accounts
accounts — noun
1. written records that show money received, money spent, and the balance left.
written records that show money received, money spent, and the balance left.
The shop's yearly accounts showed a sharp rise in repair costs.
yearly accounts showed a cost change
Mina checked the farm accounts before paying the workers on Friday.
The charity's accounts were sent to the board at the end of March.
The hotel's accounts hid several cash payments from the summer festival.
- records
broader and not limited to money matters
- books
informal business term for financial records
- statements
usually refers to prepared reports, not the whole system of records
文法句型
keep accounts
check the accounts
company accounts
用法筆記
Usually plural in this meaning. It names a set of financial records, not the bank or online arrangements in sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. agreements that let people keep money with a bank, buy from a business, or sign
agreements that let people keep money with a bank, buy from a business, or sign in to an online service under their name.
Joaquín opened two new accounts when his design studio changed banks.
open new accounts
The twins use separate game accounts so each child keeps a saved game.
Our school gives new staff email accounts before the first training day.
Customers with business accounts can pay for office paper at the end.
- profile
focuses on the visible personal page, not the full service arrangement
- membership
stresses belonging to a group or organization
- subscription
focuses on regular payment for access
文法句型
open an account
close an account
business accounts
email accounts
用法筆記
This sense is about an ongoing arrangement with a bank, company, or online service. Distinguish it from sense 1, which is about the financial records themselves.
3. spoken or written tellings of what happened in an event or period of time.
spoken or written tellings of what happened in an event or period of time.
Witness accounts of the fire differed on when the first window broke.
witness accounts of an event
Rin wrote brief accounts of village life during her year abroad.
The museum keeps accounts from families who fled the border by boat.
News accounts of the strike ignored the long bus ride home.
文法句型
accounts of something
witness accounts
news accounts
用法筆記
Often followed by of when naming the event or period. Distinguish it from sense 4, which focuses on the reason offered rather than the full story.
4. explanations or reasons offered to show why something happened or why someone ac
explanations or reasons offered to show why something happened or why someone acted in a certain way.
Parents wanted clearer accounts for the missing lunch money after the trip.
accounts for a problem
The inquiry collected several accounts for why the alarm failed that night.
Her notes list three accounts for the sudden rise in rent on Willow Street.
The paper compares local accounts for why the road cracked again after winter.
- explanations
the broadest and most neutral option
- reasons
more direct and less formal
- justifications
often suggests defending a decision or action
文法句型
accounts for something
conflicting accounts for something
用法筆記
Often appears when different explanations are being weighed against each other. Sense 3 tells what happened; sense 4 explains why it happened.
accounts — verb
1. to give the reason for something or make it understandable by explaining it.
to give the reason for something or make it understandable by explaining it.
How do you account for the wet footprints outside the locked office?
account for + noun when asking for an explanation
No one could account for the missing cash after the school fair.
The doctor could not account for the rash on both knees.
Can science account for why some birds return to the same roof?
- explain
the closest everyday verb
- justify
often suggests defending something as acceptable
- make sense of
more informal and less compact
文法句型
account for + noun
cannot account for + noun
用法筆記
Usually followed by for. Distinguish it from sense 2, where the subject itself forms a share or cause instead of explaining one.
常見錯誤
2. to form a large or important part of a total, or to be the main cause of a resul
to form a large or important part of a total, or to be the main cause of a result.
Online orders now account for half the bakery's weekend income.
account for + share of a total
Long bus rides account for much of the driver's back pain.
These three farms account for most of the town's tomatoes each summer.
A single broken pipe accounted for the cold showers in two buildings.
文法句型
account for + percentage or part
account for + result or problem
用法筆記
The subject is the thing that makes up the share or causes the result. Distinguish it from sense 1, where someone accounts for something by explaining it.
常見錯誤
3. to be thought of or judged as a particular kind of person or thing.
to be thought of or judged as a particular kind of person or thing.
At that time, girls were seldom accounted equal partners in science.
formal passive: be accounted + noun phrase
In the village, Yara's father was accounted the best carpenter.
For many years, the river path was accounted too dangerous after dark.
Among the younger players, Lena was accounted the calmest leader.
文法句型
be accounted + adjective
be accounted + noun
用法筆記
Mostly seen in formal writing and often in the passive. Unlike sense 2, this sense is about judgment, not proportions or causes.