plastic comb

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A flat tool made of molded plastic, with a row of thin teeth, used for arranging or untangling hair.

   Grammar: Countable: say a plastic comb or plastic combs; the material word plastic stays singular before the noun.

   Patterns

   • a plastic comb
   • use a plastic comb
   • run a plastic comb through something

   She keeps a plastic comb in her school bag.

   The hotel bathroom had a small plastic comb wrapped in paper.

   He ran a plastic comb through his wet hair before the photo.

2. 2nouncountable

   Such a comb made of plastic rather than another material, often cheap and wide-toothed.

   Grammar: Often used to contrast with combs of other materials, as in a plastic comb rather than a wooden one.

   Patterns

   • a plastic comb rather than a wooden one
   • cheap plastic comb
   • wide-toothed plastic comb

   For curly hair, a wide-toothed plastic comb works better than a brush.

   These plastic combs are cheap, but the teeth snap easily.

   She swapped her metal comb for a plastic comb that would not rust.

Word forms

Common combinations

plastic comb

He bought a plastic comb at the corner shop.

a wide-toothed plastic comb

A wide-toothed plastic comb is gentler on tangles.

run a comb through your hair

She ran a plastic comb through her hair and left.

cheap plastic comb

The cheap plastic comb lost three teeth in a week.

comb your hair

Comb your hair with a plastic comb before the interview.

Synonyms and how they differ

comb

The general word for any such tool, whatever it is made of; use plastic comb only when the material matters.

hairbrush

A brush has bristles on a handle rather than a row of teeth, so it is better for thick or long hair.

Word family

comb noun

The general tool or the act of arranging hair.

comb verb

To arrange or untangle hair with a comb.

plastic noun

The light synthetic material these combs are molded from.

Commonly confused: plastic comb or brush?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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