November 7, 2014 – Word of the Day:  grow

When something grows, it increases in size. It gets bigger. It develops.

• Plants grow from seeds. (present tense)
• Children grow to become adults.
• Teenagers grow very quickly.
• My kids grew up fast. (past tense)
• The United States is growing in population. (present continuous tense)
• The U.S. has grown to over 315 million people. (present pefect tense)
• The website you’re on right now has grown to over 3000 pages.
• Ned has joined a company that is growing quickly. It’s a growing company.
• Did you grow anything in your garden last summer?
• We grew tomatoes last summer, but the squirrels got to them first.
• My neighbor grows potatoes. She has been growing potatoes for years. (present perfect continuous tense)

The word "growth" is a noun:

• The growth of the nation depends on immigration.
• The growth of a person is measured by feet and inches. Weight is also an indication of growth.
• This year our company is focused on growth over profits.
• There’s been an astonishing amount of growth in the Twin Cities in the last five years.
• There’s an odd growth on the base of this tree. (Sometimes a growth can be unwanted.)

He measures his growth every month.

The word "grown" is used as an adjective:

• Sam is now a grown man. He grew up fast.
• Sarah is a grown woman. She can decide who she wants to marry.

A grown up is a person who has grown into an adult.

• After dinner was over, the grown ups sat around and drank coffee while the children played.
• There were a few grown ups at the park to keep watch over the kids.

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