They swam in the pool for hours.

Meaning: This sentence describes people moving through water using their arms and legs in a body of water for swimming for an extended period of time.

Choice of Words: Swam is a verb that means to move through water using one's arms and legs, in is a preposition that indicates a location or position, pool is a noun that refers to a body of water for swimming, and for and hours indicate the duration of time they spent swimming.

Alternative Expressions

The children played in the park all day.

Meaning: This means that the children spent the entire day playing in the park. It's like saying, They spent the whole day from sunrise to sunset doing fun things in the park.

Choice of Words: The children is a noun phrase that refers to the group of young people who were playing. Played is a verb that means to engage in an activity for enjoyment. In is a preposition that shows where the playing took place. The park is a noun that refers to a public green space used for recreation. All is an adjective that means the entire amount of time. Day is a noun that refers to a period of time from sunrise to sunset. When you put them together, "The children played in the park all day" means that the young people spent the entire day engaging in activities for enjoyment in the park.

The dog chased the ball around the yard.

Meaning: This means that the dog ran after the ball in a circular motion within the outdoor area of the house. It's like saying, The dog ran in circles around the ball in the yard, trying to catch it.

Choice of Words: The dog is a noun that refers to the animal that was chasing the ball. Chased is a verb that means to run after something in order to catch it. The ball is a noun that refers to the object that the dog was chasing. Around is a preposition that shows the direction of the chasing. The yard is a noun that refers to the outdoor area of a house. When you put them together, "The dog chased the ball around the yard" means that the dog ran after the ball in a circular motion within the outdoor area of the house.

Related Expressions