shingle

Everyday

1. Small round stones on a beach, larger than sand. tree →
2. A thin flat piece of wood or other material laid in overlapping rows on roofs or walls. tree →
3. (US) A small sign outside a doctor's or lawyer's office: "hang out your shingle" means start your own business. tree →
4. "Shingles" (always plural form) is an illness causing a painful rash, caused by the same virus as chickenpox. tree →

In the lessons

In geography lessons, shingle beaches like Chesil Beach in England are made of pebbles; waves shape them. In building, wooden or slate shingles cover roofs in North America and elsewhere. In health, shingles is a painful illness older people can get. Phrases: shingle beach, roof shingles, a bank of shingle, hang out a shingle.

Examples

• The shingle beach crunched under our feet. tree →
• Waves rolled the shingle up and down the shore. tree →
• Some shingles blew off the roof in the storm. tree →
• The cabin has a wooden shingle roof. tree →
• Grandpa had shingles and needed rest. tree →
• Brighton has a shingle beach, not a sandy one. tree →

Note

Beach shingle is uncountable ("lots of shingle"). Roof shingles are countable. The illness "shingles" takes a singular verb: "Shingles is painful." Shingles is not the same as chickenpox, though the same virus causes both.