March 20, 2016

sweep

When a person sweeps something, he or she uses a broom to clean a surface.

He’s using a broom.

• He’s sweeping the floor. (present continuous tense)
• He sweeps the floor every day. (present tense)
• He swept the floor. (past tense)
• Have you swept the floor yet? (present perfect tense)
• The floor was swept just a few hours ago. (past tense, passive voice)
• What do you use to sweep a floor?
• You can use a broom or a mop to sweep the floor.

There are a few other ways to use the word "sweep."

• If a team plays another team in a series and wins all of those games, we say, "They swept the series," or "It was a sweep."
• A person who quickly falls in love with another person might be swept off of his or her feet: Johnny swept Maria off of her feet, and they soon got married. (She fell in love with him very quickly.)
• A large wave from the ocean can sweep a person away from the shore: The young man was swept away by a giant wave and drowned.
• A chimney sweep is a person who sweeps out the inside of a chimney. He sweeps out the soot and the dirt.

He works as a chimney sweep.

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