oxygen

Everyday

1. A gas in the air that people, animals and plants need to live. tree →
2. A chemical element (symbol O) found in air, water and many things. tree →

In the lessons

In science, we breathe in oxygen; the lungs pass it into the blood which carries it around the body; plants give off oxygen when they make food using sunlight; fire needs oxygen to burn; water is made of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). About one fifth of air is oxygen. Phrases: oxygen mask, oxygen tank.

Examples

• We need oxygen to live. tree →
• Plants give off oxygen. tree →
• Fire needs oxygen to burn. tree →
• Divers carry oxygen tanks. tree →
• Our blood carries oxygen around the body. tree →
• Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen. tree →
• About a fifth of the air is oxygen. tree →
• Put on your own oxygen mask first. tree →

Note

Uncountable: "oxygen", not "an oxygen". Oxygen has no colour or smell. Fish get oxygen from water with their gills. Covering a small fire takes away its oxygen and puts it out.