somersault
somersault — noun
- somersaultsingular
- somersaultsplural
1. an acrobatic move where you roll or jump so your feet go up over your head and b
an acrobatic move where you roll or jump so your feet go up over your head and back down, landing right-side up again.
Xiu performed a perfect backward somersault off the diving board into the pool.
collocation: perform a somersault
The gymnast finished her floor routine with three quick somersaults across the mat.
collocation: do/finish a somersault
Bao landed badly after a forward somersault and bruised his shoulder on the grass.
Children at the park were doing somersaults down the small grassy hill all afternoon.
The motorbike spun into a slow somersault through the air before crashing into the sand.
- flip
informal; covers any rotation in the air, not only feet-over-head
- tumble
less athletic; can mean a clumsy fall as well as a controlled roll
- handspring
specifically goes through the hands; somersault doesn't have to
文法句型
do/perform/turn a somersault
用法筆記
Frequently used with the verbs 'do', 'perform', or 'turn'; the modifiers 'forward' and 'backward' specify direction.
常見錯誤
somersault — verb
- somersaultpresent simple I / you / we / they
- somersaults3rd person singular
- somersaulting-ing form
- somersaultedpast simple
1. to flip your body forward or backward, lifting your feet up and over your head u
to flip your body forward or backward, lifting your feet up and over your head until you land upright again.
Faisal somersaulted down the soft slope behind his grandmother's house every summer afternoon.
intransitive: somersault + directional phrase
The young dancer somersaulted across the stage to wild applause from the audience.
intransitive: somersault + across/over/down
Maeve somersaulted forward off the trampoline and landed neatly on the safety mat below.
A circus acrobat somersaulted three times in the air before catching the swinging trapeze.
文法句型
somersault + adverbial of direction
用法筆記
Usually followed by a directional adverbial (across, down, over, forward, backward) rather than a direct object.
常見錯誤
2. (of a vehicle or object) to flip end over end; or to cause something to do this.
(of a vehicle or object) to flip end over end; or to cause something to do this.
The car somersaulted twice down the embankment before stopping against a thick pine tree.
subject is a vehicle; intransitive
Andrei accidentally somersaulted his toy plane off the table while reaching for his juice.
transitive: somersault + object
Heavy waves somersaulted the small fishing boat before the coastguard managed to reach it.
Talia watched as the falling box somersaulted twice before bursting open on the warehouse floor.
文法句型
[thing] somersault
[person] somersault [thing]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is typically a vehicle, object, or projectile, not a person voluntarily doing the action.