fertilizing

IPA/ˈfɜː.tɪ.laɪz/
KK[fˈɚtəlˌaɪzɪŋ]IPA/ˈfɝː.t̬əl.aɪz/

fertilizing — verb

  • fertilizingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • fertilizings3rd person singular
  • fertilizinging-ing form
  • fertilizingedpast simple

1. the present participle of 'fertilize' when someone is putting nutrients onto soi

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

the present participle of 'fertilize' when someone is putting nutrients onto soil, fields, or crops so the plants grow more strongly.

例句

Walid is fertilizing the tomato beds before the first spring rain arrives.

be + fertilizing + garden bed

Nadia spent Saturday fertilizing her orange trees with compost from the market.

fertilizing with + compost

同義詞
  • feeding

    a looser gardening word, often used for giving plants liquid nutrients

  • manuring

    more specific to using animal manure rather than fertilizer in general

  • enriching

    broader and more formal; can describe improving soil without naming fertilizer directly

文法句型

be + fertilizing + field/soil/plants

fertilizing + crops/garden beds

fertilizing with + compost/manure

用法筆記

The object is usually soil, land, a field, or plants being grown for food or flowers. Distinguish this sense from sense 2: here you add nutrients from outside, not sperm or pollen.

常見錯誤

❌They are fertilizing on the field.
✅They are fertilizing the field.
💡'fertilize' is transitive, so the land or crop should be the direct object.
❌The workers are fertilizing the flowers with pollen.
✅The workers are fertilizing the flowers by hand.' / 'The workers are pollinating the flowers with pollen.
💡with nutrients or manure, use this sense; with pollen, you move into sense 2.

2. the present participle of 'fertilize' when pollen or sperm is making an egg, see

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

the present participle of 'fertilize' when pollen or sperm is making an egg, seed, or flower begin the process of new life.

例句

Bees are fertilizing the squash flowers in the garden every morning.

fertilizing flowers through pollination

In the lab, Daichi is fertilizing fish eggs with a fine glass tube.

fertilizing + eggs in a lab setting

同義詞
  • pollinating

    used for plants, especially when pollen is moved to a flower

  • inseminating

    used for animals or medical settings where sperm is introduced directly

文法句型

be + fertilizing + flowers/eggs

fertilizing + by hand

fertilizing + egg with sperm

用法筆記

The object is part of a living reproductive process: an egg, flower, seed, or female animal body. Distinguish this sense from sense 1: here the action starts biological development rather than feeding soil.

常見錯誤

❌Bees fertilize to the flowers.
✅Bees fertilize the flowers.
💡the flower is the direct object, so do not add 'to'.
❌The team is fertilizing the field with pollen.
✅The team is fertilizing the field with compost.' / 'The team is pollinating the flowers with pollen.
💡pollen belongs to the reproduction sense, not the soil-feeding sense.