standby

«standby» in Mova's school dictionary: being ready to be used or to act if needed, as in «on… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (standby, standbys); adjective (standby); phrasal verb (stand by)

meaning for a pupil

1) Standby is being ready to be used or to act if needed, as in «on standby». tree →

2) A standby is a person or thing kept ready in case it is needed, like a spare. tree →

3) Standby mode is when a TV or computer is switched off but still uses a little power, ready to turn on quickly. tree →

4) A standby ticket is one bought at the last minute if there is a free seat. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science and eco lessons, children learn that machines left on standby still use electricity, so switching off at the plug saves energy. In emergencies, rescue teams and ambulances are «on standby». In travel, a passenger on standby waits for a free seat. The two-word verb «stand by» means to wait ready or to support someone.

examples

• The TV is on standby, so the red light is on. tree →
• Turn off computers at the plug, not just on standby. tree →
• The firefighters were on standby during the storm. tree →
• We keep candles as a standby in case of a power cut. tree →
• We flew on standby and got the last two seats. tree →
• Stand by for the next instruction. tree →
• A good friend will stand by you. tree →
• The doctor was on standby all night. tree →

note

One word as a noun or adjective (standby, on standby); two words as a verb (stand by). Plural: standbys. Energy: machines on standby still waste a small amount of electricity all the time.

In the corpora

• TVs and other machines on standby still use electricity, so they are switched off at the wall when not in use.
• Many devices still use electricity on standby when they look switched off.

Trees and pragmatics

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