in the middle of
in the middle of — idiom
1. busy doing something at this moment, so that stopping or being interrupted would
busy doing something at this moment, so that stopping or being interrupted would be difficult or unwelcome.
João was in the middle of cooking dinner when the doorbell rang loudly.
in the middle of + -ing for an action already underway
Please don't call Theo now; he is in the middle of an important exam.
in the middle of + noun for an ongoing event
The plumber arrived in the middle of breakfast, so the eggs went cold.
We were in the middle of moving house, with boxes piled in every room.
Soraya hates being phoned in the middle of a meeting with her boss.
- busy with
plainer, less vivid about the action being interrupted
- in the process of
more formal; stresses a series of steps rather than a bad moment
- partway through
highlights an unfinished stage rather than current activity
- finished with
the action is over, not ongoing
- free to
available because nothing is in progress
文法句型
in the middle of + noun
in the middle of + doing something
用法筆記
Only sense that pairs with an -ing verb; the action is treated as already started and not yet finished, so it often signals a bad time to interrupt.
常見錯誤
2. at or near the centre of a place, group, or area, with other things spread out a
at or near the centre of a place, group, or area, with other things spread out all around.
Vivek built a small wooden cabin in the middle of a quiet pine forest.
in the middle of + place for a central location
A tall oak tree stands right in the middle of the village square.
'right' strengthens the sense of exact centre
Élise felt nervous standing in the middle of such a noisy, crowded market.
The old well sat in the middle of the field, far from any road.
Eitan dropped his keys somewhere in the middle of the dark parking lot.
- at the centre of
more precise about the exact middle point
- surrounded by
shifts focus to the things around rather than the central spot
- amid
formal, often literary
- at the edge of
the outer boundary, not the centre
- on the outskirts of
the far edge of a place
文法句型
in the middle of + place or group
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a physical or spatial centre and never takes an -ing verb after 'of'.