helping

/ˈhelpɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhelpɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhel-piŋ/ (ame, mw)

helping — noun

  • helpingsingular
  • helpingsplural

1. an amount of food served to or taken by one person during a meal, especially whe

1.名詞B1
釋義

an amount of food served to or taken by one person during a meal, especially when it is part of a shared dish rather than a pre-portioned plate.

例句

Grandma gave each child a generous helping of her famous apple pie.

generous helping of [food] — common adjective + noun collocation

Oliver asked for a second helping of rice because the curry was delicious.

second / third / another helping — ordinal quantifier pattern

同義詞
  • serving

    more formal; standard on nutrition labels and in restaurant menus. A helping is often a self-served portion from a shared dish, whereas a serving is a pre-measured or plated amount.

  • portion

    neutral and precise; used in dietary and health contexts ('a portion of vegetables'), and can be exact or estimated. Portion is less warm and less common at the dinner table than helping.

文法句型

a/an [adjective] helping of [food]

用法筆記

Commonly paired with adjectives that indicate size (generous, large, small, modest) or sequence (first, second, third, another). Unlike serving (the standard term in restaurants or on nutrition labels), helping is most at home in casual, family-style meals where food is passed around the table.

常見錯誤

❌Could I have a helping of orange juice?
✅Could I have a glass of orange juice?
💡helping refers to food, not drinks.
❌The label says one helping has 250 calories.
✅The label says one serving has 250 calories.
💡on packaged food labels, serving is the standard term, not helping.