Englishfor English speakers
the
Determiner
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Used, instead of a, to reference something specific, already known to exist.
Compare "I read a book." and "I read the book."
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Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special.
Are you the John Smith that I went to school with?
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Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people concerned
The poor are always with us.
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Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs.
You are the best.
alarm
Noun
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An alarm is a signal that something needs attention or a machine that makes the signal.
I wake up, without an alarm clock, at seven or eight a.m.
People in the restaurant ran out the emergency exit, sounding the alarm.
The safety system was known to be defective and had frequently sent out false alarms.
The hotel did not have fire alarms or a sprinkler system.
A fire in the fry pan set off the smoke alarm.
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Alarm is a feeling of worry or fear.
They watched with some alarm as the speeding car got closer.
This is completely natural and no cause for alarm.
alarm
Verb
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If you alarm someone, you make them feel worried or scared.
The school was alarmed by the number of children failing math.
clock
Noun
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A clock is an instrument that tells you what the time is. A small clock which you carry is called a watch.
He was sleepy, and the clock said 11:32.
The digital clock on the wall tells her that it is almost six-thirty.
She'd never before been in a house which did not have a clock ticking somewhere.
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# If a clock is fast, it shows a time after the real time.
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#: He looked at the clock and then at his watch: The clock was nine minutes fast. He still had some time.
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# If a clock is slow, it shows a time before the real time.
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If something goes around the clock, it goes for 24 hours without stop.
His family stayed at Scott's bedside around the clock.
The museum is open around the clock from May 26 at 12:01 a.m. through May 28 at 11:59 p.m.
clock
Verb
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If you clock something, you measure how long it takes or how fast it moves.
The police clocked the car at 137 km/h.
The drive took twenty-two minutes; he clocked it.
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If something clocks a time or a speed, it takes that long or moves that fast.
The trip clocks in at about 12 hours.
He clocked 9.12 seconds, a new world record.
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If you clock in or out at work, school, etc., you record the time they arrive or leave.
He clocked in at four a.m. for a twelve-hour shift.
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If you clock up a number of things, you reach that total after some time.
Because I drive one hour to work, I'm clocking up a lot of miles.
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If you clock someone, you hit them hard in the head.
He might take some time to wake up. He got clocked pretty good.
is
Verb
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A form of the verb be when talking about someone or something else.
He is late for class.
Is it hot in here?
ringing
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noun
the giving of a ring as a token of engagement
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noun
(= ring, tintinnabulation)
the sound of a bell ringing
the distinctive ring of the church bell
the ringing of the telephone
the tintinnabulation that so voluminously swells from the ringing and the dinging of the bells
— -E. A. Poe
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noun
(= plangency)
having the character of a loud deep sound; the quality of being resonant