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.
practical
Adjective
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If something is practical, it works and is not more difficult that it should be. It makes sense and is good for real life.
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If something is practical, it comes from actually doing something, not from theory.
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If you are practical, you do practical things and think in a practical way.
joke
Noun
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If you tell a joke, you say something to make people laugh.
Trevor's joke about the boring lexicographer was too funny.
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If something is a joke, it is not considered seriously.
Don't listen to Joseph. He's a joke. Nobody pays any attention to him.
joke
Verb
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When you joke about something, you say something funny that you don't really mean.
Everyone joked about how bad his tennis was.
I wasn't joking about burning my shoes.
Because I have a dog, I joke with my friends about their boring cats.
The coach joked that he would fire his whole team.
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You say "you must be joking" when somebody tells you something that's very hard to believe.
"She's forty three." "Forty three?! You must be joking. She looks like she's sixteen."