birch
/bɜːtʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /bɜːrtʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbərch/ (ame, mw) · /bɝːtʃ/ (ame, ipa)
birch — noun
- birchsingular
- birchesplural
1. a tall tree that grows in cool northern regions, with smooth bark that is often
a tall tree that grows in cool northern regions, with smooth bark that is often pale in colour and thin branches that bend easily
The birch trees behind our house turn a beautiful gold colour every autumn.
Theo planted a small birch in the garden and watered it every morning.
countable: a birch = a birch tree
In northern Russia, vast forests of birch cover the hillsides for miles.
Mei-Lin pressed a fresh birch leaf into her notebook during the nature walk.
The bark of a young birch peels off in thin, papery layers each year.
文法句型
a + birch
birch + noun (modifier)
用法筆記
Countable for an individual tree ('two birches') or uncountable for the species in general ('a hillside of birch'). When used as a modifier before another noun, keep the singular form ('birch forest', 'birch leaf').
常見錯誤
2. a historical type of punishment in which birch branches were tied together and u
a historical type of punishment in which birch branches were tied together and used to hit a person, especially in schools or courts
Fatima read that birch rods were used in European schools until the early nineteen hundreds.
the birch: refers to the punishment, not the tree
Hasan's grandfather said no one in their village saw the birch used for punishment.
Diego saw a drawing of a judge ordering the birch for a young thief.
The use of the birch was officially banned in British prisons in the mid-twentieth century.
文法句型
the + birch
receive + the birch
用法筆記
Always used with the definite article as 'the birch' when referring to this form of punishment. This sense is almost exclusively used in historical contexts describing school discipline or old legal systems. The phrase 'to get the birch' means to receive this punishment.
常見錯誤
3. the pale and fairly hard wood that comes from birch trees, often chosen for maki
the pale and fairly hard wood that comes from birch trees, often chosen for making cabinets, flooring, and kitchen items
The Wang family's kitchen table was made of solid birch and had lasted forty years.
solid birch / made of birch
Ola sanded the birch shelf until its surface felt completely smooth to the touch.
The shelves in the library were made from pale birch that brightened the whole room.
Mira bought birch chopping boards because the wood is hard but gentle on knives.
The workshop had stacks of birch planks drying in a corner near the window.
- hardwood
a broader category that includes birch, oak, maple, and other dense woods
文法句型
made of + birch
solid + birch
用法筆記
Uncountable noun — do not say 'a birch' to mean a piece of wood. Common in descriptions of modern minimalist furniture and traditional Scandinavian interior design because of its pale colour and fine grain.
常見錯誤
birch — verb
- birchpresent simple I / you / we / they
- birches3rd person singular
- birching-ing form
- birchedpast simple
1. to strike someone with a bunch of birch branches as a punishment, a practice com
to strike someone with a bunch of birch branches as a punishment, a practice common in old schools and legal systems
Dmitri recorded that the headmaster birched two boys for stealing apples from the orchard.
active voice: birched + someone + for + reason
Jun was birched for talking back to the teacher, a punishment that shocked his classmates.
passive: was birched for [offence]
School records from the eighteen-sixties show that boys were regularly birched for minor rule violations.
Ingrid found a newspaper article describing how a sailor was birched for deserting his ship.
文法句型
birch + someone
be birched
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in past tense or passive constructions describing historical events. Extremely rare in modern English except in historical writing. The active form ('birched someone') is much less common than the passive ('was birched').