dinosaur

Everyday

1. A dinosaur is one of a large group of reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago and died out; some were huge, others were small. tree →
2. A dinosaur is also a person or thing that is old-fashioned and no longer useful. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons we learn about dinosaurs from fossils: bones, teeth, eggs and footprints found in rocks. Some, like Tyrannosaurus rex, ate meat; others, like Diplodocus, ate plants. Most scientists think birds are living relatives of dinosaurs. Phrases: dinosaur fossil, dinosaur bones, meat-eating dinosaur, plant-eating dinosaur.

Examples

• Tyrannosaurus rex was a fierce meat-eating dinosaur. tree →
• We saw a huge dinosaur skeleton at the museum. tree →
• Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. tree →
• Scientists learn about dinosaurs by studying fossils. tree →
• Some dinosaurs were as small as chickens. tree →
• Birds are related to dinosaurs. tree →
• Grandpa jokes that his old phone is a dinosaur. tree →

Note

Countable: a dinosaur, dinosaurs. The name means «terrible lizard». Myths: people never lived at the same time as dinosaurs; and flying pterosaurs and swimming plesiosaurs were reptiles but not true dinosaurs.