Okay, let's break down how to use the word "collect" in English. It's a very versatile word with multiple meanings! Here's a breakdown categorized by how it's used, with examples:
1. To Gather or Accumulate (Most Common)
- Meaning: To bring together a number of things, especially things that are usually scattered. It implies a deliberate effort to assemble them.
- Examples:
- "I collect stamps." (Gathering stamps)
- "She collects antique teacups." (Accumulating antique teacups)
- "He collects data for his research." (Gathering data)
- "The museum collects artifacts from around the world." (Gathering artifacts)
- "He’s been collecting baseball cards for years." (Accumulating baseball cards)
2. To Receive Regularly (Payments, Mail, etc.)
- Meaning: To receive something regularly, often money or mail.
- Examples:
- “People collect rent each month.” (Receive rent)
- “You need to collect your mail every day.” (Receive mail)
- "He collects a salary for his work." (Receives a salary)
- "The charity collects donations." (Receives donations)
- "I collect Social Security benefits." (Receives government benefits)
3. To Bring Together for a Purpose (Meetings, People)
- Meaning: To assemble people or things for a specific reason or activity.
- Examples:
- “The team collects every week to practice.” (Assembling for practice)
- “We collected people in the town square.” (Gathering people)
- “The organizers collected volunteers for the event.” (Gathering volunteers)
4. To Recover or Retrieve (Things that are lost or have left)
- Meaning: To get something back that was lost or has gone away.
- Examples:
- “The police collected the stolen car.” (Recovered the car)
- “He collected his lost keys.” (Retrieved the keys)
- “You need to collect your luggage at the airport.” (Retrieve luggage)
5. (Informal) To Meet or Congregate
- Meaning: (Often used in British English) To meet someone, usually for a social occasion.
- Examples:
- "Let's collect for dinner." (Let's meet for dinner)
- "I'm going to collect my friend at the station." (I’m going to meet my friend at the station).
6. (Verbs used with "collect" - Passive Voice)
- To Collect (Someone): To go and get someone. "I'm going to collect John from the airport."
- To Collect (Something): To gather or bring something in. "The team collects data regularly."
Key Considerations & Synonyms:
- Phrases: "Gather," "accumulate," "assemble," "bring together," "receive," "obtain" are often interchangeable with "collect," depending on the context.
- Form: "Collect" can be a verb (an action) or a noun (a thing, like a collection of stamps). Example: "He is a stamp collector." (noun)
To help me give you even more targeted advice, could you tell me:
- What kind of sentence are you trying to write? (e.g., a description, a story, an instruction)
- Can you give me an example sentence where you're trying to use "collect"? This will help me pinpoint the specific meaning you need.
Kommentar ()