second

The word "second" is an ordinal number, but it’s also a unit of time.

• There are 60 seconds in a minute.
• It takes just a couple seconds for a web page to fully load on a computer.
• Television commercials are normally fifteen or thirty seconds in length.
• You have only seconds to react when driving a car.

As an ordinal number, use second when something else is first.

• Gary and Linda are expecting their second child.
• This is the second time this week we didn’t get our mail.
• It’s a good idea to have a second key in case your first key gets lost.
• A cat fell from a second-story window and survived the fall.
• Jill’s apartment is on the second floor. (In the U.S., The second floor is above the ground-level floor, which is the first floor.)
• Cheryl is unhappy with coming in second when she competes in a race. She always wants to come in first.
• The cake that Yasmin entered in the bake off came in second. She received a second-place ribbon.

When asking for a person’s time, or when asking someone to wait, you can use the word "second."

• Can I talk to you for a second?
• This will just take a few seconds.
• I can help you, but just give me a second.
• Hey, wait a second.
• Just a second.

The word "second" is used when asking for additional food

• When Don finished all of his dinner, he got a second helping of food.
• He got a second helping.
• He got seconds. (seconds = a second amount of food)
• Would you like seconds? (Do you want an additional amount of food?)

The word "second" is used when there is a nominating process at a meeting. When a person "seconds" something, he or she is in vocal support of it.

• The nomination of a new committee chairperson was seconded by one of the members.
• A motion introduced at the meeting was seconded and then finally approved by everyone.
• I second the motion.

If something is second, it may have been used by someone else first, or if something is second, it comes after something original:

• We bought a second-hand couch.
• Grizella got a good deal on a wooden desk that was second hand. (second hand = used; not new)
• A second-hand account of the story did not include all of the details found in the original story.
• After running almost five miles in the marathon, Roger felt like he got a second wind and easily completed the race. (second wind = a feeling of additional strength or power)

Learn more vocabulary here.

May 9, 2018