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# proper

«proper» in Mova's school dictionary: **Right, correct or suitable for the situation: "the proper…** — 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

adjective (proper, more proper, most proper)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Right, correct or suitable for the situation: "the proper way to hold a pencil". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#m1)

2) Real, true: "a proper meal", not just a snack. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#m2)

3) Polite and well-behaved, following the rules of good manners. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#m3)

4) In maths, a proper fraction is one where the top number is smaller than the bottom number. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life "proper" tells you the right way or the right thing: proper clothes for the weather, proper equipment for safety. In maths, a proper fraction is less than one whole, like 3/4. In grammar, a proper noun is the name of a particular person, place or thing and starts with a capital letter. Phrases: proper noun, proper fraction, the proper way, proper manners, a proper meal.

### examples

- Wear proper shoes for the hike. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x1)
- Put the toys back in their proper place. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x2)
- "London" is a proper noun, so it starts with a capital letter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x3)
- 3/4 is a proper fraction. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x4)
- After the snack we had a proper dinner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x5)
- It is proper to say thank you. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x6)
- Use the proper tool for the job. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x7)
- That is the proper way to fight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proper/#x8)

### note

The adverb is "properly": "Wash your hands properly." The opposite is "improper". Proper noun: Sydney, Mia, Monday — capital letter; common noun: city, girl, day. Proper fraction: numerator smaller than denominator, so its value is less than 1; an improper fraction such as 7/4 is 1 or more. In British speech "proper" can also mean "really": "a proper mess".

### In the corpora

- [Rules and laws are shared agreements; people follow them even when they dislike them, and change bad ones through proper ways.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/33-neighbours-the-council-rules-and-fairness/17/)
- [Death hoaxes about famous people spread fast because they are shocking; check a proper news site before believing or sharing one.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/46-tabloids-sources-close-to-and-the-photo/10/)
- [Before believing a shocking story, look it up on a proper news site, and check its date.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/50-rumours-about-classmates-and-secrets/9/)
- [Pets need proper food made for their kind; rich human food, like a cat eating lasagne, can make them ill.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/225-caring-for-a-pet-needs-dangers-and-responsibility/7/)
- [Mother Jaguar: «Everything has its proper name.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/83-justso-armadillos-2-the-first-armadillo/25/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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