grains
grains — noun
- grainssingular
- grainsesplural
1. The small hard seeds produced by plants such as wheat, rice, and corn, which peo
The small hard seeds produced by plants such as wheat, rice, and corn, which people grow and eat as a basic food.
Marta buys whole grain bread from the bakery near her apartment every Sunday.
whole grain bread — common food collocation
Farmers store their grain in metal silos to keep it dry and safe from pests.
Rachid added a cup of cooked grain to the soup to make it more filling.
The government imported grain after the drought destroyed most of the local rice fields.
Yuki prefers ancient grains like quinoa and millet over regular white rice.
文法句型
grain + of + noun
用法筆記
Often used in the singular form (grain) as an uncountable mass noun to refer to the food category, e.g. 'Grain is a major export.'
常見錯誤
2. A very small hard piece of a substance such as sand, salt, or sugar.
A very small hard piece of a substance such as sand, salt, or sugar.
A single grain of sand can irritate your eye and make it water for hours.
a grain of sand — most common fixed phrase
Cyrus noticed a few grains of salt on the kitchen counter near the kettle.
The wind blew tiny grains of dust into every corner of the old wooden house.
Isabela carefully poured sugar through a sieve to break up any hard grains.
文法句型
a grain of + substance noun
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of + noun' naming the substance. The substance noun is typically uncountable, e.g. a grain of sand / salt / rice / sugar / dust.
常見錯誤
3. A very small quantity of a quality or feeling, especially truth, honesty, or sen
A very small quantity of a quality or feeling, especially truth, honesty, or sense, in a statement or situation.
There is not a single grain of truth in the rumor about the school closing.
not a grain of truth — common fixed expression
Renata's explanation had a grain of honesty, but she was still hiding the main facts.
Minh found a grain of comfort in knowing that the test results would arrive soon.
If you have a grain of sense, you will put some money aside before traveling.
- lot
a large amount, the opposite extreme
文法句型
a grain of + abstract noun
用法筆記
This sense is almost always found in the fixed pattern 'a grain of + abstract noun'. By far the most common pairing is 'a grain of truth'. Commonly used with negative structures ('not a grain of...').
常見錯誤
4. The visible pattern of tiny colored or black-and-white spots that make up a phot
The visible pattern of tiny colored or black-and-white spots that make up a photographic image, especially when the image looks rough rather than smooth.
The heavy grain in the photo made the portrait look rough and old-fashioned.
heavy grain / visible grain — common photography descriptors
Old film cameras often produce visible grain when you take pictures in dim light.
The photographer adjusted the camera settings to reduce grain and get a smoother final image.
Digital cameras create much less visible grain than traditional film cameras do.
文法句型
[high/low] grain
visible grain
用法筆記
Typically uncountable when describing the overall pattern ('this photo has too much grain'). Countable when referring to individual spots ('the grains in the negative are visible under a magnifying glass').
5. The visible lines, fibers, or layers found in materials such as wood, leather, s
The visible lines, fibers, or layers found in materials such as wood, leather, stone, or cloth.
Sven sanded the wooden table until the grain felt smooth and shone in the sunlight.
wood grain — most common material collocation
Leather with a tight grain is usually more expensive and lasts much longer.
tight grain — quality descriptor for leather
Gita chose a kitchen counter with a beautiful stone grain that matched the wall color.
The carpenter followed the grain of the wood when cutting to avoid splitting the board.
Brushing against the grain of the velvet made the fabric look patchy and worn.
文法句型
follow the grain
against the grain
the grain of + material
用法筆記
When working with wood, 'against the grain' means cutting or sanding in the opposite direction of the fibers, which tends to damage the surface. This literal meaning is also the origin of the idiom 'go against the grain'.
常見錯誤
6. An old unit for measuring weight, equal to about 0.065 grams, used for very smal
An old unit for measuring weight, equal to about 0.065 grams, used for very small amounts of medicine, precious stones, or bullets.
A single grain of the medication was enough to calm the patient's cough within minutes.
grain as a unit of weight — historical/technical measure
Jewelers sometimes use grains to measure the weight of very small diamonds.
The antique recipe for gunpowder called for exactly forty grains of powder for each shot.
Nineteenth-century pharmacists often measured ingredients in grains rather than in milligrams.
- milligram
modern metric equivalent; 1 grain = about 64.8 milligrams
文法句型
[number] + grain(s)
grain of + [substance]
用法筆記
This is an old measurement unit, now mostly replaced by grams and milligrams. You will mainly encounter it in historical documents, antique recipes, and very specialized fields like ammunition handloading.
grains — verb
- grainspresent simple I / you / we / they
- grainses3rd person singular
- grainsing-ing form
- grainsedpast simple
1. To form or change into small grains or granular pieces, either naturally or thro
To form or change into small grains or granular pieces, either naturally or through a process.
The sugar solution cooled and began to grain into tiny crystals in the pot.
grain into — intransitive use with 'into'
The factory machines grain the metal powder into uniform particles for industrial use.
grain [noun] into [form] — transitive use pattern
A machine grains the salt into a fine powder for use in commercial food production.
Honey stored for a long time can grain and turn into a thick sugary mass.
- granulate
more common and formal; the preferred term in scientific writing
- crystallize
refers specifically to forming crystals, not general granules
文法句型
grain into [form]
grain [noun]
用法筆記
This verb is quite rare in everyday speech. It is more common in technical or industrial contexts. The intransitive use (no direct object) describes a natural process; the transitive use describes an intentional action.
2. To fix something deeply into a material or into a person's character through rep
To fix something deeply into a material or into a person's character through repeated action or long experience.
The leatherworker grained the oil into the leather by rubbing it with a soft cloth for several minutes.
transitive active: grain [substance] into [material] — leatherworking context
The dark dye was so deeply ingrained in the wood that sanding could not remove it completely.
passive: be deeply ingrained in [material] — modern common form
Respect for teachers is deeply ingrained in Japanese school culture from an early age.
文法句型
be grained in/into [noun]
grain [noun] into [noun]
用法筆記
This verb sense is extremely rare in modern English. The bare verb 'grain' survives mainly in material-working contexts (leather, dye, wood). In modern English the prefixed form 'ingrained' is standard for both physical and abstract meanings ('ingrained in the wood', 'ingrained in culture'). All three examples above reflect actual documentable usage patterns.
3. To paint a surface so that it has the appearance of natural wood grain or stone
To paint a surface so that it has the appearance of natural wood grain or stone pattern.
The painter grained the metal door to look like oak, making the room feel warmer.
grain [object] to look like [material] — decorative painting pattern
Renata learned how to grain cabinets at her uncle's furniture workshop near Taipei.
Cheaper furniture is often grained by machine to imitate expensive wood patterns.
- stain
staining changes the color but does not add a false grain pattern
- faux-finish
broader term for any decorative paint technique that imitates a material
文法句型
grain [noun]
grain [noun] to look like [material]
用法筆記
This is a specialist craft term used mainly in interior decoration and furniture making. The technique is called 'graining' and is different from simply painting a surface one color.