ground rule
46
3.1
- noun
- /ɡraʊnd ruːl/
:
regla básica
- The interviewer set ground rules for the discussion and asked for general comments on the questionnaire.
- set ground rules
- establish ground rules
- ground rules for behavior
When I teach writing, I set ground rules in my classroom.
- When I teach writing, I set ground rules in my classroom.
- So I said, right, we need to lay some ground rules down, right?
- And the first ground rule is teaching compassionate directness.
- Let's set some ground rules for the discussion.
- And so the ground rules of our society are changing remarkably.
- So what are your ground rules and try to manage your expectations meaning, oh, she's cheating on me because she hasn't called me in five hours, right?
- So you would have less need to be good at reacting because they're setting the ground rules and getting invited as a vampire.
- But no, I I always let down, lay down some ground rules and a tarpaulin because that shit gets messy.
- But the point is here is you need to set a standard of ground rules and the woman has to know business means business.
Examples
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When I teach writing, I set ground rules in my classroom.
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Tonight we're gonna have to lay down some ground rules.
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So I said, right, we need to lay some ground rules down, right?
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So with those ground rules, we'll start down here, stage left.
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So I think we should set up some ground rules, huh?
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Now then, we need to go over some ground rules.
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I thought we decided on what the ground rules were going to be here.
Fiction book (1995) -
If we're going to come to an understanding here, I think we need to establish some ground rules.
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In this phase, it is important to set ground rules to establish the relationship.
Academic text (2001) -
Before starting the group project, we should agree on some ground rules to ensure everyone is treated fairly.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An instruction or law that tells people what to do
410
3.4
A moral rule that guides what you think is right or wrong
22
2.7
An important rule or idea that forms the base for other knowledge
3
3.3
A basic idea people always follow in a particular job or activity
How Strict
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently composed from 'ground' (basis/foundation) + 'rule' (guideline), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'a basic or foundational rule.' This noun-noun composition is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English compounding patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase ground rule comes from games and sports where players drew lines or marks on the ground to show the simple rule everyone must follow. One popular story says those visible marks were the first things players 'agreed on' before play, so today ground rule means a 'basic rule' set at the start to keep things fair.