contributed

IPA/kənˈtrɪb.juːt/
KK[kəntrˈɪbjutɪd]IPA/kənˈtrɪb.juːt/

contributed — verb

  • contributedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • contributeds3rd person singular
  • contributeding-ing form
  • contributededpast simple

1. to offer money, supplies, or your own time and energy to a shared project or cau

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to offer money, supplies, or your own time and energy to a shared project or cause that you and other people want to support together.

例句

Rachel contributed $50 to the school's book drive last week.

contribute + [amount] + to + [cause] for donating

Nala contributed her time by helping at the weekend shelter.

collocation: contribute + time / money / effort

同義詞
  • donate

    more specific to money or goods given to charity; less used for time or ideas

  • give

    more general; 'contribute' implies joining others in a shared effort

  • provide

    focuses on supplying what is needed, without the sense of shared group action

反義詞
  • withhold

    to deliberately not give something when others expect it

文法句型

contribute + something (money / time / effort)

contribute + to + something

用法筆記

Can be used either with a direct object (contribute money) or without one followed by to (contribute to a fund). The object is typically something the giver can share — money, time, ideas, effort, or supplies.

常見錯誤

❌She contributed money for the team.
✅She contributed money to the team.
💡Use 'to', not 'for', when introducing the recipient.
❌He contributed donating clothes.
✅He contributed clothes to the donation drive.
💡The verb 'contribute' already includes the idea of giving; don't add another giving verb like 'donate'.

2. to supply written work — like news stories, photographs, or opinion pieces — tha

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to supply written work — like news stories, photographs, or opinion pieces — that is published in a newspaper, magazine, book, or online site.

例句

Bao contributes a weekly cooking column to the local newspaper.

contribute + something + to + [publication]

Yan has contributed several short stories to an online literary magazine.

perfect tense: has contributed + stories + to + [publication]

同義詞
  • write

    more general; 'contribute' adds the sense of supplying material for a specific publication

  • submit

    focuses on sending material for consideration; 'contribute' implies it was accepted and published

  • supply

    more formal; used especially for photographs or illustrations

文法句型

contribute + something (an article / a column) + to + [publication]

contribute + to + [publication]

用法筆記

This sense is commonly used in the passive when describing where content appears: 'The article was contributed by a guest writer.' The preposition 'to' introduces the publication, not 'for'.

常見錯誤

❌She contributed for the magazine.
✅She contributed to the magazine.
💡Use 'to', not 'for', before the publication name.
❌He contributed an article.' (when the publication is unknown)
✅He contributed an article to the school newsletter.
💡The 'to [publication]' part is usually needed to clarify the meaning.

3. to be one of the reasons that cause something to happen, especially something ne

3.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to be one of the reasons that cause something to happen, especially something negative or significant.

例句

Poor diet and lack of exercise contributed to her health problems.

contribute + to + [negative result]

The factory's waste chemicals contributed to the pollution of the nearby river.

同義詞
  • lead to

    implies a stronger, more direct causal link; 'contribute to' suggests it was one of several factors

  • play a part in

    similar meaning but more informal and conversational

  • be a factor in

    more formal; used especially in analysis or explanation of outcomes

反義詞
  • prevent

    to stop something from happening; the opposite of helping to cause it

文法句型

contribute + to + [result / situation]

用法筆記

Always intransitive — a direct object is never used. The pattern is always 'contribute to + noun', where the noun is the outcome. The subject is usually a condition, event, or factor, not a person (though person + to + result is possible in formal English).

常見錯誤

❌His laziness contributed his failure.
✅His laziness contributed to his failure.
💡This sense never takes a direct object; always use 'to'.
❌Smoking contributed causing lung cancer.
✅Smoking contributed to lung cancer.
💡Do not add a second verb after 'contribute to'; use a noun directly.