Water is the most common liquid on earth. It has no smell, taste, or noticable colour. Lakes, oceans, and rivers are made of water. Rain is water that falls from clouds in the sky. If water becomes very cold, it freezes and becomes ice. Frozen rain can be ice or snow. If water becomes very hot, it boils and becomes steam.

Plants and animals (including people) must drink water to live, because water helps do many things inside living bodies. For example, water is a major part of sweat, blood, saliva, and urine. Sweat helps prevent the body from becoming too hot. Blood carries nutrients from the stomach to all parts of the body to keep the body alive. Saliva helps animals and people digest food. Urine helps remove harmful chemicals from the body.

Water is the main component of drinks -- for example, milk, juice, and wine. Each type of drink also contains other things that add flavor or nutrients -- for example, sugar, fruit, and sometimes alcohol. Water that a person can drink is called "potable" (or "drinking") water. The water in oceans is salt water, but lakes and rivers usually have fresh water.

Water is also important to living cells because it can dissolve many substances. Therefore, it gives a medium for chemical reactions to take place, and carries the substances around the body in blood. It helps to keep the body temperature unchanging by sweat from the skin. Water also dilutes waste products and poisonous substances in the body. It helps in the formation of urine.

Water is a molecule made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. Its formula is H₂O.

Water has a surface tension. Thus a little water tends to form drops on a surface, rather than spreading out to wet the surface.

There are many things with "water" in their names. Here are some examples:

• A water biscuit is a hard biscuit made from flour and water.
• A watercourse is a passage where water flows.
• A water ice is a kind of frozen dessert.
• A watering can is a container used to pour water on garden plants.

See also

• Waterway

Other websites

• A web site about helping everyone drink clean water

chemistry | geography | materials | Basic English 850 words

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