I. Study the sentences given below :

(a) They looked like black mountains.

(b)Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black.

(c) In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.

(d)The strange black aeroplane was there.

The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest color. But in (b) and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.

‘Black’ has a variety of meanings in different contexts. For example :

(a)‘I prefer black tea’ means ‘I prefer tea without milk’.

(b)‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is black’ means ‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is very depressing/ without hope’.

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Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.

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Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue. ....................