apprentice
/əˈprentɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈprentɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈpren-təs/ (ame, mw) · /əˈpren.tɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈpren.t̬ɪs/ (ame, ipa)
apprentice — noun
- apprenticesingular
- apprenticesplural
1. a young worker who has signed on with a skilled tradesperson, craft maker, or ch
a young worker who has signed on with a skilled tradesperson, craft maker, or chef for a set number of years, doing simple jobs in exchange for hands-on training and usually a small wage.
Pim spent three years as a carpenter's apprentice in his uncle's workshop in Bangkok.
apprentice + to/at + [trade]: spell out the trade and the master
The bakery on Olive Street takes on two apprentices each spring.
verb 'take on' is the typical hiring verb for apprentices
As a young apprentice, Renata swept the floor and mixed paints all day.
Liam earns 600 euros a month as an apprentice electrician in Dublin.
Most of the country's plumbers begin their careers as apprentices at sixteen.
- master
the skilled person teaching the apprentice
- journeyman
fully qualified worker, one step above apprentice in old guild systems
文法句型
apprentice to [skilled person]
apprentice at [trade/place]
用法筆記
Frequently appears as a compound modifier on the trade itself ('apprentice chef', 'apprentice mechanic'). The preposition is 'to' for the master and 'at' for the workplace or trade.
常見錯誤
apprentice — verb
- apprenticepresent simple I / you / we / they
- apprentices3rd person singular
- apprenticing-ing form
- apprenticedpast simple
1. to formally place a young person under a master craftsman so they can learn that
to formally place a young person under a master craftsman so they can learn that trade through years of supervised work — typically said of a parent or guardian who arranges the placement.
At twelve, Eli was apprenticed to a clockmaker in the old quarter of Prague.
passive 'be apprenticed to' is the most natural form in modern English
Karim's father apprenticed him to a master tailor for a fee of two gold coins.
active: subject is the parent/guardian arranging the placement
Many poor families in Victorian London apprenticed their sons to chimney sweeps.
The orphanage apprenticed Xiu to a silk weaver when she turned thirteen.
文法句型
apprentice [someone] to [skilled person]
be apprenticed to [skilled person]
用法筆記
Almost always used in past or passive forms in modern English; the active subject is the parent, guardian, or institution placing the child, NOT the child being placed. Distinguish from sense 2 (the child working as an apprentice).
常見錯誤
2. to spend a period working as an apprentice — that is, to learn a trade or craft
to spend a period working as an apprentice — that is, to learn a trade or craft by working alongside someone who already does it well, usually for low pay and over several years.
Megan apprenticed with a violin maker in Cremona for four winters.
apprentice + with + [person]: the master is named after 'with'
After leaving school, Nila apprenticed as a goldsmith in her grandmother's shop.
apprentice + as + [trade]: name the craft directly
Soraya apprenticed under a Michelin-starred chef for two long, exhausting years.
Christopher apprenticed in carpentry from age fifteen, sleeping above the workshop.
文法句型
apprentice + with/under [skilled person]
apprentice + as + [trade]
用法筆記
Subject is the learner themselves (contrast sense 1, where the subject is a parent or institution placing the learner). Common prepositions: 'with' or 'under' for the master, 'as' for the trade, 'in' for the field.