hasten
/ˈheɪsn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈheɪsn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhā-sᵊn/ (ame, mw)
hasten — verb
- hastenpresent simple I / you / we / they
- hastenshe / she / it
- hastenedpast simple
- hastening-ing form
1. to cause an event, process, or outcome to arrive earlier than it otherwise would
to cause an event, process, or outcome to arrive earlier than it otherwise would — for example, by removing delays or applying pressure that pushes things forward.
The factory shutdown hastened the collapse of the local economy in Maeve's hometown.
hasten + abstract noun (collapse / decline)
Heavy rain hastened the spread of the mould through the wooden walls of the cottage.
hasten + the spread / growth of [thing]
Emre hoped the new medicine would hasten his grandmother's recovery from pneumonia.
Years of heavy smoking only hastened the singer's loss of her voice.
Pressure from voters hastened the resignation of the finance minister last spring.
- accelerate
more technical; common for measurable rates and physical processes.
- speed up
everyday equivalent; less formal than hasten.
- precipitate
stronger — suggests something is brought on suddenly, often something bad.
文法句型
hasten + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually an event, condition, or action — not a person. Object is typically an abstract process (recovery, decline, collapse, resignation) rather than a physical object.
常見錯誤
2. to speak or act immediately, usually because you are eager to clear up a misunde
to speak or act immediately, usually because you are eager to clear up a misunderstanding, stand up for someone, or offer reassurance before any more time slips by.
Caio hastened to apologise after he realised his joke had upset his cousin Lien.
hasten to + verb (apologise / explain / add)
Mark hastened to add that the missing files were not really lost, just renamed.
hasten to add — a common reassurance pattern
Jabari hastened to defend his sister when their uncle questioned her career choice.
The mayor hastened to explain that no public funds had been spent on the trip.
Haruto hastened to point out that the report had been written before the new rules took effect.
- hesitate
to pause before speaking or acting
文法句型
hasten to + verb
用法筆記
Almost always followed by a to-infinitive of saying (add, point out, explain, reassure, defend) or apologising. Distinguish from sense 3 (which is about physical motion) and sense 4 (which is the parenthetical clarifier 'I hasten to add').
常見錯誤
3. to travel or move to a particular place in a hurry, usually because something ur
to travel or move to a particular place in a hurry, usually because something urgent or important is waiting there. Now mainly used in literary or old-fashioned writing.
Ishaan hastened across the wet courtyard to fetch his daughter from school.
hasten + across / through / down (path adverbial)
The villagers hastened to the riverbank when they heard the bridge had collapsed.
hasten to + place noun
Eitan hastened back to the hospital as soon as the nurse called him.
The shepherd hastened down the hillside when the storm clouds began to gather.
Élise hastened through the empty corridors of the museum to lock the rear gate before midnight.
文法句型
hasten + to/towards/back/away + place
用法筆記
Mostly literary or written register — in everyday speech, learners should say 'hurry' or 'rush'. Always followed by a place adverbial (to, towards, back, down, across, through).
常見錯誤
4. used as a fixed parenthetical phrase — typically 'I hasten to add' — when the sp
used as a fixed parenthetical phrase — typically 'I hasten to add' — when the speaker wants to attach an important qualification right after a statement, so that no listener can possibly take the first part the wrong way.
I have read most of the book — though not, I hasten to add, the technical chapters at the end.
parenthetical insertion between dashes or commas
We disagreed strongly, but, I hasten to add, we remained close friends afterwards.
Iker enjoys the spotlight — not, he hastens to add, the kind that comes with bad publicity.
The novel is partly autobiographical, although, the author hastens to add, the murder scene is entirely invented.
Christopher arrived two hours late — through no fault of his own, I hasten to add — and apologised to every guest.
- must add
less formal alternative for the same hedge.
- should mention
softer; suggests politeness rather than urgency.
文法句型
I hasten to add/say/point out + that-clause
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 4 is a fixed parenthetical phrase set off by commas or dashes that softens or qualifies a preceding statement; sense 2 describes an actual rapid act of speech or action somewhere in a narrative. If the phrase can be lifted out and the sentence still makes sense, it is sense 4.