selective
part of speech
adjective (selective, more selective, most selective)
meaning for a pupil
1) Selective means choosing carefully, only taking some things and not others. tree →
2) A selective school only takes pupils who pass a test or meet certain standards. tree →
3) Selective can mean affecting only some things: a selective weedkiller kills weeds but not grass. tree →
4) «Selective hearing» or «a selective memory» jokingly means only hearing or remembering what you want to. tree →
sense in the lessons
School: in the UK, grammar schools are selective schools that take pupils after the 11-plus test. Science: selective breeding means choosing which animals or plants have young so good features are passed on (like dog breeds or bigger crops). Everyday: being selective about what you eat or watch. Phrases: «selective breeding», «selective school», «selective hearing».
examples
- Farmers used selective breeding to make cows give more milk. tree →
- She is very selective about which books she reads. tree →
- My brother has selective hearing when it is time to tidy up. tree →
- It is a selective school, so you have to sit an exam. tree →
- The gardener used a selective weedkiller on the lawn. tree →
- Be selective with your photos and only share the best ones. tree →
- Cats can be selective eaters. tree →
note
Adjective; adverb is «selectively», noun «selection», verb «select». In science, selective breeding (done by people) is different from natural selection (done by nature, without anyone choosing).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «selective» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.