illustrations

illustrations — noun

1. drawings or printed images placed alongside written content — typically inside b

1.名詞B1
釋義

drawings or printed images placed alongside written content — typically inside books, magazines, or articles — to show what something looks like or to make the page more appealing to the reader

例句

Ilan loved the colourful illustrations in his grandmother's old fairy-tale book.

illustrations in [book]

The science textbook has clear illustrations of the human heart and lungs.

illustrations of [anatomical topic]

同義詞
  • drawings

    broader — includes any hand-drawn images, not just those inside a book

  • pictures

    everyday word; can be photos or drawings, so less specific than illustrations

  • diagrams

    technical drawings that label parts; illustrations are usually more decorative

  • artwork

    uncountable; covers paintings and illustrations together as a body of work

反義詞
  • text

    the written words on a page, contrasted with the visual content

文法句型

illustrations of [topic]

illustrations in [book/magazine]

用法筆記

Subject is typically a book, magazine, or article. Often paired with prepositions 'in', 'of', or 'for'.

常見錯誤

The book has many illustration.
The book has many illustrations.
💡illustrations is countable and takes a plural -s when there is more than one.
The illustrations from the heart are clear.
The illustrations of the heart are clear.
💡use 'of' for the subject the picture shows, not 'from'.

2. real stories, events, or facts that someone uses to make an idea easier to under

2.名詞B2
釋義

real stories, events, or facts that someone uses to make an idea easier to understand or to show that what they are saying is true

例句

Professor Tariro gave several illustrations of how rising sea levels affect coastal villages.

illustrations of how [abstract process]

The lawyer used these two court cases as clear illustrations of why the new rule is unfair.

as illustrations of [argument]

同義詞
  • examples

    more general and less formal; illustrations specifically aim to clarify or prove

  • cases

    real instances, often used in arguments; illustrations may include hypothetical scenarios too

  • demonstrations

    stronger sense of actively showing; illustrations are quieter, more incidental

文法句型

illustrations of [abstract idea]

as illustrations

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is abstract (a story or fact used to prove a point), while sense 1 is a physical picture. Often follows verbs like 'give', 'offer', 'provide', 'use'.

常見錯誤

She gave one illustration on how the law works.
She gave one illustration of how the law works.
💡use 'of', not 'on', to introduce the topic being explained.
These statistics are good example of the trend.
These statistics are good illustrations of the trend.
💡when proving or explaining a point with concrete facts, 'illustrations' is more formal and natural than 'examples'.