ordinary

Everyday

1. Ordinary means normal, usual or plain; not special or different. tree →
2. «Out of the ordinary» means unusual or surprising. tree →

In the lessons

In stories ordinary people or ordinary days are often where adventures begin; in maths, ordinary numbers may be contrasted with special ones. Phrases: «an ordinary day», «ordinary people», «out of the ordinary», «nothing out of the ordinary».

Examples

• It was just an ordinary day at school. tree →
• She seemed like an ordinary girl, but she had a secret. tree →
• Ordinary pencils are fine for the test. tree →
• Nothing out of the ordinary happened. tree →
• The magic shop looked ordinary from the outside. tree →
• Ordinary people can do great things. tree →
• It was no ordinary cat — it could talk! tree →
• But this was no ordinary centipede. tree →

Note

Adverb: ordinarily (usually). Opposite: extraordinary, special, unusual. Spelling trap: ordin-ary (not ordinery). Trap: «extraordinary» means very special, not «extra ordinary».

In Jewish tradition

In stories ordinary people or ordinary days are often where adventures begin; in maths, ordinary numbers may be contrasted with special ones. Phrases: «an ordinary day», «ordinary people», «out of the ordinary», «nothing out of the ordinary».

Examples

• astronomy, etc.; for ordinary purposes there was a decimal system of notation, without tiie principle of position. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Adverb: ordinarily (usually). Opposite: extraordinary, special, unusual. Spelling trap: ordin-ary (not ordinery). Trap: «extraordinary» means very special, not «extra ordinary».