Wood, Timber or Lumber?
2023-06-10
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "wood," "timber," and "lumber."
2Hi VOA Learning English team.
3My name is Yen, and I am from Vietnam.
4I have followed VOA (for) more than 7 years.
5Can you explain the different meanings between "wood," "lumber," and "timber?"
6I hope you (can) help (with) how to use individual word(s) in sentences also.
7Many thanks,
8Nguyen
9Thank you, Yen for writing to us and being a loyal follower all these years!
10The words "timber" and "lumber" have different meanings in American and British English.
11Let us look at what these words mean in American English.
12Wood is the hard substance that makes up trees.
13It helps with the movement of water and nutrients through the tree to the branches and leaves.
14The structure of wood is fibrous.
15There are many kinds of wood, such as hardwood from maple trees and softwood from pine trees.
16Wood is also the material used to make things like pencils or toothpicks.
17She makes bowls out of wood.
18Many children learn to write with a wooden pencil.
19In an earlier Ask a Teacher, we answered a question about the word "woods," which means a forested area.
20In the United States and Canada, "timber" can mean either wood from standing trees or wood that has just been cut but is unprocessed.
21The loggers loaded the timber onto the truck after cutting down the trees.
22Just like "a wood," the word "timber" can describe a grouping of trees or a wooded area.
23Timber often appears combined with other words like "line" and "land."
24The timberline is a high area of elevation that marks the limit for tree growth.
25Timberlands are areas of forest used especially for timber.
26When loggers are cutting down trees, they traditionally yell, "Timber!" The goal is to warn people of the falling tree.
27"Timber" as a verb means to cover or support with timber.
28We timbered the cabin with fresh logs.
29Now let us look at lumber.
30The word "lumber" in American English means wood that has been processed or cut into boards.
31You can find lumber products at the local hardware or home-and-garden store.
32Lumber, much like timber, can also be used as a verb. It can mean cutting or preparing wood to make it into lumber.
33He lumbered his own wood for his house.
34But it can also mean to move in a slow or unskilled way.
35She lumbered through the room beneath the heavy weight of her load.
36Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Nguyen.
37What questions do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
38And that's Ask a Teacher.
39I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "wood," "timber," and "lumber." 2Question: 3Hi VOA Learning English team. 4My name is Yen, and I am from Vietnam. 5I have followed VOA (for) more than 7 years. Can you explain the different meanings between "wood," "lumber," and "timber?" I hope you (can) help (with) how to use individual word(s) in sentences also. 6Many thanks, 7Nguyen 8Answer 9Thank you, Yen for writing to us and being a loyal follower all these years! 10The words "timber" and "lumber" have different meanings in American and British English. 11Let us look at what these words mean in American English. 12Wood 13Wood is the hard substance that makes up trees. It helps with the movement of water and nutrients through the tree to the branches and leaves. The structure of wood is fibrous. 14There are many kinds of wood, such as hardwood from maple trees and softwood from pine trees. 15Wood is also the material used to make things like pencils or toothpicks. 16She makes bowls out of wood. 17Many children learn to write with a wooden pencil. 18In an earlier Ask a Teacher, we answered a question about the word "woods," which means a forested area. 19Timber 20In the United States and Canada, "timber" can mean either wood from standing trees or wood that has just been cut but is unprocessed. 21The loggers loaded the timber onto the truck after cutting down the trees. 22Just like "a wood," the word "timber" can describe a grouping of trees or a wooded area. 23Timber often appears combined with other words like "line" and "land." 24The timberline is a high area of elevation that marks the limit for tree growth. 25Timberlands are areas of forest used especially for timber. 26When loggers are cutting down trees, they traditionally yell, "Timber!" The goal is to warn people of the falling tree. 27"Timber" as a verb means to cover or support with timber. 28We timbered the cabin with fresh logs. 29Now let us look at lumber. 30Lumber 31The word "lumber" in American English means wood that has been processed or cut into boards. 32You can find lumber products at the local hardware or home-and-garden store. 33Lumber, much like timber, can also be used as a verb. It can mean cutting or preparing wood to make it into lumber. 34He lumbered his own wood for his house. 35But it can also mean to move in a slow or unskilled way. 36She lumbered through the room beneath the heavy weight of her load. 37Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Nguyen. 38What questions do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 39And that's Ask a Teacher. 40I'm Faith Pirlo. 41Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 42___________________________________ 43Words in This Story 44nutrients - n. individual substances in food that humans and animals need to live and grow 45fibrous - adj. containing, made of, or resembling fibers 46elevation - n. the height of a place 47log - n. a long, heavy section of a tree that has fallen or been cut down 48hardware - n. equipment used for a particular purpose 49Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 50Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.