Meaning
be owned by; be a member of
Primary Function
prepositional verb of possession/membership
Communicative Purpose
to indicate ownership or affiliation
Pattern
belong to
Core Structure
belong to
Função primária
prepositional verb of possession/membership
Propósito comunicativo
to indicate ownership or affiliation
Situações de gatilho
when describing physical possessions, memberships, categories, or identities (e.g., objects belonging to people, groups, eras)
Contextos
everyday conversation, academic writing, professional correspondence
Padrão
belong to
Estrutura central
belong to
Slots de substituição
me/the club/a different era
Colocados típicos
- feel like you belong
- who does this belong to?
Substituições comuns
- own (transitive)
- be part of
Erros comuns
using ‘belongs’ without ‘to’ (*It belongs me); rarely forming the passive voice with this construction
Similar / contraste
own, possess, be part of
Interferências
'belong to' is a state expression, not an action verb; do not confuse it with progressive forms such as ‘is belonging to’.
Família do chunk
- belongings (noun)
Nuance
clearly conveys definitive ownership or identity rather than temporary association.
Efeito pragmático
asserts clear possession and inclusion in a social/collective context.
Dica de memória
“This book belongs to Sarah.”
Nota
The verb 'belong' is always followed by the preposition 'to' and a noun phrase indicating the owner or group. It is a stative verb, meaning it describes a state rather than an action.
Upgrade path
belong to an exclusive set
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