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# earthquake

«earthquake» in Mova's school dictionary: **a sudden, violent shaking of the ground caused by…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an earthquake, earthquakes)

### meaning for a pupil

An earthquake is a sudden, violent shaking of the ground caused by movement of the rocks deep inside the Earth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In geography and science, the Earth's crust is made of huge plates; when they slip past each other, the ground shakes. Earthquakes are common in places like California, Japan, New Zealand and around the Pacific "Ring of Fire". Their strength is measured on a scale; a big one can damage buildings and cause tsunamis. Safety: Drop, Cover and Hold On — get under a strong table, away from windows. Phrases: a strong earthquake, earthquake drill, aftershock, tremor.

### examples

- The earthquake shook the whole city. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x1)
- During an earthquake, drop, cover and hold on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x2)
- New Zealand has many earthquakes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x3)
- Earthquakes happen where tectonic plates meet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x4)
- Some buildings are built to survive earthquakes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x5)
- An earthquake under the sea can cause a tsunami. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x6)
- We practised an earthquake drill at school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x7)
- For many hours the king walked, and at length he reached a high rock, which was rent into two by a great earthquake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/#x8)

### note

"An earthquake", with "an" because it starts with a vowel sound. Small earthquakes are called tremors; ones that follow a big quake are aftershocks. After an earthquake near the coast, move to high ground in case of a tsunami. Running outside during shaking is dangerous because things fall.

### In the corpora

- [The news on TV, the radio and phones shows real things: wars, earthquakes, floods, fires and accidents.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/51-scary-news-wars-disasters-and-how-to-talk-about-them/0/)
- [Japan has strict earthquake rules, and many buildings have flexible frames or shock-absorbing bases that let them move without breaking.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/34-buildings-and-architecture/13/)
- [Running outside during an earthquake is dangerous because of falling glass and bricks.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/48-weather-emergencies/14/)
- [Near the coast, a long or strong earthquake can be followed by a tsunami within minutes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/236-wind-fog-fire-and-seasons/6/)
- [If the sea suddenly pulls back or there is a strong earthquake near the coast, people must go to high ground at once.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/236-wind-fog-fire-and-seasons/25/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «earthquake» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/earthquake/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.