---
title: insulate — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «insulate» in the school dictionary: To cover something with a material that stops heat, cold or sound from passing through easily. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# insulate

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** material, We, house, Plastic, you, Thick fur · **What happens:** cover, stop, pass, pass out, keep, protect · **To what, where:** something, heat, wires, electricity, people, someone

<!-- .vabout -->
«insulate» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [insulate in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/insulate.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To cover something with a material that stops heat, cold or sound from passing through easily.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:m1:1
# text = To cover something with a material that stops heat, cold or sound from passing through easily.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	cover	cover	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	material	material	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	stops	stop	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	cold	cold	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
14	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
15	passing	pass	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	_
16	through	through	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover** | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  | with a material | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent something=Destination with material=Theme |
| 2 | **stop** | present | a material | heat and cold or sound |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality heat=Eventuality |
| 3 | **pass** | gerund | a material *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme through easily=Location |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To cover wires with a material that stops electricity from passing out, to keep people safe.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:m2:1
# text = To cover wires with a material that stops electricity from passing out, to keep people safe.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	cover	cover	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	wires	wire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	material	material	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	stops	stop	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
11	passing	pass	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	_
12	out	out	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
16	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
17	safe	safe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover** | to-infinitive |  | wires |  |  |  | with a material | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent wire=Destination with material=Theme |
| 2 | **stop** | present | a material | electricity |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality electricity=Eventuality |
| 3 | **pass out** | gerund | a material *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn change\_bodily\_state-40.8.4 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 4 | **keep** | to-infinitive |  | people |  |  |  | safe *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent people=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To protect someone from something unpleasant.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:m3:1
# text = To protect someone from something unpleasant.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	protect	protect	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obl	_	_
6	unpleasant	unpleasant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **protect** | to-infinitive |  |  | someone |  |  | from something | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent someone=Beneficiary from something=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We insulate the loft so the house stays warm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x1:1
# text = We insulate the loft so the house stays warm.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	insulate	insulate	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	loft	loft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	stays	stay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
9	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | present | We | the loft |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent loft=Destination |
| 2 | **stay** | present | the house |  |  |  |  | warm *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Plastic insulates the wires so you don't get a shock.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x2:1
# text = Plastic insulates the wires so you don't get a shock.
1	Plastic	plastic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	insulates	insulate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	wires	wire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
7	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	shock	shock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | present | Plastic | the wires |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent wire=Destination |
| 2 | **not** **get** | present · do-support | you | a shock |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer shock=Stimulus |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Thick fur insulates polar bears from the cold.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x3:1
# text = Thick fur insulates polar bears from the cold.
1	Thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	fur	fur	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	insulates	insulate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	polar	polar	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	bears	bear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	cold	cold	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | present | Thick fur | polar bears |  | the cold |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent bear=Destination |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which material insulates the hot water best?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x4:1
# text = Which material insulates the hot water best?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	material	material	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	insulates	insulate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | present | which material |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An insulated flask keeps soup hot for hours.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x5:1
# text = An insulated flask keeps soup hot for hours.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	insulated	insulate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	flask	flask	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	keeps	keep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	soup	soup	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
6	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	hours	hour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **keep** | present | a insulated flask | soup |  |  |  | hot *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent soup=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wool socks insulate your feet in winter.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x6:1
# text = Wool socks insulate your feet in winter.
1	Wool	wool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	socks	sock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	insulate	insulate	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	feet	foot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	winter	winter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insulate** | present | Wool socks | your feet |  |  | winter |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent foot=Destination |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Air trapped between layers helps to insulate.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x7:1
# text = Air trapped between layers helps to insulate.
1	Air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	trapped	trap	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	between	between	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	layers	layer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
5	helps	help	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	insulate	insulate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trap** | participle |  | Air *not said here* |  |  |  | between layers | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **help** | present | Air |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **insulate** | to-infinitive | Air *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Never touch a cable if the plastic around it is broken.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:insulate:x8:1
# text = Never touch a cable if the plastic around it is broken.
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	touch	touch	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	cable	cable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	plastic	plastic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	around	around	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nmod	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **touch** | imperative | you *not said here* | a cable |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme cable=Co-Theme |
| 2 | **break** *a condition, not said to happen* | present · passive |  | the plastic around cable |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
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