pencil sharpener

Meaning

A pencil sharpener is a tool used to make the writing point of a pencil sharp. It can be a small plastic hand tool, a mechanical wall-mounted device, or an electric machine. Students and teachers use it in classrooms to keep their pencils ready for writing or drawing.

Examples

• Excuse me, can I use the pencil sharpener before the test starts?

  Excuse me, can I use the pencil sharpener before the test starts?

• The electric pencil sharpener in the back of the classroom is really loud.

  The electric pencil sharpener in the back of the classroom is really loud.

• I need to buy a small pencil sharpener to keep in my pencil case.

  I need to buy a small pencil sharpener to keep in my pencil case.

• My pencil broke, so I walked over to the wall-mounted pencil sharpener.

  My pencil broke, so I walked over to the wall-mounted pencil sharpener.

• This cheap pencil sharpener keeps breaking the lead of my colored pencils.

  This cheap pencil sharpener keeps breaking the lead of my colored pencils.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to sharp my pencil with the pencil sharp.

  ✓ I need to sharpen my pencil with the pencil sharpener.

  'Sharp' is an adjective. The verb is 'sharpen' and the noun (the tool) is 'sharpener.'

• ✗ Where is the pencil make-sharpener?

  ✓ Where is the pencil sharpener?

  Learners sometimes try to translate directly from their native language, creating compound words that do not exist in English.

Related Expressions

Practice

• My pencil is too dull to write with, so I need to find a ___.

  💡 A tool to make your pencil point sharp.

  Show answer

  pencil sharpener

• She emptied the shavings from the ___ into the trash can.

  💡 The device that collects wood shavings when you fix your pencil.

  Show answer

  pencil sharpener