unusual

Everyday

1. Not usual or common; different from what normally happens or what you normally see. tree →
2. Interesting because it is different: "an unusual hat". tree →

In the lessons

In science, unusual results in an experiment should be checked and repeated. In safety lessons, unusual smells, sounds or behaviour (gas smell, smoke, a stranger asking odd questions) are warning signs to tell an adult. In stories, something unusual often starts the adventure. Phrases: something unusual, unusual for, it's unusual to, nothing unusual.

Examples

• It's unusual to see snow in April here. tree →
• She wore an unusual purple hat. tree →
• The scientist noticed an unusual result. tree →
• Tell an adult if you smell something unusual, like gas. tree →
• It is unusual for our cat to hide. tree →
• Nothing unusual happened today. tree →
• I happen to have a most unusual shadow. tree →

Note

"Un-" means "not": unusual = not usual. The adverb is "unusually". Use "an": an unusual idea. In maths and data, an unusual value far from the others is called an outlier.