state
part of speech
noun (a state, states; the state); verb (state, states, stated, stating); adjective (state — of the government: state school)
meaning for a pupil
1) A state is the condition something or someone is in, like a state of mess or a calm state. tree →
2) A state is one of the parts that some countries, like the USA and Australia, are divided into, each with its own government. tree →
3) A state can mean a country and its government. tree →
4) To state something means to say or write it clearly and formally. tree →
5) In science, the states of matter are solid, liquid and gas. tree →
6) (casual, UK, Ireland) «In a state» means very upset or very messy; «the state of you!» or «look at the state of that» mocks how someone or something looks. tree →
7) (casual) «The States» means the USA. tree →
8) (formal, exam) «State» is a command word: «State the number of…» means write the answer, no working needed; «it is stated that» means you are told that. tree →
9) A state school is run by the government and is free (UK, Australia); in the USA it is a public school. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science «states of matter» is a key idea: ice (solid), water (liquid) and steam (gas) are the same stuff in different states, and heating or cooling changes the state. In geography the USA has 50 states and Australia has six states. In maths and writing, «state your answer» or «state the rule» means write it clearly. In everyday life «What a state your room is in!» means it is very messy, and «in a state» means upset or worried. In the exam voice «state» is one of the commonest command words: «State the cardinality of the set», «State whether…». Phrases: «state of matter», «change of state», «in a state», «state school», «head of state».
examples
- Water can be a solid, a liquid or a gas: these are its three states. tree →
- Texas is a big state in the USA. tree →
- Australia has six states and two territories. tree →
- State your answer in centimetres. tree →
- Your bedroom is in a terrible state! tree →
- She was in a real state when she lost her keys. tree →
- The sign states that dogs must be kept on a lead. tree →
- When ice melts, it changes state from solid to liquid. tree →
- the state of this kitchen, who left 6 cups everywhere (casual, UK) tree →
- Look at the state of you, you're soaked! (casual) tree →
- State the cardinality of the set {2, 4, 6, 8}. (formal exam) tree →
- It is stated that a vessel contains 12 litres; state the quantity remaining upon the removal of 5. (formal exam) tree →
- In this hopeless state the winter passed. tree →
note
Countable when it means a part of a country (50 states) or a condition. «The States» informally means the USA. «State» as a verb is formal: «state» = say clearly. In an exam «state» asks only for the answer, «explain» asks for reasons, «show» asks for working. Do not confuse «state» (part of a country) with «city». In science, melting, freezing, evaporating and condensing are changes of state. «The state of you» (casual) is teasing, not a fact to count. «Cardinality» (formal) = how many members a set has.
In the corpora
- Lightning and glowing signs contain plasma, a fourth state: gas so hot or charged that its atoms lose electrons.
- Water can be ice, liquid water or invisible water vapour, and it moves between these states when it is heated or cooled.
- A persuasive letter states what the writer wants, gives reasons and evidence, and stays polite.
- In most US states the shelf price does not include sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Most state schools in France have no uniform, and children wear their own clothes; school uniform is l'uniforme scolaire.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «state» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.