virtual
part of speech
adjective (virtual)
meaning for a pupil
1) (computing) Made or seen on a computer or online, not in the real physical world, such as a virtual tour or a virtual classroom. tree →
2) Almost completely something, though not officially or not quite: "a virtual stranger" is someone you hardly know. tree →
3) (science) In optics, a virtual image is one that seems to be behind a mirror or lens but cannot be shown on a screen. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and school it often means online or computer-made: virtual reality (VR), a virtual museum visit, a virtual pet, virtual lessons from home. The second sense, "almost", is common in books and the news: "a virtual certainty" means almost certain. In physics lessons on mirrors, the image in a flat mirror is virtual. Phrases: "virtual reality", "a virtual tour", "a virtual certainty", "a virtual stranger".
examples
- We went on a virtual tour of the Natural History Museum. tree →
- During the snow days we had virtual lessons on the laptop. tree →
- In virtual reality you feel as if you are inside the game. tree →
- My virtual pet needs feeding every day in the app. tree →
- The new kid was a virtual stranger to us. tree →
- It is a virtual certainty that it will rain in Manchester this week. tree →
- The image you see in a mirror is a virtual image. tree →
- The traffic jam brought the town to a virtual standstill. tree →
note
Adjective; the adverb "virtually" usually means "almost" (virtually empty = almost empty), not "online". Safety: people you meet in a virtual world are still real people; never share personal details with strangers online. "Virtual" is not the same as "virtuous" (good and moral).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «virtual» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.