Meaning & use
lumps of clay
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Meanings
phraseplural
Small, solid pieces of clay, often used for making pottery or models.
Grammar: Always plural; the singular is 'a lump of clay'.
Patterns
- a lump of clay
- lumps of clay
The children shaped lumps of clay into small animals.
She bought a bag of lumps of clay for her pottery class.
The sculptor began with rough lumps of clay and slowly formed a face.
phrasepluralreligionliterary
A biblical image for people, suggesting they are formed by God like a potter shapes clay.
Grammar: Used in religious or literary contexts, often with 'like' or 'as'.
Patterns
- like lumps of clay
- as lumps of clay
In the sermon, he described humans as lumps of clay in the hands of God.
The poem compares the people to lumps of clay waiting to be shaped.
Common combinations
- shape lumps of clay
- The art teacher showed us how to shape lumps of clay into bowls.
- a lump of clay
- He rolled a lump of clay into a long snake.
- wet lumps of clay
- The wet lumps of clay stuck to her fingers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clay
- Clay is the material itself; lumps of clay refers to pieces of it.
Commonly confused: lumps of clay or lump sum?
lumps of clay vs lump sum
Lump sum means a single large payment; lumps of clay means pieces of clay.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lumps of clay' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Lumps of clay' is a plural phrase, so it takes a plural verb and is used for pieces of clay, as in option 2. Options 0 and 3 are grammatically wrong, and option 1 confuses it with 'lump sum'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lumps of clay”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.