guiding
guiding — verb
- guidingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- guidings3rd person singular
- guidinging-ing form
- guidingedpast simple
1. to patiently teach someone how to perform a tricky task by walking them through
to patiently teach someone how to perform a tricky task by walking them through each step yourself.
Faisal patiently guided his nephew through the steps of solving a Rubik's cube.
guide + someone + through + activity
The pottery teacher guided Talia in shaping her first clay bowl on the wheel.
guide + someone + in + -ing verb
Coach Ari guided the rookie pitcher through her warm-up routine before the game.
Grandma Nkechi guided the children as they kneaded dough for their first loaf of bread.
Élise was guided step by step through the safety checks before her first solo flight.
文法句型
guide + someone + through/in + activity
用法筆記
Object is typically a learner; the activity follows 'through' or 'in'. Distinguish from sense 3 (physical route-finding): this sense is about skill instruction, not movement to a place.
常見錯誤
2. to lead a group of visitors on a tour of a building, museum, or area, explaining
to lead a group of visitors on a tour of a building, museum, or area, explaining what they see along the way.
Hana guided the tourists around the old temple in Kyoto every Saturday morning.
guide + people + around + place
A retired curator named Aaron guided visitors through the modern art wing of the gallery.
guide + people + through + place
Felipe guided a school group around the chocolate factory and let them taste the warm samples.
Tour staff guided the German visitors through the cathedral's hidden underground crypt.
Ada guided a noisy class of ten-year-olds around the science museum's dinosaur hall.
- show around
more informal; casual tour by host or friend
- lead
broader — leading a group anywhere, not specifically a tour
文法句型
guide + people + around/through + place
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person whose role is showing visitors around (a guide, docent, host). Distinguish from sense 1: this is touring, not skill teaching.
3. to lead someone to a destination, or tell them exactly how to reach it, so they
to lead someone to a destination, or tell them exactly how to reach it, so they do not get lost on the way.
A friendly stranger named Kian guided the lost hikers back to the main trail before sunset.
guide + someone + back to + place
Christopher guided his blind grandmother along the slippery garden path to the front porch.
guide + someone + along + path
The rescue dog guided the firefighters straight to the trapped child inside the smoky building.
Anya used a small flashlight to guide her younger brother through the dark attic.
- mislead
to send someone the wrong way, deliberately or not
文法句型
guide + someone + to/back/along + place
用法筆記
Subject is the person (or thing) showing the route; object is the person being led. Pairs naturally with prepositions of motion: to, back to, along, through.
4. to gently hold someone by the arm, elbow, or hand, and steer them in a chosen di
to gently hold someone by the arm, elbow, or hand, and steer them in a chosen direction.
Michael took the elderly man by the elbow and guided him slowly across the icy street.
guide + someone + across + place (taking by body part)
Léa gently guided her tearful daughter by the shoulder into the doctor's waiting room.
guide + someone + by + body part
Kevin guided the nervous bride by the hand toward her father at the back of the church.
A nurse guided the dizzy patient by the arm back to her hospital bed after the test.
文法句型
guide + someone + by + body part
用法筆記
Subject usually a caregiver, host, or helper; object is someone who needs physical support (elderly, child, injured, blind). Common pattern: 'by the [arm/elbow/shoulder/hand]'.
5. to control the motion of an object — a vehicle, ball, tool, or piece of equipmen
to control the motion of an object — a vehicle, ball, tool, or piece of equipment — so it travels exactly where you want.
Esme carefully guided the heavy bookcase through the narrow doorway with her brother's help.
guide + object + through + place
Captain Nicholas guided the small fishing boat into the harbour despite the strong evening wind.
guide + vehicle + into + place
Hyun guided the threading needle steadily along the seam of his torn jacket.
Engineers in Houston guided the lunar lander gently onto the surface of the moon.
文法句型
guide + object + into/onto/along + place
用法筆記
Object is typically inanimate and requires careful direction (vehicle, tool, large item). Distinguish from sense 4 (guiding a person by body): here the object being moved is the thing, not the person.
6. if values, beliefs, or advice guide someone, they strongly shape the choices tha
if values, beliefs, or advice guide someone, they strongly shape the choices that person makes and the way they act.
Devika says her grandmother's stories still guide her choices as a young surgeon today.
[person/principle] + guide + someone's + decisions
A simple promise to be honest has guided Owen's behaviour ever since he was twelve.
Two principles guided Lotte throughout her career: tell the truth and protect the vulnerable.
Inês felt that her faith guided her through the difficult years after the war ended.
The advice of his old coach still guides Rafael whenever he faces a tough decision.
文法句型
something + guide + someone's + decisions/actions
用法筆記
Subject is typically an abstract influence (principle, belief, advice, mentor, experience); object is the person whose conduct is shaped. Distinguish from sense 1 (teach a skill) and sense 3 (lead to a place) — this is about influencing values and choices over time.
guiding — adjective
- guidingpositive
- more guidingcomparative
- most guidingsuperlative
1. (only used before a noun) acting as the most important source of advice, support
(only used before a noun) acting as the most important source of advice, support, or direction that shapes what a person or group does.
