Meaning & use
a pile
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Meanings
phrasecountable
A number of things put on top of each other in a stack.
Grammar: Countable phrase; plural is 'piles'. Often followed by 'of' + plural noun.
Patterns
- a pile of something
- piles of something
There was a pile of newspapers on the floor.
She put a pile of clean clothes on the bed.
He sorted through a pile of letters.
phrasecountable
A large amount of something, especially when it is untidy or in a heap.
Grammar: Often used with uncountable nouns: 'a pile of rubbish'. Can be used figuratively for abstract things.
Patterns
- a pile of something
- piles of something
There's a pile of laundry that needs washing.
She has piles of homework to do.
A pile of snow blocked the driveway.
phrasesingularinformal
A large amount of money (informal).
Grammar: Used in the phrase 'make a pile' meaning to earn a lot of money.
Patterns
- make a pile
He made a pile in the stock market.
She hopes to make a pile from her new business.
Word forms
| plural | piles |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pile of books
- She left a pile of books on the table.
- a pile of laundry
- He ignored the pile of laundry in the corner.
- a pile of rubbish
- The workers cleared a pile of rubbish from the street.
- a pile of papers
- My desk is covered with a pile of papers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heap
- A heap is often untidier and less organized than a pile; a pile can be neat, but a heap is usually a messy mound.
- stack
- A stack is usually neat and arranged in an orderly way, while a pile can be neat or messy.
- mound
- A mound is a rounded mass, often of earth or soft material, not necessarily of separate objects.
Word family
- pile verb
- To put things in a pile; to stack.
- piled adjective
- Arranged in a pile or heap.
Commonly confused: a pile or pie?
a pile vs pie
A pie is a baked dish with pastry; a pile is a stack or heap. They sound similar but mean completely different things.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The phrase is 'a pile of' + plural noun. Option 1 is correct. Option 2 misses 'of'; option 3 uses singular 'book' after 'of', which is wrong for a countable noun; option 4 misses the article 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a pile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.