CoachA non-living thing is something that is not alive. There are two kinds:
- things that were never alive: a pebble, water, the wind, a bicycle;
- things that are no longer alive or that come from living things: a dead leaf on the ground, a wooden table, a woolly pullover.
Examples
Example 1.6 (The wooden table)
A wooden table does not feed and does not grow: it is not living. But its wood once was: it comes from a tree that was born from a seed, grew for many years, and was cut down. The table is non-living — and it comes from a living thing.
Example 1.7 (What about a robot?)
A toy robot moves, makes sounds, and its light blinks like a little eye. Is it alive? Check the signs: it was built in a factory, not born; its battery is not food that makes it grow; it will never have baby robots. The robot moves, but it is not living.