earth
We live on the planet Earth.
- How long have human beings been on Earth?
- The earth provides an abundance of natural resources.
- Someday human beings will disappear from the face of the earth.
From high above the Earth, you can see light coming from the areas where people are living.
a. Earth = a planet
Earth is between Venus and Mars. It’s the third planet from the sun. The word “Earth” is capitalized when used as a proper noun that refers to the name of the planet.
- We live on the planet Earth.
- It would take several months to travel between Earth and Mars.
- We need to protect the Earth because it’s the only planet we can live on.
- Life on Earth is pretty good.
When referring to our planet as a place that has geographical features, don’t capitalize the word.
- The earth below my feet is millions of years old.
- Native Americans have great reverence for the earth, the moon, the sky, the sun, and the oceans.
- You can feel the earth shake during an earthquake.
a. Earth = a planet
- Viewed from a distance, the Earth looks mostly blue because of all the water on it.
- Earth is a water planet.
b. earth = soil
You can refer to soil on which planets grow as earth or the earth.
- That machine can move enormous amounts of earth.
- In the springtime during the rainy season, you can smell the wet earth.
- The color of the earth is red in places that have high amounts of iron.
- There are many interesting object that are buried in the earth.
- Skyscrapers are anchored by pylons that go deep below the earth.
b. earth = soil
- The color of the earth here is brown.
- It feels good to dig in the earth with a shovel.
- This machine can move a lot of earth.
c. expressions
Here are some popular expressions that include the word “earth.”
- What on earth is he doing? (This expresses surprise or shock regarding a person or a situation.)
- The people who live in this state are very down-to-earth. (down to earth = genuine; authentic; not fake)
- I would go to the end of the earth to help my kids. (go to the ends of the earth = do anything possible for an important reason)
- Dolly Parton was loved by so many people because she was the salt of the earth. (salt of the earth = a good, very common person. This is similar to “down to earth.”)
- An extinct species is an animal, plant, or insect that has disappeared from the face of the earth. (the face of the earth = the present reality on the Earth)
c. expressions
- Dolly Parton was a very down-to-earth entertainer. Everyone loved her.
- If we don’t do anything to protect polar bear habitat, the species might disappear from the face of the earth.