Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

grab bag

noun

Forms grab bags grabbag grab-bag

  1. noun A gift, purchase, etc. whose contents are concealed until after a selection is made; a bag as gift that comprises mystery prizes. “Winners can choose a gift from the grab bags on the table.”
  2. noun A bag from which a gift or prize may be withdrawn (grabbed) unseen.
  3. noun (figurative) Any random assortment, selection or possibility. “With that system, it's a grab bag which files we can find at any moment.”
  4. noun A moderately large bag of crisps or other snack, suitable for sharing.
  5. noun A bag containing essential items, which can be easily picked up and taken in an emergency.

Synonyms

mystery bag lucky dip mixed bag ragbag hodgepodge bouillabaisse bric-a-brac catch-all clamjamfrey cocktail rummage salad anthology gallery gatherum congeries crazyquilt disjecta membra farrago galimatias

Etymology

Literal sense

Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “grab bag”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details