slate

Everyday

1. Slate is a hard dark grey rock that splits into thin flat sheets. tree →
2. A slate is a thin piece of this rock used to cover a roof, or in the past for children to write on with chalk. tree →
3. A slate is a list of candidates or a plan of things, as in «a slate of films». tree →
4. (UK, informal) To slate something means to criticise it very harshly. tree →
5. (mostly US) To be slated for something means it is planned or expected. tree →
6. A clean slate means a fresh start where past mistakes are forgotten. tree →

In the lessons

In science it is a metamorphic rock made from shale; in history, Victorian children wrote on slates; in Wales slate quarries are famous; in news and reviews, «slated» means badly criticised (UK) or scheduled (US); phrases: clean slate, wipe the slate clean, on the slate (old: on credit).

Examples

• The old cottage has a slate roof. tree →
• Victorian children wrote sums on slates with chalk. tree →
• Slate is made when shale is squeezed and heated. tree →
• A slate fell off the roof in the storm. tree →
• Critics slated the new film. tree →
• The new library is slated to open next spring. tree →
• Let's wipe the slate clean and be friends again. tree →
• The coach picked a strong slate of players. tree →
• As Uncle Remus came up Whitehall Street recently, he met a little colored boy carrying a slate and a number of books. tree →

Note

Countable when it means a roof tile or writing tablet («a slate»), uncountable as the rock («made of slate»). Watch the two different meanings of «slated»: UK «badly criticised», US «planned». Do not confuse with «shale» or «state».