foster
foster — verb
1. to take a child or animal into your home and look after them for a limited perio
to take a child or animal into your home and look after them for a limited period, without becoming their legal parent or permanent owner.
Hyun and his wife decided to foster a teenage girl from the local agency.
foster + direct object (child placed by agency)
The shelter asked Karim if he could foster the injured puppy for a few weeks.
foster + direct object (animal); time-bound
Imani was fostered by the same family from age four until she turned eighteen.
Families who foster receive monthly payments to cover food, clothing, and school supplies.
- take in
less formal, can also mean offering shelter to anyone (not just children or animals)
- look after
broader meaning — can refer to any care situation, not limited to non-legal arrangements
- adopt
permanent legal parenthood rather than temporary care
文法句型
foster + noun phrase (child or animal)
be fostered + by + agent
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive ('The child was fostered by neighbours'). Unlike 'adopt', fostering is always temporary — the biological parents retain legal rights. The verb can also refer to animals when shelters need short-term homes before permanent adoption.
常見錯誤
2. to help something develop or grow over time, such as a skill, feeling, relations
to help something develop or grow over time, such as a skill, feeling, relationship, or idea.
The school's music programme helped foster a love of singing in young students.
foster + abstract noun phrase (love of singing)
Regular team meetings can foster better communication between different departments.
The charity works to foster understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds.
Sahil's parents tried to foster his interest in science by taking him to museums.
- stifle
to stop something from developing
- discourage
to make someone less likely to do something
文法句型
foster + noun phrase (abstract concept such as relationship, development, understanding)
用法筆記
The object is almost always an abstract noun — feelings, attitudes, skills, or relationships. It is rarely used with concrete nouns such as 'a business' or 'a plant'. Compare with 'cultivate', which can be used for plants as well as abstract qualities.
常見錯誤
foster — adjective
1. relating to a system where a child or animal temporarily lives with adults who a
relating to a system where a child or animal temporarily lives with adults who are not their biological or legal parents.
Dewi's foster mother picked her up from school every afternoon.
foster + mother (relationship noun)
The rescue centre is looking for foster homes for the abandoned kittens.
foster + homes (place noun)
Christopher felt grateful to his foster parents for supporting his education.
Paul spent three years in foster care before being adopted at the age of seven.
- biological
related by blood, as in 'biological parent'
- adoptive
related by legal adoption, usually permanent
文法句型
foster + noun (parent, child, home, family, care)
用法筆記
Always placed directly before a noun — you cannot say 'The parents are foster' without a following noun. Common combinations include 'foster parent', 'foster child', 'foster family', 'foster home', and 'foster care'. The adjective can refer to both children and animals.
常見錯誤
foster — noun
1. Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864), an American songwriter who wrote popular son
Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864), an American songwriter who wrote popular songs such as 'Oh! Susanna', 'Camptown Races', and 'Beautiful Dreamer', many of which are still known today.
Stephen Foster wrote over two hundred songs before his death at the age of thirty-seven.
proper noun (songwriter); fact about output
Many schoolchildren in the United States still sing Stephen Foster's songs in music class.
The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in Florida offers tours of his former home.
Biographers note that Stephen Foster's melodies drew from both European and African musical traditions.
用法筆記
Often referred to as 'the father of American music' because his songs became widely popular during the 19th century and helped shape American popular songwriting.
2. William Z(ebulon) Foster (1881–1961), an American Communist Party leader and lab
William Z(ebulon) Foster (1881–1961), an American Communist Party leader and labour organiser who ran for president several times.
William Z. Foster led the Communist Party USA from the 1920s through the 1950s.
proper noun (political leader); role + time span
Foster first became active in labour unions while working in the railroad industry.
During the 1930s Foster helped organise strikes among steel and coal workers.
Foster's writings on labour politics influenced left-wing activism for several decades.
用法筆記
The middle initial 'Z.' stands for 'Zebulon'. Foster was a prominent figure in American labour movements and was imprisoned under the Smith Act for his political activism.