mysteries

mysteries — noun

1. puzzling matters, events, or facts whose causes or true nature people have never

1.名詞B1
釋義

puzzling matters, events, or facts whose causes or true nature people have never figured out — for instance, what happened to a lost civilisation, or why an old painting was made.

例句

Kwame is fascinated by the mysteries of ancient Egyptian pyramids.

mysteries of + [topic noun]

Many of the mysteries surrounding the lost city of Atlantis remain unsolved today.

mysteries surrounding + [event/place]

同義詞
  • puzzles

    lighter, more solvable feel; mysteries are weightier and often unsolvable

  • enigmas

    more formal and literary; suggests something deeply puzzling

  • secrets

    implies hidden information that someone is keeping; mysteries are simply not understood

  • riddles

    playful or puzzle-like; mysteries are usually more serious

反義詞
  • facts

    established knowledge, the opposite of unexplained matters

  • certainties

    things known beyond doubt

文法句型

mysteries of [noun]

remain mysteries

solve the mysteries

用法筆記

Almost always plural in this sense when talking about a collection of unexplained things; the singular 'mystery' covers a single unexplained matter. Frequently followed by 'of + topic' or 'surrounding + event/place'.

常見錯誤

❌The mysteries of the universe is endless.
✅The mysteries of the universe are endless.
💡plural subject takes a plural verb.
❌Scientists want to solve a mysteries.
✅Scientists want to solve a mystery.' / 'Scientists want to solve the mysteries.
💡don't pair 'a' with the plural form.

2. novels, films, or plays where a crime — usually a murder — is investigated, and

2.名詞B1
釋義

novels, films, or plays where a crime — usually a murder — is investigated, and a clever twist at the end reveals who did it and how.

例句

Lucía spends every rainy weekend curled up with Agatha Christie mysteries.

[author] + mysteries — common collocation

Caleb prefers cosy mysteries set in small English villages over violent thrillers.

cosy / classic / murder mysteries

同義詞
  • whodunits

    informal term for mystery novels focused on identifying the culprit

  • detective stories

    broader umbrella; mysteries often centre on a crime to solve

  • crime fiction

    wider genre that includes mysteries plus thrillers and noir

文法句型

read / watch / write mysteries

murder mysteries

classic mysteries

用法筆記

Subject or object is usually a person who reads, watches, or writes them; common pre-modifiers are 'murder', 'cosy', 'classic', 'detective'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the entertainment context — a book or film, not a real-world unsolved matter.

常見錯誤

❌I love watch mysteries on TV.
✅I love watching mysteries on TV.
💡after 'love', use the -ing form or 'to + base'.
❌She wrote a mysteries novel.
✅She wrote a mystery novel.
💡when used as a modifier before another noun, use the singular form.