heater

Everyday

1. A heater is a machine that makes a room, a car, water or something else warm. tree →
2. It often works with electricity, gas or oil. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and safety heaters keep homes warm in winter, but they can be dangerous: keep clothes, curtains and paper away from them, never cover them, and do not touch hot ones. In science it links to energy and heat transfer. Phrases: «turn on the heater», «electric heater», «water heater», «space heater», «patio heater».

Examples

• Can you turn on the heater? It is freezing. tree →
• Do not put your wet socks on the heater. tree →
• The heater in the car takes a few minutes to warm up. tree →
• Keep the curtains away from the heater because they could catch fire. tree →
• Our water heater broke, so we had cold showers. tree →
• The classroom heater makes a clicking noise. tree →
• An electric heater uses a lot of power. tree →
• Grandma sits by the heater with her knitting. tree →

Note

Countable: «a heater», «heaters». It comes from «heat» plus «-er» (a thing that does something). In the UK a fixed heater filled with hot water is usually called a «radiator». Safety: never dry clothes on a portable heater and never leave it on when no one is home.