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# pair

«pair» in Mova's school dictionary: **two things of the same kind that go together: a pair of…** — 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 (pair, pairs); verb (pair, pairs, paired, pairing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A pair is two things of the same kind that go together: a pair of socks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#m1)

2) A pair is one thing made of two parts: a pair of scissors, a pair of trousers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#m2)

3) A pair is two people or animals together. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#m3)

4) To pair up is to make groups of two. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

two of a kind: «N pairs» is N × 2 things; in class we work in pairs; number pairs that make 10 (3 and 7); phrases: «a pair of», «in pairs», «pair up», «number pairs»

### examples

- How many socks are in 6 pairs of socks? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x1)
- Max has seven pairs of gloves. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x2)
- Anna buys 3 pairs of shoes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x3)
- Work in pairs to check your answers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x4)
- I need a new pair of scissors. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x5)
- 4 and 6 are a pair that makes 10. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x6)
- A pair of swans swam on the lake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x7)
- Pair up with the person next to you. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x8)
- One day the pair unexpectedly met a Lion. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pair/#x9)

### note

«A pair is 2 things.» «N pairs» is N × 2 things. Trap: the question may ask for pairs, not single things; then do not multiply. Trap: a pair of scissors or jeans is one thing. «pair», «pear» (a fruit) and «pare» sound the same.

### In the corpora

- [The tabla is a pair of Indian hand drums; pressing the skin while striking it changes the pitch.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/10-instruments-of-the-world-bandura-erhu-sitar-kora-didgeridoo/13/)
- [Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so no centipede has exactly 100 legs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/3-the-rainforest-from-below/15/)
- [A hoverfly has one pair of wings and can hover still in the air, while a wasp has two pairs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/51-how-animals-hide/12/)
- [Swans, many parrots and albatrosses keep the same partner for years, and some albatross pairs stay together for 50 years or more.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/93-the-aviary-the-walk-through-tropical-house/11/)
- [Like every insect, a bee or a wasp has six legs, two antennae and two pairs of wings.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/218-bees-and-wasps-in-the-garden/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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