Meaning & use
a candle
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A stick of wax with a string through it that burns slowly to give light.
Grammar: Countable: say one candle, two candles, or a candle. Use "light a candle" for making it burn.
Patterns
- light a candle
- blow out a candle
- a candle burns
She lit a candle and put it on the table.
The power went out, so we used a candle in the kitchen.
A candle was burning quietly on the windowsill.
nouncountable
This amount of wax and wick, thought of as a unit of soft light or of time.
Grammar: Often used with "by" to show how something is done: by candlelight, by the light of a candle.
Patterns
- by candlelight
- work by a candle
They ate dinner by candlelight.
He read the letter by a single candle.
Word forms
| plural | candles |
|---|
Common combinations
- light a candle
- Please light a candle for the birthday cake.
- blow out a candle
- The child tried to blow out every candle at once.
- a candle burns
- A candle burns more slowly in a room without wind.
- a candle flickers
- The candle flickered when the door opened.
- a candle holder
- She put the candle in a small glass candle holder.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- candlelight noun
- The soft light produced by candles.
- candlestick noun
- A holder that supports a candle.
- candlelit adjective
- Lit by candles, as in a candlelit dinner.
Commonly confused: a candle or candlelight?
a candle vs candlelight
"Candle" is the object itself; "candlelight" is the light it gives. You light a candle, but you eat by candlelight.
Practice
Which sentence uses "a candle" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"A candle" is one countable candle, so "She lit a candle" is correct. Option 2 is wrong because "to sees" is not a correct infinitive. Option 3 misses the article "a." Option 4 wrongly puts both "the" and "a" before the noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a candle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.