altern
altern — adjective
- alternpositive
- more alterncomparative
- most alternsuperlative
1. used to describe people, groups, or periods that follow one another in a fixed t
used to describe people, groups, or periods that follow one another in a fixed turn-by-turn order.
Layla and Christopher worked altern shifts at the clinic that winter.
altern + plural noun for people taking turns
The two choirs sang altern verses, each group answering the other.
altern + plural noun showing back-and-forth sequence
At the old mill, altern teams worked the pumps through the night.
The monks kept altern days of silence and public prayer that winter.
In the play, altern dancers crossed the hall from opposite doors.
- alternate
the normal modern word for people, groups, or periods that take turns
- alternating
common when the switching pattern continues in repeated sequence
- constant
stays the same instead of changing by turns
文法句型
altern + plural noun
altern + period noun
用法筆記
Archaic and now mostly seen in literary, historical, or highly formal writing. In present-day English, speakers usually choose alternate or alternating instead.