Squirrels gathered nuts for the coming winter.

Meaning: Small furry animals with bushy tails collected hard-shelled fruits to prepare for the approaching cold season.

Choice of Words: Squirrels: small furry animals with bushy tails; gathered: collected; nuts: hard-shelled fruits; for: intended for or in preparation for; coming: approaching; winter: the cold season of the year.

Alternative Expressions

The squirrels stocked up on nuts for the long winter ahead.

Meaning: This sentence is also telling us that squirrels collected nuts to prepare for the winter season, but it emphasizes that the winter is going to be long.

Choice of Words: Stocked up means to gather or collect something in large quantities. Nuts are hard-shelled fruits that grow on trees. Long means lasting for a long time. Winter is the coldest season of the year. When you put them together, "The squirrels stocked up on nuts for the long winter ahead" means that the squirrels collected a lot of nuts to prepare for the winter season, which is going to be long.

In anticipation of the harsh winter, the squirrels diligently collected acorns and hazelnuts.

Meaning: This sentence is similar to the previous two sentences, but it emphasizes that the squirrels expected the winter to be severe and that they worked hard to collect the nuts.

Choice of Words: Anticipation means expecting something to happen. Harsh means severe or unpleasant. Winter is the coldest season of the year. Diligently means doing something carefully and with effort. Collected means to gather something together. Acorns and hazelnuts are types of nuts that grow on trees. When you put them together, "In anticipation of the harsh winter, the squirrels diligently collected acorns and hazelnuts" means that the squirrels expected the winter to be severe, so they carefully and with effort collected a lot of acorns and hazelnuts to prepare for it.

Related Expressions