November 7, 2014 – Word of the Day:  grow

 

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

simplepastpast participle
grow
grew
grown
  • 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.)

growth 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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