cheap

Everyday

1. Cheap means it costs only a little money. tree →
2. Cheap can mean low quality, badly made: «a cheap toy that broke». tree →
3. Cheap can mean not kind or not fair: «a cheap trick». tree →

In the lessons

a comparison of prices; «cheaper by» or «how much cheaper» asks for a difference; «cheapest» picks the smallest price; in everyday life: compare prices to find the cheapest, but cheap is not always good value; phrases: «cheap and cheerful», «on the cheap», «cheaper by the dozen»

Examples

• The pen is 2 dollars cheaper than the book. tree →
• Which toy is the cheapest? tree →
• Apples are cheap this week at 1 dollar a kilo. tree →
• How much cheaper is the red bag? tree →
• Buying a big pack is often cheaper per item. tree →
• The cheap umbrella broke in the wind. tree →
• Tickets are cheaper for children. tree →
• That was a cheap trick to win the game. tree →
• Early apples, ladies; early pears and apricots, and all cheap. tree →

Note

Compares prices: «cheaper than» means a smaller price, so take away. Trap: «A is 3 dollars cheaper than B» – to find B, add 3 to A. Opposite: expensive, dear. Compare value per item: price ÷ number of items.