common

/'kɔmən/

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Explanation of the Word "Common"

Part of Speech: Adjective (also used as a noun)

Usage Instructions:

• Use "common" to describe things that are not special or unique but rather typical or average.
• It can also describe things that are shared by a group or community.

Examples:

1. Adjective Use:

   • Common knowledge: It is common knowledge that water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
   • Common cold: I caught a common cold and had to stay home from school.
   • Common people: The common people in that era faced many hardships.

2. Noun Use:

   • Common land: The village has a common where everyone can gather for picnics and events.

Advanced Usage:

• "Common" can also imply a lack of refinement or sophistication, often used in a negative context.
  • Example: His common manners made him seem uneducated at the formal dinner.

Word Variants:

• Commonly (adverb): In a way that is usual or typical.
  • Example: This mistake is commonly made by new learners.
• Commonness (noun): The quality of being common or ordinary.
  • Example: The commonness of the problem surprised the teacher.

Different Meanings:

1. Social Context: Referring to the general public or lower social classes (e.g., common folk).
2. Legal Context: Referring to shared rights or land within a community (e.g., common land).
3. Biological Context: Referring to species that are widely found (e.g., common species).

Synonyms:

• Usual
• Ordinary
• Average
• Typical
• Shared

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• Common ground: A shared interest or agreement between parties.
  • Example: They found common ground in their love for music.
• Common sense: Good judgment or practical knowledge that is shared by most people.
  • Example: It’s common sense to look both ways before crossing the street.

Conclusion:

The word "common" is very versatile and can be used in various contexts. It helps describe things that are ordinary, widely shared, or typical, and can also have negative connotations when discussing manners or social status.

Academic

Adjective

1. to be expected; standard
   • common decency
2. lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
   • he had coarse manners but a first-rate mind
   • behavior that branded him as common
   • an untutored and uncouth human being
   • an uncouth soldier--a real tough guy
   • appealing to the vulgar taste for violence
   • the vulgar display of the newly rich
3. of low or inferior quality or value
   • of what coarse metal ye are molded- Shakespeare
   • produced...the common cloths used by the poorer population
4. of or associated with the great masses of people
   • the common people in those days suffered greatly
   • behavior that branded him as common
   • his square plebeian nose
   • a vulgar and objectionable person
   • the unwashed masses
5. being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language
   • common parlance
   • a vernacular term
   • vernacular speakers
   • the vulgar tongue of the masses
   • the technical and vulgar names for an animal species
6. commonly encountered
   • a common (or familiar) complaint
   • the usual greeting
7. common to or shared by two or more parties
   • a common friend
   • the mutual interests of management and labor
8. having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual
   • the common man
   • a common sailor
   • the common cold
   • a common nuisance
   • followed common procedure
   • it is common knowledge that she lives alone
   • the common housefly
   • a common brand of soap
9. belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
   • for the common good
   • common lands are set aside for use by all members of a community

Noun

1. a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area
   • they went for a walk in the park

Synonyms

• coarse
• rough-cut
• uncouth
• vulgar
• plebeian
• unwashed
• vernacular
• usual
• mutual
• park
• commons
• green