Honesty was the guiding principle of Sari's small accounting firm for over thirty years.
fixed collocation: guiding principle
After his father died, William saw his older sister Yuki as the guiding light of his life.
fixed collocation: guiding light
Nala was the guiding hand behind the village's new clean-water project.
Hassan believed kindness was the guiding force that held his family together through the war.
The teacher's gentle words became the guiding voice in Justin's head whenever he doubted himself.
文法句型
guiding + principle/light/hand/force
用法筆記
Strongly attributive — appears almost only before a small set of fixed nouns: 'guiding principle / light / hand / force / star / spirit'. Cannot follow 'be' on its own ('❌ his advice is guiding').
常見錯誤
guiding — noun
1. a book that gathers the key facts a reader needs about one subject, often for tr
a book that gathers the key facts a reader needs about one subject, often for travel, a hobby, or a practical task.
Brandon bought a small guide to the birds of Costa Rica before his trip to the cloud forest.
a guide to + topic
The cookbook is really a beginner's guide to making fresh pasta at home from scratch.
beginner's guide to + activity
Tourists in Lisbon often carry a city guide with little maps of each neighbourhood inside.
Nkechi wrote a clear guide to growing tomatoes in pots on small city balconies.
A study guide for the chemistry exam was passed around the class the night before.
文法句型
a guide to + topic
用法筆記
Commonly modified by an audience or topic noun ('beginner's guide', 'city guide', 'study guide', 'field guide'). Distinguish from sense 2 (anything that helps you decide) — this sense is a physical or digital book.
2. a fact or piece of information you can use to help you judge or decide about som
a fact or piece of information you can use to help you judge or decide about something else, when no exact answer is available.
Last year's exam questions are a useful guide to the kind of problems you might see again.
a guide to + topic for judgement
Faisal warned that online reviews are only a rough guide to the actual quality of a hotel.
a rough guide to + topic
The first hour of rehearsal is a fair guide to how the whole concert will sound.
A child's appetite alone is not always a reliable guide to their general health.
文法句型
a guide to + something
用法筆記
Often modified by an adjective showing how trustworthy the basis is: 'rough', 'rough-and-ready', 'useful', 'reliable', 'fair'. The thing being judged follows 'to'.
3. a person whose paid job is to lead visitors around a place — a museum, city, mou
a person whose paid job is to lead visitors around a place — a museum, city, mountain — and tell them about what they are seeing.
Their guide in Cairo was a cheerful man named Hassan who knew every story about the old market.
Hana works as a freelance guide, taking small groups around the temples of Nara on bicycles.
A mountain guide must know every safe path up the peak in case the weather turns bad quickly.
The museum guide spoke softly so as not to disturb the schoolchildren sketching in the next room.
Talia hired a local guide to help her find the best street food in the old quarter of Hanoi.
- tour leader
more formal; often in charge of a longer organised trip
- docent
American English; specifically a museum or gallery guide
文法句型
a tour/local/mountain guide
用法筆記
Frequently in compound form naming the place or specialism: 'tour guide', 'museum guide', 'mountain guide', 'local guide', 'fishing guide'. Pairs with verbs of leading: 'show', 'take', 'lead'.
4. someone or something whose example you follow when you decide how to behave or w
someone or something whose example you follow when you decide how to behave or what to believe in life.
After her grandfather died, Ari took his old letters as a guide for how to live honestly.
a guide for + life decisions
For young Yuki, her aunt has always been a moral guide in difficult family situations.
moral guide
Kindness toward strangers became the only guide Hassan needed during his long years abroad.
Many young writers in Buenos Aires still treat Borges as their literary guide.
- role model
specifically a person worth copying; cannot be a thing
- mentor
implies a direct teaching relationship, not just inspiration
文法句型
a guide for/to + person's actions
用法筆記
Often modified by an abstract noun showing the area of influence: 'moral guide', 'spiritual guide', 'literary guide'. Distinguish from sense 3 — there the guide is a paid tourism worker; here the guide is a personal role model.
5. in the UK, a girl aged about ten to fourteen who belongs to the Guides — an orga
in the UK, a girl aged about ten to fourteen who belongs to the Guides — an organisation that teaches young women practical skills and independence through outdoor activities.
At eleven, Esme joined the Guides and earned badges for camping and first aid that winter.
join the Guides
Every Tuesday evening, the Guides met in the village hall to plan their summer camp by the lake.
Léa was a proud Guide for three years before she became too old for the troop.
The Guides organisation works in over a hundred countries to help girls grow in confidence.
- Girl Scout
American English equivalent organisation
- Brownie
younger members (about seven to ten) before they become Guides
文法句型
a Guide; the Guides
用法筆記
Usually capitalised (Guide/Guides) when referring to the organisation or its members. The boys' equivalent in the UK is 'Scout'. American English uses 'Girl Scout' for a similar role.