unpack
part of speech
verb (unpack, unpacks, unpacked, unpacking)
meaning for a pupil
1) To take things out of a bag, suitcase or box: "unpack your suitcase". tree →
2) To explain something step by step so it is easier to understand: "Let's unpack this question." tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life families unpack after a holiday or a move, and pupils unpack their school bags. In maths and English lessons, teachers ask pupils to "unpack the question": find what it tells you and what it asks. Phrases: unpack the shopping, unpack your bag, unpack the problem.
examples
- Please unpack your bag and hang up your coat. tree →
- We unpacked the shopping and put it away. tree →
- It took a week to unpack after moving house. tree →
- Let us unpack the word problem: what do we know? tree →
- She unpacked her suitcase as soon as we got home. tree →
- Unpack the box carefully; the plates might break. tree →
- But then the rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked. tree →
note
Regular verb: unpack, unpacked. "Un-" here means the opposite action: pack, unpack. In maths, unpacking a word problem means underlining the numbers and the question before you start calculating.
In the corpora
- «Packing the basket was not quite such pleasant work as unpacking the basket.
- Unpacking your favourite things first helps a new bedroom feel like home.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «unpack» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.