[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/rule.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / rule [← R](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/R/) # rule «rule» in Mova's school dictionary: **A rule tells what must or should be done: school rules…** — 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 (rule, rules); verb (rule, rules, ruled, ruling) ### meaning for a pupil 1) A rule tells what must or should be done: school rules, the rules of a game. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m1) 2) In maths, a rule tells how to get the next number, or how to change an input to an output. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m2) 3) To rule is to be in charge of a country: the queen ruled for years. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m3) 4) To rule a line is to draw it with a ruler. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m4) 5) «As a rule» means usually. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m5) 6) To rule out is to decide that something is not possible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#m6) ### sense in the lessons In maths: a number pattern rule («add 3») or the rule of a game; also to rule a line; function machine rules; rules of divisibility. In science: rules (laws) that nature seems to follow. In everyday life and safety: class rules, road rules, rules keep games fair and people safe. In stories: a king rules a land; «rules are made to be broken» (a saying, not good advice). ### examples - The rule is «add 4»: 3, 7, 11, … [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x1) - What is the rule of the pattern? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x2) - By the rules, each player gets 5 cards. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x3) - Use the rule to find the 10th number. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x4) - Rule a line under the title. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x5) - Our class rule is to listen when someone is speaking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x6) - The queen ruled the country for a long time. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x7) - As a rule, we eat dinner at six. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x8) - The doctor ruled out a broken arm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x9) - As a rule they are either fools or swindlers! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/#x10) ### note In patterns the rule names the operation to repeat. Trap: check the rule on more than the first two numbers. The person who rules is a ruler; the tool for ruling lines is also a ruler. Rules of a game must be the same for every player. ### In the corpora - [Starting a new job means learning new systems, names and rules all at once, so people come home tired.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/18/) - [Bailiffs can collect money owed only after a court decision and many warnings, under strict rules, and cannot take essentials.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/20/) - [Children can notice it kindly, laugh about it together and sometimes help everyone keep the rules.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/29-screens-diets-sofas-and-late-nights/4/) - [Families make phone rules so meals are for talking, and adults find them hard to keep because phones are built to grab attention.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/29-screens-diets-sofas-and-late-nights/5/) - [Immigration means people moving to live in another country; countries have rules about it, and people disagree about those rules.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/31-votes-parties-and-the-people-in-charge/18/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «rule» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rule/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.