dead

Everyday

1. Dead means no longer alive. tree →
2. Dead can mean not working: a dead battery, a dead phone. tree →
3. Dead can mean very quiet or with nothing happening: the town is dead on Sundays. tree →
4. Informally, dead means very or completely: dead easy, dead tired, dead ahead. tree →
5. A dead end is a road that does not go anywhere. tree →

In the lessons

In science living things grow, breathe, feed and reproduce; dead things no longer do; dead leaves and animals rot and feed the soil. In lessons about feelings, when a pet or a person dies, people feel grief, and it is okay to talk and cry. In safety lessons: never touch dead animals (they can carry germs); a dead battery should go into recycling. In stories «dead» can be serious or a joke (dead tired). Phrases: dead end, dead battery, dead silence, dead easy, play dead, the Dead Sea.

Examples

• Our goldfish is dead; we buried it in the garden. tree →
• Dead leaves fall from the trees in autumn. tree →
• My phone is dead; I need to charge it. tree →
• Don't touch a dead bird; it could carry germs. tree →
• That puzzle was dead easy. tree →
• The dog rolled over and played dead. tree →
• We drove down the road, but it was a dead end. tree →
• There was dead silence when the teacher walked in. tree →
• She is not dead, is she?” tree →

Note

«Dead» is an adjective; the verb is «die» (died, dying) and the noun is «death». Say «He is dead» or «He died», not «He is died». The informal «dead easy», «dead good» (very) is common in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Trap: something dead is different from something that was never alive (a rock is not dead; it is non-living).

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: Touching a dead body makes a person ritually unclean for seven days. Tradition honours the dead through quick burial and care for the body. In the primary lessons: In science living things grow, breathe, feed and reproduce; dead things no longer do; dead leaves and animals rot and feed the soil. In lessons about feelings, when a pet or a person dies, people feel grief, and it is okay to talk and cry. In safety lessons: never touch dead animals (they can carry germs); a dead battery should go into recycling. In stories «dead» can be serious or a joke (dead tired). Phrases: dead end, dead battery, dead silence, dead easy, play dead, the Dead Sea.

Examples

• And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. (Torah NUM.16.48, JPS 1917) tree →
• He that toucheth the dead, even any man's dead body, shall be unclean seven days; (Torah NUM.19.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying: (Torah GEN.23.3, JPS 1917) tree →
• Wilt Thou work wonders for the dead? (Writings PSA.88.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. (Prophets 2SA.19.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• Then they sent to Jezebel, saying: 'Naboth is stoned, and is dead.' (Prophets 1KI.21.14, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

«Dead» is an adjective; the verb is «die» (died, dying) and the noun is «death». Say «He is dead» or «He died», not «He is died». The informal «dead easy», «dead good» (very) is common in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Trap: something dead is different from something that was never alive (a rock is not dead; it is non-living).