sand
sand — noun
1. the tiny broken pieces of rock and minerals that cover the ground in deserts and
the tiny broken pieces of rock and minerals that cover the ground in deserts and form the soft surface of beaches; used in building materials and glass-making, and often poured into hourglasses to measure time.
Tuan brushed the sand off his towel before sitting down on the beach.
collocation: brush sand off [something]
The children built a tall castle out of wet sand near the water's edge.
collocation: wet sand / build sandcastles
Gita burned her toes on hot sand when she ran to the water without sandals.
Chidi spread a pile of sand across the backyard for his children to play in.
At the glass factory, Asher watched workers heat sand and other ingredients into liquid glass.
文法句型
sand + verb
a grain of sand
a handful of sand
用法筆記
Sand is an uncountable noun in this sense — you say 'some sand' or 'a grain of sand', never 'a sand'. Commonly used with the verb 'brush' (brush sand off), 'sift' (sift sand), and 'pour' (pour sand).
常見錯誤
2. a wide open area covered with sand, especially along a coast or in a desert; oft
a wide open area covered with sand, especially along a coast or in a desert; often used in the plural form 'sands' to describe large stretches of such land.
Mira and her family walked across the golden sands of the beach at sunset.
plural form: the sands of [place]
The hotel was built right on the white sands of the Caribbean coast.
Camels have padded feet that help them walk across hot desert sands without sinking.
A small wooden sign marked the path across the sands to the ancient temple ruins.
文法句型
the sands of [place]
on the sands
用法筆記
In British English, 'the sands' commonly refers to a beach or a stretch of sand near the sea. 'Sand' (uncountable) and 'sands' (countable plural) overlap in meaning — 'sands' emphasises the expanse or variety of the area.
sand — verb
1. to rub a surface with sandpaper to make it smooth, remove old paint, or prepare
to rub a surface with sandpaper to make it smooth, remove old paint, or prepare it for new paint or varnish.
Andrei sanded the old wooden table by hand before painting it white.
Sand the edges of the shelf until they are smooth and safe to touch.
grammar pattern: sand + noun phrase + so clause
Vinícius sanded down the door frame after filling the cracks with wood filler.
Hannah spent the whole afternoon sanding the floorboards until the surface felt completely smooth.
The carpenter sands each piece twice — once with coarse paper and once with fine paper.
- roughen
to make a surface rough on purpose
文法句型
sand + noun phrase
sand [noun] down
sand [noun] smooth
用法筆記
Often used with the particle 'down' (sand something down) when the goal is to remove old paint or smooth a rough surface. The tool used is called sandpaper, and the process is called sanding. An electric sander can also be used for large jobs.