shrink

Everyday

1. To shrink means to get smaller, or to make something smaller. tree →
2. Clothes can shrink when they are washed in hot water. tree →
3. To shrink back or shrink away is to move back because you are afraid. tree →

In the lessons

In maths: a decrease in size or amount; the new size is the old size minus the change; «shrank to 25» gives the new size, «shrank by 4» gives the change; scaling a shape down. In science: most things shrink when they get cold and grow when warm. In stories: Alice shrank after drinking from a bottle. Phrases: shrink by, shrink to, shrink in the wash, shrink away.

Examples

• The sweater shrank by 4 cm. tree →
• The pond shrinks 2 cm each day. tree →
• How long is the shirt after it shrinks? tree →
• The class shrank from 30 to 25 pupils. tree →
• My jumper shrank in the hot wash. tree →
• Alice drank from the bottle and began to shrink. tree →
• Metal shrinks a little when it gets cold. tree →
• The puddle shrank in the hot sun. tree →
• "Will the dog bite me?" asked Proserpina, shrinking closer to Pluto. tree →

Note

Irregular verb: shrink, shrank, shrunk. Opposite: grow, expand, stretch. Means take away: new = old − shrink. Trap: «shrank to 25» gives the new size, not the change.