Word of the Day: Nature
There are several different ways to use the word “nature.”
It can be used to describe areas and situations that human beings don’t control.
- Wild forces in nature can be quite destructive.
- Most people have an appreciation of nature.
- Nature has a way of restoring itself.
- The beauty of nature is impossible to duplicate exactly, yet we try.
The word “nature” can also be used to describe a person’s character:
- It’s not in her nature to get so upset.
- He has a very pleasant nature.
- It’s in Mary’s nature to be generous.
Sometimes this word refers to a situation or a reason:
- What is the nature of this visit?
- The nature of the police officer’s questions raised the curiosity of people nearby.
- There was a sudden snowstorm. Things of this nature don’t happen frequently here.
- It’s in the nature of science to reduce things to their simplest forms.
- We have to let nature take its course. (Whatever happens will happen and we can’t stop it.)
The words “nature” and “natural” are adjectives:
- A nature center is a place where visitors can see plants and animals in their native habitat.
- Steve and Linda like to go for nature walks.
- They’re nature lovers.
- Natural forests are worth preserving.
- An angry outburst was the natural result of her frustration.
- Rick is a natural when it comes to baseball. (He’s very good at it.)
- Sarah prefers a natural look for her hair. (She doesn’t want it to look as if it’s styled.)
- Her hair has a natural curl.
The word “naturally” is an adverb.
- The color of her skin naturally gets darker whenever she visits her parents in Florida.
- Naturally clean water is getting harder to find. Most of what we drink has been treated.
- He’s naturally suited for this position. (He fits right it.)
- Parents are naturally protective of their children.
- We’ve been unnaturally busy at work lately. (The situation is different from what normally happens.)
- Our boss is unnaturally pleasant today. Normally, he’s short with everyone. (To be short is to be rude, disrespectful, or mean.)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with N page to see the list of all words starting with letter N. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
