Tools, gadgets and appliances

The poem calls the sundial a device: a thing made for a purpose. It is a useful word because it does not say exactly what kind of thing.

English has a family of such words. They are not the same, and using the right one makes your writing exact.

Five words to know:

• implement: works by being moved by hand: a spade, knife, rake, hoe;
• tool: used by hand to make or repair something: a hammer, screwdriver, saw, spanner;
• equipment: a set of items needed for a purpose: a cricket bat, helmet and gloves; camping equipment; laboratory equipment;
• appliance: electrical, does work in the home: a mixer grinder, refrigerator, washing machine, iron;
• gadget: small, mechanical or electronic: a mobile phone, laptop, smart watch, torch.

Two tips:

• Equipment cannot be counted: say 'some equipment', not 'an equipment'.
• Gadgets are usually carried around; appliances usually stay in one place.

A spelling game. Change the first letter to make new words:

• nice → dice (cut into small cubes), rice, mice, vice;
• soil → boil, toil (work very hard), coil, foil.