verb / noun · informal
play
/pleɪ/PLAY
Band 6-7speakingtask2
to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation; to perform a role; (noun) activity for enjoyment
Examples
“Children need time to play every day.”
“The actor will play the lead role.”
“She has a playful manner that kids like.”
Band 8 sentence
“While play is often dismissed as mere recreation, research shows that unstructured play is crucial for children's cognitive and social development.”
Collocations
- play a role
- playful behaviour
- play with
Word family
play verb / nounplayful adjectiveplayfully adverbplayfulness nounplaywright noun
Common mistakes
He is very playful at the conference.→He behaved playfully at the conference.
She plays the teacher in theater.→She plays the teacher in the play.
Say it for a higher band
5have fun→6engage→7+play
Synonyms
engage
frolic
Easily confused
playful
“The child's playful antics made the adults laugh.”
Related words
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In -ful / -less
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