forty
forty — number
1. used to say that there are 40 people or things, or that an amount, age, time, sc
used to say that there are 40 people or things, or that an amount, age, time, score, or measurement is 40
Mayumi counted forty blue tiles before the pattern repeated on the wall.
forty + plural noun for counting
The bus left with forty passengers just before the heavy rain started.
Femi saved forty dollars to buy a second-hand guitar for school.
By sunset, the air was still forty degrees and hard to breathe in.
Otis has lived in Taipei for forty years and still rides everywhere.
常見錯誤
forty — noun
1. the number 40 when you mention it as a figure, page, size, or other value instea
the number 40 when you mention it as a figure, page, size, or other value instead of using it to count things
Forty is printed in red on the classroom number chart above the board.
forty used as a noun subject
Write the number forty beside the answer that matches the picture.
Joaquín guessed forty first, but the secret code turned out to be thirty-eight.
The shoe box said size forty, yet the pair fit Min perfectly.
用法筆記
This noun use often appears after words like number, page, size, room, or channel. When you are directly counting people or things, use the number sense instead: 'forty students,' not 'a forty students.'
常見錯誤
2. the years or ages from 40 to 49, especially in phrases about a person's age or a
the years or ages from 40 to 49, especially in phrases about a person's age or a decade in a century
Shirin is in her forties and has just opened her first bakery.
in + possessive + forties for age range
Faisal spent his early forties caring for his parents in Ankara.
early forties for a narrower age range
Styles from the nineteen forties returned to the fashion show this spring.
In the low forties, the lake water felt too cold for swimming.
文法句型
in + possessive + forties
the + nineteen + forties
low + forties
用法筆記
For age, use the plural form with a possessive determiner: 'in her forties.' For decades and temperature ranges, use 'the forties' or modifiers like 'early,' 'mid,' 'late,' and 'low' without a possessive.
常見錯誤
3. the score of three points in a tennis game, one point from winning that game unl
the score of three points in a tennis game, one point from winning that game unless the score becomes tied
After Élise served an ace, the scoreboard changed from thirty-all to forty.
reach forty in tennis scoring
The crowd grew quiet when Elena saved two break points to reach forty.
At forty-love, Christopher tried a drop shot and missed the line.
The game returned to deuce after both players lost a point from forty.
文法句型
reach + forty
forty-love / forty-thirty / forty-all
用法筆記
Used only in tennis scoring, often in fixed expressions such as 'forty-love,' 'forty-thirty,' and 'forty-all.' Once both sides reach forty, the score goes back to deuce instead of ending immediately.
常見錯誤
4. a bottle or can holding forty ounces of beer or a similar alcoholic drink
a bottle or can holding forty ounces of beer or a similar alcoholic drink
Eitan bought a forty at the corner shop before the baseball game.
buy a forty as an informal noun
The empty forties beside the bench showed where the group had been sitting.
A warm forty rolled under the car seat during the long drive.
The clerk refused to sell Maeve a forty without checking her ID.
- forty-ounce bottle
the full, more explicit term
文法句型
buy + a forty
drink + a forty
用法筆記
This informal American noun is short for a forty-ounce bottle or can, usually of beer or malt liquor. It is common in casual speech, but the full form is clearer in formal writing.