shovel
/ˈʃʌvl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈʃʌvl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈshə-vəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈʃʌv.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈʃʌv.əl/ (ame, ipa)
shovel — noun
- shovelsingular
- shovelsplural
1. a gardening or building tool with a wide curved scoop at the end of a long handl
a gardening or building tool with a wide curved scoop at the end of a long handle, used to pick up and move loose things such as earth, snow, or stones.
Haruto grabbed the shovel from the shed and began clearing the snow off his driveway.
shovel for clearing snow from a surface
The gardener leaned the shovel against the wall after digging a hole for the tree.
A metal shovel works better than a plastic one for breaking up hard soil.
Romi bought a small shovel for planting bulbs in the flower beds around the house.
The children each took a shovel and helped fill the sandbox with fresh sand.
文法句型
a/the shovel
shovel + for + noun / verb-ing
用法筆記
The blade of a shovel is curved upward at the sides to hold loose material, unlike a spade which has a flat, pointed blade designed for cutting into soil.
常見錯誤
2. the large scoop-shaped bucket at the front of a digger, tractor, or other heavy
the large scoop-shaped bucket at the front of a digger, tractor, or other heavy vehicle, used to collect and lift earth, rocks, or rubble.
The excavator's shovel scooped up a huge pile of dirt in a single movement.
excavator shovel scooping dirt
Nikhil watched the loader's shovel dump broken rocks into the waiting truck.
A cracked shovel on the digger forced the crew to stop work for two days.
The tractor shovel can lift more than two tonnes of gravel in one go.
文法句型
the shovel of a + machine noun
a/the + machine + shovel
用法筆記
Frequently used in compound nouns with the machine type, such as 'tractor shovel', 'excavator shovel', or 'loader shovel'.
常見錯誤
3. the quantity of loose material that fits onto a single shovel, used when giving
the quantity of loose material that fits onto a single shovel, used when giving rough measurements.
The recipe said to add one shovel of sand for every two shovels of cement.
shovel as a rough measurement unit
Ife emptied another shovel of gravel into the wheelbarrow and wiped her forehead.
Renata added a shovel of coal to the furnace before the temperature dropped too low.
Each shovel of soil was carefully sifted to remove stones and roots before planting.
- shovelful
the exact synonym, though less common in everyday speech
文法句型
a shovel of + noun (material)
per shovel
each shovel
用法筆記
Often used in instructions for mixing building materials such as concrete, where approximate ratios are given in 'shovels' rather than precise weights.
常見錯誤
shovel — verb
- shovelpresent simple I / you / we / they
- shovels3rd person singular
- shoveling-ing form
- shoveledpast simple
1. to lift, move, or clear something using a shovel; also to create a path or space
to lift, move, or clear something using a shovel; also to create a path or space by removing material with a shovel.
Haruto spent the whole morning shovelling snow from the front path to the street.
shovelling snow from a surface
The workers shovelled gravel into the back of the truck until it was full.
shovel + noun + into + container
Maeve shovelled the wet soil from the trench to make space for the new pipe.
After the storm, neighbours helped each other shovel their driveways before the ice set in.
Sivan shovelled a narrow path through the deep snow to reach the chicken coop.
- fill
to put material into a space, the opposite of removing material
文法句型
shovel + noun phrase (object)
shovel + adverb / preposition
shovel + object + adjective
用法筆記
When the object is a location (shovel the driveway, shovel the path), the meaning is 'clear by shovelling'. When the object is the material (shovel snow, shovel soil), the meaning is 'move by shovelling'.