slope
part of speech
noun (a slope, slopes); verb (slope, slopes, sloped, sloping)
meaning for a pupil
1) A slope is a surface or piece of ground that goes up or down, with one end higher than the other, like a hill. tree →
2) To slope means to go up or down at an angle: The garden slopes down to the river. tree →
3) Ski slopes are hills used for skiing. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science, a slope (ramp, inclined plane) is a simple machine: things roll faster down a steeper slope, and pushing a load up a slope is easier than lifting it straight up. In maths, slope means how steep a line is. In safety: be careful on icy or wet slopes, and do not ride bikes down steep slopes too fast. Phrases: steep slope, gentle slope, ski slope, slippery slope.
examples
- We rolled down the grassy slope. tree →
- The car went up the steep slope slowly. tree →
- The ball rolls faster down a steeper slope. tree →
- We tested toy cars on slopes in science. tree →
- The roof slopes so the rain runs off. tree →
- We went skiing on the snowy slopes. tree →
- Be careful on the muddy slope. tree →
- A wheelchair ramp is a gentle slope. tree →
- Then Eliza went down the slope from the shore, and hid herself behind the bushes. tree →
note
Countable. A steep slope rises quickly; a gentle slope rises slowly. In maths (later) slope = rise ÷ run. «Slippery slope» also means one small bad step leading to worse ones.
In the corpora
- A small pond without fish, with gently sloping edges, gives them their best chance.
- Gravity always pulls straight down, towards the centre of the Earth, even on a slope.
- Water, sand and snow reflect UV, so you can burn even under an umbrella or on a ski slope.
- Pitch a tent on flat, high ground away from dead trees, rivers and the bottom of slopes.
- Aqueducts carried fresh water from hills to cities, sometimes over high stone bridges, using a gentle downhill slope.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «slope» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.