generalizations

1.名詞B2

釋義

a broad statement that treats what is true for a few people or cases as if it were true for everyone or everything

例句

The history teacher warned us to avoid sweeping generalizations about whole countries.

sweeping generalizations about [group]

Tariq's essay was full of generalizations that ignored the facts in each report.

full of generalizations

同義詞

oversimplification
a broad view that drops important detail; always negative
stereotype
a fixed, often unfair broad belief about a whole group of people
assumption
something taken as true without checking, not always so broad

反義詞

specifics
the precise details of a single case rather than a broad claim

文法句型

make generalizations about + noun

sweeping generalizations

用法筆記

Often carries a negative judgement — words like 'sweeping', 'lazy', or 'broad' commonly sit in front of it to mark the statement as too simple to trust.

常見錯誤

❌He always does generalizations about tourists.

✅He always makes generalizations about tourists.

💡the usual verb is 'make' a generalization, not 'do'.

2.名詞C1

釋義

the mental work of studying many separate facts and then drawing a single broad idea or rule from them

例句

In science class, students make generalizations after testing the same idea many times.

make generalizations after [evidence]

Mira based her generalizations on three years of notes from the same bird colony.

base generalizations on [evidence]

同義詞

induction
formal reasoning that moves from particular cases to a general rule
abstraction
pulling one shared idea out of many separate details
inference
reaching a conclusion from evidence, not always a broad one

反義詞

specification
giving exact, detailed points instead of a broad idea

文法句型

make generalizations from + noun

base generalizations on + noun

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 3: this sense names the thinking process of moving from facts to a broad idea, while sense 3 names the broad rule that the process produces.

常見錯誤

❌She made generalizations of the survey results.

✅She made generalizations from the survey results.

💡use 'from' to name the facts the idea is built on.

3.名詞B2

釋義

a wide-reaching rule or conclusion, drawn from many examples, that is meant to hold true in most cases

例句

Anjali taught the class three generalizations that hold true for almost every metal.

generalizations that hold true across [cases]

Christopher shared two simple generalizations about sleep that apply to nearly every busy adult.

generalizations apply to [broad group]

同義詞

principle
a basic rule that guides how something works or is done
rule of thumb
a rough, practical guide that works in most situations
law
a statement of what is always true under set conditions

反義詞

exception
a case that does not follow the broad rule

文法句型

generalizations about + noun

generalizations that + clause

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense treats the broad statement as a useful, well-founded rule, whereas sense 1 marks it as too simple or unfair.

常見錯誤

❌This generalization is true for all the times.

✅This generalization is true in most cases.

💡a broad rule holds 'in most cases', rarely in every single one.