Englishfor English speakers
definition
Noun
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A definition is an explanation of the meaning of a word.
The sentence before this one is a definition.
ESL students often check definitions in their dictionaries.
Can you give me a definition for "imprisonment"?
by
Preposition
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near or next to.
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
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at some time before (the given time).
Be back by ten o'clock!
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if something is done by somebody, it is done through their action
The matter was decided by the chairman.
The boat was swamped by the water.
He was protected by his body armour.
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if something is created by somebody, they are the creator, author, etc.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare.
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shows how someone does something
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking.
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using the rules or logic of.
I sorted the items by category.
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with a change of. In this case, by shows how much something has changed.
Our stock is up by ten percent.
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shows how slowly, or how quickly, someone does something (used in the form "X by X" or "by Xs")
We went through the book page by page.
We crawled forward by inches.
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If you multiply mathx/math by mathy/math, you multiply mathx/math × mathy/math.
Five multiplied by seven is 35.
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If you divide mathx/math by mathy/math, you find how many mathy/maths are in mathx/math.
35 divided by seven is five.
case
Noun
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A case is a container to hold something.
He opened the case and pulled out his violin.
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A case is a matter for police or in court.
The judge did not accept his case.
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A case is the form of a noun showing how it is used in a sentence.
The word "he" is in the subject or nominative case.
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A case is a person of a certain kind.
That man is sure a hard case.
case
Verb
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If a police officer cases a house, he or she watches it until something happens.
We were casing a house all night in Brooklyn.