race

Everyday

1. A race is a contest to see who is fastest. tree →
2. To race is to run or go very fast, often against others. tree →
3. A race is a contest to be first to do something: the race to the Moon. tree →
4. A race is also a large group of people that some say share a look or family history; the idea is less used in science today. tree →

In the lessons

In maths: an event with distances, times and places (first, second); also counts races run or won; speed = distance ÷ time; relay races split the distance. In PE and sport: sports day races, swimming races, car races. In everyday life: «race home», «my heart was racing». In stories: «The Tortoise and the Hare» — slow and steady wins the race.

Examples

• The race is 400 meters long. tree →
• Ann finished the race in 12 minutes. tree →
• He won 5 of the 8 races. tree →
• In a relay race, each runner runs 100 meters. tree →
• We had a sack race on sports day. tree →
• The children raced to the gate. tree →
• In the fable, the tortoise won the race. tree →
• My heart was racing before the test. tree →
• It was a race against time to finish the project. tree →
• Slow and steady wins the race. tree →

Note

Gives distances and times, sometimes speed = distance ÷ time; places like first and third are order, not amounts. Trap: «the race of 5 kilometers» is a distance, «5 races» is a count. In a relay, total distance = runners × distance each. The shortest time wins a race, not the biggest number.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means the whole family of human beings, not a contest or one group of people.

Interpretation. The book says the covenants of the letters and of the body and spirit keep humankind alive. Tradition sees people as made of body and soul.

Examples

• Every one of them is an eternal covenant in order to preserve the human race for ever, according to its two-fold being: body and spirit. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Gives distances and times, sometimes speed = distance ÷ time; places like first and third are order, not amounts. Trap: «the race of 5 kilometers» is a distance, «5 races» is a count. In a relay, total distance = runners × distance each. The shortest time wins a race, not the biggest number.