parents
parents — noun
1. a person's mother and father considered together as the people who raised or car
a person's mother and father considered together as the people who raised or care for them; a mother, father, or legal guardian who looks after a child
Mei-Lin's parents drove her to school every morning before heading to work.
possessive determiner + parents: her/their/my parents
The school sent a letter home to all parents about the new uniform policy.
After the typhoon, many parents held their children close and stayed indoors together.
Becoming parents themselves made Theo and Amara appreciate everything their own families had done for them.
Ravi visits his parents every Sunday and helps them with the garden.
- mother and father
the literal combination naming both individuals
- guardian
formal term for someone legally responsible for a child, not necessarily a biological parent
- caregiver
focuses on the person providing daily care, not necessarily a relative
- folk
informal; used in phrases like 'my folks' to mean parents
文法句型
my/her/his/their + parents
the + parents
parents of + noun
用法筆記
In most contexts, 'parents' refers to both the mother and the father. For just one, use the singular 'parent' or specify 'mother' or 'father'.
常見錯誤
2. a corporation or organization that owns or controls one or more other companies,
a corporation or organization that owns or controls one or more other companies, known as subsidiaries, by holding a majority of their shares
The parent company owns three smaller businesses that sell outdoor clothing and camping gear.
Sofia's design firm was bought by a large parent company based in Singapore last spring.
bought by + parent company: indicating acquisition by a larger owner
Each local grocery store operates independently even though a parent company owns them all.
The parent company decided to close its factory in Ohio and move production to Vietnam.
- holding company
a company created specifically to own other companies, often without its own operations
- parent corporation
more formal legal term
- umbrella organization
broader, can include non-profit groups that oversee smaller groups
- subsidiary
the company owned by the parent
- affiliate
a company partially owned but not fully controlled
文法句型
the + parent + noun
parent company/group/organization of + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used as a modifier before another noun — parent company, parent organization, parent group. The owned businesses are called 'subsidiaries'.
常見錯誤
parents — verb
1. to bring up and care for a child as a mother or father does, guiding their growt
to bring up and care for a child as a mother or father does, guiding their growth, education, and emotional development
The couple learned how to parent their twins with patience and by setting clear boundaries.
learn to + parent: acquiring the skills of raising children
Many single parents work full-time while parenting their children alone at home.
The evening class taught new fathers how to parent a baby with confidence and gentle care.
Grandparents often help parent the grandchildren when both mothers and fathers are at work.
文法句型
parent + noun (child)
parent + adverb
learn to + parent
用法筆記
As a verb, 'parent' is less common in everyday speech than 'raise' or 'bring up'. It appears most often in discussions of parenting styles, courses, or advice. The noun form 'parenting' is very common for the activity.