Mine v. Quarry
2022-08-06
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Yusuf about the difference between "mine" and "quarry."
2Hi VOA learning team,
3Would you please help me to understand the difference between "quarry" and "mine?"
4Thanks, Yusuf
5Dear Yusuf,
6This is a great question! Thank you for asking it!
7Both "mine" and "quarry" can be used as nouns and verbs.
8Their meanings are related but are different in important ways. Let us start with the word "mine."
9As a noun, a "mine" is a hole dug underground to recover minerals and other valuable substances from the earth. For example,
10Recently, a large pink diamond was found in a mine in the African country of Angola.
11"Mine" as a noun has another meaning.
12A mine is a bomb that is hidden underground as a defensive weapon.
13These land mines cause many deaths, even long after a war is over.
14Large pouch rats in Africa are trained to find land mines by using their sense of smell.
15A floating mine can also be put in the sea as a weapon against ships.
16A "mine" can also be any large supply of a resource.
17For example:
18There is a mine of information on the internet.
19"Mine" can also be a verb.
20"To mine" means to dig useful or valuable substances out of the earth.
21Americans went west to California in the mid-1800s to mine for gold.
22This is called the California Gold Rush.
23A "quarry," like a mine, is a place where valuable minerals or rocks are recovered, but it is open on the earth's surface rather than underground.
24Rocks, sand and minerals are removed from quarries.
25Big pieces of stone like limestone and granite and some minerals are removed from quarries as building materials.
26The Ancient Egyptians cut huge blocks of limestone and granite from quarries to build the Great Pyramids.
27The noun "quarry" has another meaning. It can be an animal or even a person that is hunted.
28The dogs chased their quarry through the field.
29"Quarry" as a verb can mean to take or dig from.
30There are many sites in the United States where you can quarry for fossils.
31The use of "quarry" and "mine" is sometimes linked to the kind of mineral being recovered.
32So, limestone is almost always quarried while diamonds are usually mined.
33So, a "mine" is a hole underground that is used to remove minerals and valuable substances from the earth.
34A "quarry" is like a mine but is on the surface of the earth and usually is used to remove large pieces of stone, sand or minerals.
35It can also be something that is hunted or sought after.
36Both "quarry" and "mine," as verbs, mean to dig something out of the earth.
37Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Yusuf!
38What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
39And that's Ask a Teacher.
40I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Yusuf about the difference between "mine" and "quarry." 2Question: 3Hi VOA learning team, 4Would you please help me to understand the difference between "quarry" and "mine?" 5Thanks, Yusuf 6Answer: 7Dear Yusuf, 8This is a great question! Thank you for asking it! 9Both "mine" and "quarry" can be used as nouns and verbs. Their meanings are related but are different in important ways. Let us start with the word "mine." 10Mine 11As a noun, a "mine" is a hole dug underground to recover minerals and other valuable substances from the earth. For example, 12Recently, a large pink diamond was found in a mine in the African country of Angola. 13"Mine" as a noun has another meaning. 14A mine is a bomb that is hidden underground as a defensive weapon. These land mines cause many deaths, even long after a war is over. 15Large pouch rats in Africa are trained to find land mines by using their sense of smell. 16A floating mine can also be put in the sea as a weapon against ships. 17A "mine" can also be any large supply of a resource. For example: 18There is a mine of information on the internet. 19"Mine" can also be a verb. "To mine" means to dig useful or valuable substances out of the earth. 20Americans went west to California in the mid-1800s to mine for gold. This is called the California Gold Rush. 21Quarry 22A "quarry," like a mine, is a place where valuable minerals or rocks are recovered, but it is open on the earth's surface rather than underground. Rocks, sand and minerals are removed from quarries. Big pieces of stone like limestone and granite and some minerals are removed from quarries as building materials. 23The Ancient Egyptians cut huge blocks of limestone and granite from quarries to build the Great Pyramids. 24The noun "quarry" has another meaning. It can be an animal or even a person that is hunted. 25The dogs chased their quarry through the field. 26"Quarry" as a verb can mean to take or dig from. 27There are many sites in the United States where you can quarry for fossils. 28The use of "quarry" and "mine" is sometimes linked to the kind of mineral being recovered. So, limestone is almost always quarried while diamonds are usually mined. 29Summary 30So, a "mine" is a hole underground that is used to remove minerals and valuable substances from the earth. A "quarry" is like a mine but is on the surface of the earth and usually is used to remove large pieces of stone, sand or minerals. It can also be something that is hunted or sought after. 31Both "quarry" and "mine," as verbs, mean to dig something out of the earth. 32Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Yusuf! 33What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 34And that's Ask a Teacher. 35I'm Faith Pirlo. 36Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 37________________________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39pouch - n. a pocket of folded skin especially for carrying the young (as on the abdomen of a kangaroo) or for carrying food (as in the cheek of a hamster) 40idiom - n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own 41fossil - n. the remains of ancient life forms that have mineralized and turned to stone 42________________________________________________________________________ 43Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 44Each 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.