surroundings

«surroundings» in Mova's school dictionary: everything around you: the place you are in and the… — 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

noun (surroundings — plural only)

meaning for a pupil

Your surroundings are everything around you: the place you are in and the things and conditions near you. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and safety pupils learn to be aware of their surroundings: look and listen around you when crossing roads, walking alone or using a phone. In science, animals are adapted to their surroundings, and camouflage helps them blend in. In stories new surroundings can make characters nervous or curious. Phrases: «be aware of your surroundings», «in new surroundings», «natural surroundings».

examples

• Take your headphones off and notice your surroundings. tree →
• The chameleon changes colour to match its surroundings. tree →
• It took the puppy a while to get used to its new surroundings. tree →
• The hotel is in beautiful surroundings by a lake. tree →
• Stay alert to your surroundings when you are out alone. tree →
• The animals live in their natural surroundings, not in cages. tree →
• Look at your surroundings and find a landmark if you get lost. tree →
• In science we studied how plants react to their surroundings. tree →
• I hastily surveyed my surroundings, and saw that I was safe from all pursuit from the town. tree →

note

Always plural with a plural verb: «My surroundings are…». From «surround». Similar: «environment». Do not write «a surrounding» for this meaning; «surrounding» alone is an adjective («the surrounding hills»).

In the corpora

• Elephantnose fish make weak electricity to sense their surroundings and talk to each other in dark, muddy water.
• Reptiles are cold-blooded: they get their body heat from their surroundings.
• When two lines look different in length, measure them with a ruler, because the brain can be fooled by their surroundings.
• Things cool or warm until they reach the same temperature as their surroundings.
• Camouflage is colouring that helps an animal blend in with its surroundings.

Trees and pragmatics

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