Alternate for Dummies

Alternate is a word that we use when we want to talk about things that happen or appear in turns, one after the other. It's like taking turns in a game or when you wait for your turn to play on the swingset. Just like you take turns with your friends, things can also take turns or appear in a pattern, where one thing comes after another. It's like a dance where different partners take turns to lead or a song where different singers take turns to sing.

So, when we say something is alternate, it means it happens or appears in a pattern, where one thing happens or appears after another. Let's say you have two favorite flavors of ice cream - chocolate and strawberry. If you have chocolate ice cream one day and strawberry ice cream the next day, and you keep repeating this pattern, then you are eating your favorite ice creams in an alternate way.

But wait, there's more to it! Sometimes we can use the word alternate to describe something that serves as a substitute or replacement. It's like when one person is absent from school, and another student takes their place, or when you have a backup plan in case the first one doesn't work out. So, alternate can also mean acting as a substitute or standing in for something.

To sum it up, alternate means things that happen or appear one after another in a pattern or taking turns, just like in a game or a dance. And it can also mean something that serves as a substitute or replacement.