body, made by a machine («an ultrasound scan»). tree →

5) A poem scans when its rhythm is correct. tree →

sense in the lessons

In reading lessons «scanning» is a skill: moving your eyes quickly to find a key word, name or number, while «skimming» gets the main idea. In everyday life barcodes, QR codes and tickets are scanned. In science and health, hospitals use scans (X-ray, MRI, ultrasound). Phrases: «scan for», «scan the room», «a quick scan», «baby scan».

examples

• Scan the text to find the name of the river. tree →
• The lifeguard scanned the pool for swimmers in trouble. tree →
• The checkout girl scanned the barcode. tree →
• Mum showed us the scan of the new baby. tree →
• I scanned my drawing and emailed it to Grandad. tree →
• The doctor sent him for a scan of his knee. tree →
• Scan the road both ways before you cross. tree →
• Scan the QR code to see the menu. tree →
• His keen eyes scanned the wide plain. tree →

note

Double n before -ed and -ing: «scanned», «scanning». The machine is a «scanner». Trap: scanning (looking for one detail) is different from skimming (getting the general idea).

In the corpora

• A scan picture is made by a machine that uses sound waves to see the baby inside the body without hurting.
• AI can help doctors spot patterns in scans such as X-rays; doctors still check and decide.
• Scanning means looking quickly through a text for a key word or number.
• You scan or sign a library book out and return it by the due date, because others are waiting for it.
• A QR code on an unknown poster can lead to a scam site, so ask an adult before scanning one.

Trees and pragmatics

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