Englishfor English speakers
a
Determinative
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A is used when the following word could be any of a certain type.
Compare "A book I saw on the shelf" and "The book I gave you yesterday".
a
Noun
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A is the first letter of the alphabet.
The letter "a" comes before "b".
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In some schools, an A is a very high grade.
Ron got an A on his earth science test.
long
Adjective
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If something is long, it takes a lot of time.
At 3 hours and 24 minutes, it's a very long movie.
That was a long time ago, when I was a child.
How long is it until we have our trip?
He was often quiet for long periods of time.
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If something is long, it has a large distance from end to end.
It belonged to a woman in her thirties with long brown hair.
The paper was about 20 cm long and 12 cm wide.
You can hear it across long distances.
She wore a long gray skirt with a black jacket.
long
Adverb
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If something takes long, it takes a lot of time.
We had dinner together not so long ago.
I do not know how long I was standing there.
She left home long before I did.
I could not go on any longer.
Those days are so long gone.
This change is long overdue.
long
Verb
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If you long for something, you wish for or really want it.
Carol still longs for David to come back to her even though she knows he has a new wife.
way
Noun
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A way is how someone does something.
The committee made a good decision about which way to make the machine.
One way to cook food is to put it in an oven; another way is with a flame.
I do things my own way.
That way of thinking will not solve the problem.
Farming is a great way of life.
A car crash was the same way my dad died.
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A way is a style.
She dresses that way every day.
I started to see things in a different way.
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A way is a path, a road, or a route; how you get to a certain place.
Do you know the way to the lunch room?
I was on my way to Paris when I got lost.
He went out of his way to bring me the coffee.
It's a long way from where I started.
Could you move your car out of my way?
way
Adverb
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very far
I think that it's way too early to tell what the result will be.
We missed. In fact we were way way off.
down
Preposition
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Toward the earth, away from the sky.
What goes up on earth must fall down.
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Toward the bottom.
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Towards a smaller price, number, amount, etc.
I'm going to buy a computer once prices go down.
down
Noun
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Down is soft feathers or a covering of soft feathers.
That pillow is full of down.