Family / B2

PREGN-uh-nt/ˈpreɡnənt/

Pregnant means having a baby or young animal developing inside; also full of meaning: sixteen weeks pregnant; a pregnant pause. Pregnancy is the noun; expectant is a milder twin. The health paper uses pregnant with a stated trimester. Mix-up: pregnancy; poignant. Do not use pregnant as gossip about a classmate.

Meaning

Having a baby or young animal developing inside the body; also full of meaning (a pregnant pause).

Examples

• “The health paper uses pregnant with a stated trimester, not a rumour.”
• “A pregnant pause in the speech still needs a quote, which is the meaning-full sense.”

Good to know

n weeks pregnant; get pregnant; a pregnant pause / silence. Noun: pregnancy. Trap: gossip. Biology, PSHE, and language papers. Expecting young, or charged with meaning.

Topics

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