shift

«shift» in Mova's school dictionary: to move something from one place or position to another:… — 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 (shift, shifts, shifted, shifting); noun (a shift, shifts)

meaning for a pupil

1) To shift means to move something from one place or position to another: "help me shift this table". tree →

2) To shift also means to change: "the wind shifted to the north". tree →

3) A shift is a change: "a shift in the weather". tree →

4) A shift is a set period of work, for example in a hospital or factory; a night shift is work at night. tree →

5) The shift key on a keyboard makes capital letters. tree →

6) (UK, informal) To shift can mean to move fast or to get rid of something: "that car can really shift", "I need to shift this cold". tree →

7) An old word for a loose, simple dress or undergarment worn by women is also called a shift. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths, a shift (also called a translation) slides a shape without turning it; "shift 3 squares right". In word problems, workers' shifts are counted in hours: three 8-hour shifts cover 24 hours. In science, plates of the Earth shift and cause earthquakes. Phrases: night shift, day shift, shift work, shift gears, shift the blame, shift key, shift about.

examples

• Can you help me shift the sofa? tree →
• The wind shifted and the rain came in. tree →
• My mum works the night shift at the hospital. tree →
• Each shift is 8 hours long, so three shifts cover the whole day. tree →
• Press shift to type a capital letter. tree →
• Shift the triangle 4 squares to the left. tree →
• Don't try to shift the blame onto me! tree →
• Come on, shift, we're late! tree →
• "If you'll marry me, I'll give you back your shift." tree →

note

Past form: shifted. A shift of work is countable: "two shifts". In maths a shift keeps the size and shape the same; only the position changes. "Shift" used for gears and for "move fast" is informal.

In the corpora

• Night shifts mean working through the night and sleeping in the day; nurses, drivers, bakers and warehouse workers often do them.
• Volunteering means working without pay to help a good cause, like Gran's shift at the charity shop.
• A man who comes home at strange hours may be a hospital porter on night shifts.
• Strange hours often mean a shift worker, like a nurse, porter or baker, keeping everyone safe and fed.
• Many parents work shifts and sometimes miss shows; it does not mean they do not care, and filming the show can help.

Trees and pragmatics

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