ash

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The soft gray or black powder left after something has burned.

   Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the substance; use 'some ash' or 'a pile of ash'.

   Patterns

   • a pile of ash
   • turn to ash
   • ash from something

   After the campfire died down, only ash remained.

   Volcanic ash covered the streets after the eruption.

   She swept the ash from the fireplace into a metal bucket.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountablebiology

   A tree with pale, hard wood, or the wood from this tree.

   Grammar: Countable when referring to the tree (an ash, ashes), uncountable when referring to the wood.

   Patterns

   • an ash tree
   • made of ash
   • ash wood

   The old ash stood at the edge of the field.

   Baseball bats are traditionally made of ash.

   They planted a row of ashes along the driveway.

Word forms

Common combinations

volcanic ash

Volcanic ash can disrupt air travel for days.

turn to ash

The letter turned to ash in the fire.

ash tree

The ash tree lost its leaves early this year.

ash Wednesday

Many Christians receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Synonyms and how they differ

cinder

A cinder is a small piece of partly burned coal or wood, while ash is the fine powder that remains.

soot

Soot is a black powder produced by incomplete burning that sticks to surfaces, whereas ash is the lighter residue left after burning.

Word family

ashen adjective

Very pale, like ash; often used of a person's face.

ashtray noun

A small container for tobacco ash and cigarette ends.

Commonly confused: ash or cash?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “ash”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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