You use "stormy sea" as a noun phrase to describe the ocean during a storm, characterized by rough waves, strong winds, and often dark, turbulent conditions.
Understanding how to use the phrase stormy sea is straightforward once you see it in context. It functions like any other descriptive noun phrase referring to a body of water under specific conditions.
Meaning and Usage
The phrase stormy sea literally means the sea when it is experiencing a storm. It evokes imagery of powerful waves and challenging navigation conditions. Based on common usage and the provided references, it can be used in several ways:
- To describe the environment or setting where something is happening.
- To portray a scene in art or literature.
- Figuratively, to represent a difficult or tumultuous situation or relationship.
Examples from References
Here are specific examples demonstrating the use of stormy sea, taken directly from the provided information:
- The boat is certainly being tossed about on a very stormy sea. (Describes the environment impacting an object)
- A new ship can break down and drift helplessly in a stormy sea. (Describes a dangerous environment)
- There is a deep and stormy sea between those two lovely islands. (Used somewhat figuratively to represent a significant barrier or difficulty)
- The painting depicts a stormy sea on a winter day. (Used as the subject of an artistic representation)
These examples show that stormy sea can be the location, the cause of difficulty, a metaphorical barrier, or the subject being observed or created.
Usage Tips
When using stormy sea in your own writing, consider:
- Context: Are you describing a real weather event, a setting in a story, or using it metaphorically?
- Intensity: You can modify it with adverbs like "very" or adjectives like "deep" to emphasize the degree of turbulence or separation.
- Impact: What is happening because of the stormy sea? (e.g., a boat is tossed, a ship drifts, travel is difficult).
Using stormy sea effectively helps paint a vivid picture of challenging or dramatic maritime conditions.
