dotted

Everyday

1. Dotted means marked with small dots or made of dots, like a dotted line. tree →
2. Dotted with means having small things spread here and there, as in a field dotted with sheep. tree →
3. (music) A dotted note lasts half as long again as the plain note. tree →
4. Sign on the dotted line means agree to and sign an official paper. tree →

In the lessons

In school: «cut along the dotted line», «trace the dotted letters», dotted lines in maths for lines of symmetry or hidden edges, and graphs. In stories it paints a scene with things spread out. Phrases: dotted line, dotted with, dotted around, sign on the dotted line.

Examples

• Cut along the dotted line. tree →
• Trace the dotted letters to practise writing. tree →
• The hillside was dotted with sheep. tree →
• Draw a dotted line to show the line of symmetry. tree →
• Islands are dotted around the coast. tree →
• A dotted crotchet lasts one and a half beats. tree →
• Mum signed on the dotted line to join the gym. tree →
• Beneath him lay the meadows, covered with velvety green, with the murmuring river flowing through them, and dotted here and there were small wooden houses. tree →

Note

Double t in dotted, dotting. In geometry a dotted line often shows a line you cannot see (a hidden edge) or a fold. In music a dot after a note adds half its value: a dotted minim = 2 + 1 = 3 beats.