curving
curving — verb
1. (present participle of curve) bending gradually rather than continuing straight,
(present participle of curve) bending gradually rather than continuing straight, or moving along such a bending path
The mountain road kept curving sharply as Owen drove toward the village.
curving + adverb of manner (sharply, gently)
Anjali watched the river curving slowly through the rice fields below her balcony.
subject = inanimate path (road, river, line)
The kite stayed in the air for an hour, curving back and forth above the beach.
Jabari noticed the train tracks curving away from the station into the dark forest.
- bending
more general; works for sharp angles too, while curving implies a smooth gradual bend
- winding
stronger sense of repeated turns; a winding road keeps changing direction, a curving road may just turn once
- arching
suggests an upward bow shape, especially over something (a bridge arching over a river)
- straightening
opposite motion — becoming or going straight
文法句型
curving + adverbial phrase of direction
用法筆記
Subject is almost always an inanimate path, line, or surface (road, river, coastline, branch, spine). Animate subjects use 'curve' as a transitive verb instead (e.g. 'she curved her arm around the baby').
常見錯誤
curving — adjective
1. having a shape that bends smoothly without sharp corners, often used before a no
having a shape that bends smoothly without sharp corners, often used before a noun to describe the outline of something
Lan loved the curving staircase that led up to the library's reading room.
attributive use: curving + concrete noun (staircase, wall, path)
The artist drew long curving lines across the wall to suggest waves.
curving lines / curving shapes — typical with abstract patterns
Christopher sat on a curving wooden bench facing the lake at sunset.
Apinya painted a row of curving petals around the edge of the bowl.
文法句型
curving + noun (line, road, wall, staircase)
用法筆記
Used attributively before a noun far more often than after 'be'. After 'be' speakers usually say 'curved' (e.g. 'the wall is curved', not 'the wall is curving' unless the wall is bending at this moment).
常見錯誤
curving — noun
1. a shape or line that bends smoothly without any sharp corners
a shape or line that bends smoothly without any sharp corners
Tariq traced the gentle curving of the seashell with his finger.
the curving of + concrete noun
The architect designed the roof as a single long curving above the entrance hall.
a long / gentle / sharp curving
From the plane, Lucía could see the slow curving of the coastline below.
Élise sketched a wide curving across the page before adding the details.
- straight line
opposite — no bend at all
文法句型
a / the curving + of + noun phrase
draw / follow / trace a curving
用法筆記
Often interchangeable with 'curve' as a noun, but 'curving' emphasises the smooth, continuous nature of the bend rather than naming it as a fixed shape.
2. a smooth bend in part of a person's body, especially one that is seen as attract
a smooth bend in part of a person's body, especially one that is seen as attractive
The painter captured the soft curving of Eve's shoulders perfectly in the portrait.
the curving of + body part (shoulders, hip, back)
Reuben admired the gentle curving of the dancer's neck as she turned her head.
gentle / soft curving — aesthetic register
The instructor noticed the natural curving of Linh's spine while she stood at the barre.
The sculptor spent weeks carving the slow curving of the hip into the marble.
文法句型
the curving of + body part
用法筆記
Frequently appears in artistic, descriptive, or romantic writing rather than everyday speech. Often paired with adjectives like 'soft', 'gentle', or 'natural'.
3. the bent path that a ball follows after being hit, kicked, or thrown with spin
the bent path that a ball follows after being hit, kicked, or thrown with spin
Charlotte's free kick had so much curving that the goalkeeper could only watch it sail in.
have / put + a lot of curving on the ball
The coach taught Paul how to add a slight curving to every serve.
add / put + curving + to a shot
Walid hit the cricket ball with a sharp curving that fooled the batsman completely.
The pitcher's curving was so wide that the catcher had to dive to stop it.
文法句型
the curving of + ball noun
with a curving (on the ball)
用法筆記
Used across football, baseball, cricket, and tennis. In baseball the equivalent noun 'curveball' is more common; 'curving' here describes the motion rather than the pitch name.
4. in mathematics, the bending shape of a graph or the line that represents an equa
in mathematics, the bending shape of a graph or the line that represents an equation or set of data
Eli studied the steep curving of the temperature graph during the heatwave.
the curving of + graph / curve / function
The economist explained the gentle curving of the demand line to the students.
gentle / steep / sharp curving
Sari noticed an unusual curving in the data near the end of the chart.
Kwame argued that the curving of the population graph showed slower future growth.
- curve
the formal mathematical noun; curving is more descriptive of the shape's bending action
- trend line
specifically a line showing the general direction of data
文法句型
the curving of + the graph / function
用法筆記
Common in academic and scientific writing. The verb 'curves' is often used for the same idea ('the graph curves sharply'); use the noun 'curving' when treating the shape itself as the subject of discussion.
5. a way of giving marks so that grades reflect each student's score compared with
a way of giving marks so that grades reflect each student's score compared with the others, not against a fixed standard
Hamza's professor announced that the final exam would use curving to set the grades.
use curving + to set grades
Abigail argued that curving rewards weaker classes and punishes stronger ones.
curving rewards / punishes / favours [group]
The school banned curving in introductory science courses last semester.
Erik prefers fixed standards over the curving used in many graduate programs.
- grading on a curve
the everyday phrasal version; curving is the noun form
- norm-referenced grading
the technical educational term
- criterion-referenced grading
grading against fixed standards instead
文法句型
curving + of + grades / scores
on a curving
用法筆記
Mainly American academic English; UK schools rarely use this system or the term. Often appears in debates about fairness in grading. The verb form 'grading on a curve' is more common in everyday speech.