CHAPTER 2 - The Most Useful Inventions

ReaI Life Skill - Dictionary Skills: Identifying Parts of Speech

In English, the same word can be used as several different parts of speech, with different meanings; for example, work can mean to do a job when used as a verb. When used as a noun, it means a job.

A. Look at the dictionary abbreviations for the parts of speech below. Read the three examples for each one, then add two more examples of your own.

n. (noun)	Jamie, bowl, machine,
v. (verb)	fill, support, invite,
adj. (adjective)	simple, healthy, curious,
adv. (adverb)	surely, carefully, happily,
prep. (preposition)	during, after, in,

B. Look at the dictionary entries below, then read the paragraph that follows.Choose the correct abbreviation in the paragraph to show the part of speech for each word.

cool	/ku:l/	v. to make the temperature of something go down; adj. having a low temperature
cover	/ˈkəvər/	n. something that fits on top of a can, jar, etc; v. to put something over another thing
form	/fɔːm/	n. the shape of something; v. to change the shape of something
joke	/dʒəʊk/	n. words that make people laugh; v. to say something to make people laugh

Dear Diary, Today was a nice, cool 1 (v./adj.) day! Anna and I decided to sit outside her house and look up at the sky. We saw forms 2 (v./n.) of animals in the clouds. I made Anna laugh 3 (n./v.) when I said I could see her up there, too. Later, we went into the kitchen as there was a nice smell 4 (n./v.). Anna’s mom had put two apple pies out to cool 5 (v. / adj.). In the evening after dinner, we each had a slice of pie. It was delicious!

What do you think?

What do you think were some of the very first inventions?

Answer

Fire, stone tools, the wheel, pottery, and agricultural tools.
Who are some famous inventors? Would you like to be an inventor?

Answer

Edison (light bulb), Wright (airplane), Watt (steam engine), Marconi (radio), Cai Lun (paper), BernersLee (World Wide Web).
What are some inventions that might be made in the future?

Answer

Students might think about inventions related to energy resources, communications, and transportation.

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TALK ABOUT IT

Forum | Science Stuff | The Most Useful Inventions

TOPIC: THE MOST USEFUL INVENTIONS

The other day, my friends and I had a discussion about the most useful invention of all time. There were many good ideas-the train, the car, and the airplane. They're all useful, but they were not my choices. For an everyday, useful invention, I vote for the air conditioner. I live in Taipei, and during the summer the temperature can be 35 degrees Celsius or higher. It's so hot! I'm not joking when I say _ that, without ah air conditioner, people here couldn't work or study. The weather is so hot that it can make you feel unwell if you don't drink enough water and get enough rest. What do you guys think is the most useful invention of all time?

Posted by Cindy Wu on Saturday, April 13

I don't know if I agree with you, Cindy. For me, the most useful invention of all time is surely the Internet. we can now reach people and do business faster. I own a clothing store in Mexico City, and there's a lot . of competition. I also have a website. Now,:people from all over the world can buy my clothing. With emails, ;! can keep in touch with friends and family in Mexico and around the world. It's faster than usual mail, and it's cheaper than using the phone!

Posted by Jorge on Sunday, April 14

Jorge, I also think that the Internet is useful. But, in my opinion, there is an "invention" that is even more important, and that's electricity. Of course, this isn't a man-made invention, but without people like Benjamin Franklin and Alessandro Volta, we wouldn't have learned how to use it. And without electricity, many of the world's most important modern inventions would not work.