aspect

aspect — noun

1. any single feature, side, or angle that you can pick out when looking at a wider

1.名詞B2
釋義

any single feature, side, or angle that you can pick out when looking at a wider topic, problem, or situation, with other features still left to consider.

例句

Cost is just one aspect of the problem; we also need to think about safety.

aspect of + abstract noun

Mei loves every aspect of her new job, especially leading the morning team meeting.

every aspect of + noun

同義詞
  • feature

    more concrete and visible; an aspect can be invisible or abstract

  • facet

    stresses one of many sides of a complex topic; slightly more formal

  • side

    informal everyday equivalent, often used for opposing points of view

  • element

    suggests a building block of something, while aspect suggests a viewpoint on it

文法句型

aspect of + noun

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'of' plus an abstract or general noun (a problem, a job, life, the plan). Common modifiers: every, many, different, important, key, financial, social.

常見錯誤

❌I like every aspect about my job.
✅I like every aspect of my job.
💡'aspect' takes the preposition 'of', not 'about'.
❌There are many aspects in this problem.
✅There are many aspects to this problem.
💡when describing what a problem contains, use 'aspects to', not 'aspects in'.

2. with reference to a building, room, window, or sloping plot, the compass directi

2.名詞C1
釋義

with reference to a building, room, window, or sloping plot, the compass direction it points toward, together with the view or sunlight that comes from facing that way.

例句

Our farmhouse has a southern aspect, so the kitchen stays warm all winter.

have a [direction] aspect

Mr. Hayes chose the flat for its eastern aspect and morning sunlight.

eastern / western aspect

同義詞
  • exposure

    common in gardening for how much sun a plot gets

  • outlook

    stresses the view from the window rather than the compass direction

  • orientation

    more technical; used in architecture and design

文法句型

have a + adjective + aspect

用法筆記

Mainly British and used in property listings, architecture, and gardening. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is always physical (a building, room, or piece of land) and pairs with a compass direction (north, south, east, west).

常見錯誤

❌The window has a aspect to the south.
✅The window has a southern aspect.
💡use the directional adjective (northern, southern, eastern, western) before 'aspect'.

3. the way a place, a scene, or a person's face looks to someone, especially the fe

3.名詞C2
釋義

the way a place, a scene, or a person's face looks to someone, especially the feeling or mood it gives off — often used in writing about a serious or unusual atmosphere.

例句

By moonlight the abandoned village took on a ghostly aspect.

take on + adjective + aspect

The judge wore a stern aspect as she read out the sentence.

wear a + adjective + aspect

同義詞
  • appearance

    much more general and everyday; aspect adds a literary tone

  • demeanour

    focuses on how someone behaves, not just looks

  • countenance

    limited to the human face; even more formal

文法句型

a/an + adjective + aspect

用法筆記

Literary or formal; rarely used in everyday speech. Frequently appears in fiction with verbs 'take on', 'wear', 'have', and is shaped by an evaluative adjective (stern, gloomy, kindly, ghostly).

常見錯誤

❌She had angry aspect when I told her the news.
✅She had an angry aspect when I told her the news.
💡this singular 'aspect' needs an article ('an'/'a') before the adjective.

4. in grammar, the part of a verb's form that tells you how the speaker views the a

4.名詞C2
釋義

in grammar, the part of a verb's form that tells you how the speaker views the action over time — for example, whether it is finished, still going on, or repeated rather than when it happened.

例句

English has two main aspects: the progressive 'is running' and the perfect 'has run'.

progressive / perfect aspect

Russian verbs mark aspect to show whether an action is complete or still in progress.

mark aspect

文法句型

progressive / perfect aspect

用法筆記

Specialised term in linguistics and language teaching. Almost always paired with 'tense' or with a specific type (progressive aspect, perfect aspect, perfective aspect, imperfective aspect).

5. used in 'aspect ratio' to talk about how wide a picture is compared to how tall

5.名詞C1
釋義

used in 'aspect ratio' to talk about how wide a picture is compared to how tall it is, on a TV, cinema screen, phone, or computer monitor.

例句

Most modern televisions have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

aspect ratio of X:Y

Old films had a 4:3 aspect ratio, which looks square on today's screens.

4:3 aspect ratio

同義詞
  • ratio

    broader term; needs context to mean width-to-height

  • format

    covers shape and resolution together, used in film and broadcasting

文法句型

aspect ratio

用法筆記

Almost always appears as the fixed phrase 'aspect ratio'. Numbers are read with a colon: 16:9 = 'sixteen by nine' or 'sixteen to nine'.

常見錯誤

❌The screen has an aspect of 16:9.
✅The screen has an aspect ratio of 16:9.
💡the noun 'aspect' alone does not name the width-to-height number; you need the full phrase 'aspect ratio'.