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به انگلیسی

Defining Words

Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., 'a duck is a bird that swims'), making real-life connections between words and their use

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What a learner can do afterwards

  • Define 'tiger' as 'a large cat with stripes', naming category and key attribute
  • Connect the word 'cozy' to real-life examples: places at home that feel cozy
  • Sort words into categories and explain why each word belongs

1 · Read

A definition tells what a word means. To build one, do two things: name the group the thing belongs to, then add one special detail that makes it different from everything else in that group.

duckis abirdthat swims
A duck is a bird (the group) that swims (the special detail).
Try it together

Mia sees a tiger at the zoo. She tells her friend: 'A tiger is a cat with stripes.' First she named the group: cat. Then she added the special detail: stripes.

Some words connect to feelings and places, not just animals. Cozy means warm and comfortable. A blanket on the couch on a rainy day is cozy. So is a soft fort made of pillows.

Good to know

When you sort words into a group, ask yourself why. If you can say why a word belongs, you really understand it.

A strong definition names the group a word belongs to, then adds the detail that makes it special.

More to read

Familial Ties Meaning

"Familial ties" is a phrase, which means a group of words that work together. It is a fancy way of saying "family ties."

Let's define it. "Familial ties" are the bonds, or strong connections, between people in a family. The word "familial" is an adjective, a describing word. It means "about family." The word "ties" means connections, like ropes that hold people together.

So we can define the phrase like this: familial ties are the special bonds that connect family members to each other.

You and your grandmother have familial ties. You might live far apart, but you are still connected because she is your family. You and your best friend have strong bonds too, but those are not familial ties, because friends are not family.

You can use the phrase in a sentence like this: "Cooking soup together every Sunday strengthens our familial ties."

2 · Watch

به انگلیسی

Take it off screen

Print a worksheetA4 with an answer key page for grown-ups. No screen, no internet.

Where it sits

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

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Defining Words · English, ages 6 to 9 · LightMySky