A balloon is a small rubber bag filled with air or gas, used to decorate a party. It is also a large bag of hot air or gas that carries people through the sky: a hot-air balloon. It isn't a container for gas or spray: a metal container of gas is a gas cylinder, and a small container of paint or hairspray is a can or an aerosol.
balloon: will you get the meaning right?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the word fits the meaning and explain any mistakes.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
blow up / pop + a balloon; a hot-air balloon + ride/flight; a gas cylinder (not a gas balloon); a can of + hairspray/spray paint
- We blew up fifty balloons for my son's party, and I felt dizzy afterwards.
- In Cappadocia we got up at four in the morning to go on a hot-air balloon ride.
- The office manager decorated the meeting room with balloons for Anna's leaving party.
What changed
First versionThe cooker in our country house is connected to a gas balloon.
RevisionThe cooker in our country house is connected to a gas cylinder.
A balloon holds air or gas, so it can seem like the right word for a gas container. But in English the sentence means the cooker in the country house is connected to a party balloon. A metal container for gas is a gas cylinder.
Balloon can also be a verb meaning to grow quickly, to swell. Our costs ballooned after we moved to a bigger office means costs rose sharply after the move. It's used about prices, debts and costs.
Your turn
Don't leave that ___ of hairspray in a hot car: it could explode.
Show the answer
can — Hairspray is sold in a small metal container, which in English is a can. A balloon is a party balloon, and nobody keeps hairspray in one.
Describe a celebration or event with balloons. Say what the occasion was and what colour the balloons were.
For my grandmother's 80th birthday, we hung gold and white balloons all over her garden.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.