canoe

Everyday

1. A canoe is a light, narrow boat, pointed at both ends, that you move with a paddle. tree →
2. To canoe is to travel or paddle in a canoe. tree →

In the lessons

In outdoor education and water safety, children go canoeing on lakes and rivers with an instructor, always wearing a life jacket (buoyancy aid). In history, First Nations people of Canada and the USA and Maori in New Zealand built canoes for travel and fishing. Phrases: «paddle a canoe», «go canoeing», «paddle your own canoe» (look after yourself).

Examples

• We paddled the canoe across the lake. tree →
• Always wear a life jacket in a canoe. tree →
• Canoes are pointed at both ends. tree →
• We went canoeing on the river at camp. tree →
• The Maori travelled in large canoes called waka. tree →
• Sit still or the canoe will tip over. tree →
• Native peoples made canoes from birch bark. tree →
• They canoed down the river for three days. tree →
• The canoe floated to the shore. tree →

Note

Countable: a canoe, canoes. Spelling: the -ing form keeps the e: canoeing (not «canoing»). Past form: canoed. In British English a «canoe» sometimes includes kayaks; in a kayak you use a paddle with two blades, in a canoe usually one blade.