particles

particles — noun

  • particlessingular
  • particlesingular

1. a tiny bit of material, especially one you can hardly see, like dust, sand, or s

1.名詞B2
釋義

a tiny bit of material, especially one you can hardly see, like dust, sand, or smoke.

例句

Sunlight showed tiny dust particles floating above the piano.

common collocation: dust particles

Wet sand particles stuck to Imani's feet after the beach run.

同義詞
  • speck

    usually a single very small visible spot or bit

  • grain

    especially common for sand, salt, or other dry substances

  • fragment

    broader and often used for larger broken pieces

反義詞
  • chunk

    a much larger piece

  • clump

    a mass of many small pieces sticking together

用法筆記

Usually plural in everyday use and often followed by the material name, as in dust particles, sand particles, or smoke particles.

常見錯誤

❌There were many dusts on the shelf.
✅There were many dust particles on the shelf.
💡use 'particles' for countable tiny bits of a substance.

2. one of the very small units that make up matter, such as an atom, an electron, o

2.名詞C1
釋義

one of the very small units that make up matter, such as an atom, an electron, or a photon.

例句

The chart shows how charged particles move through the electric field.

physics collocation: charged particles

Scientists watched high-energy particles strike the detector after the test.

同義詞
  • unit

    a very general word and not specifically scientific

  • component

    broader; it can refer to larger parts as well

用法筆記

Used mainly in science. It often appears with words such as charged, high-energy, subatomic, or elementary.

常見錯誤

❌A particle is a small amount of sugar.
✅A particle is a basic unit of matter in science.
💡for ordinary bits of a substance, use sense 1 instead.

3. a tiny amount of a quality, feeling, or proof, often one that is barely there.

3.名詞C1
釋義

a tiny amount of a quality, feeling, or proof, often one that is barely there.

例句

There was not a particle of sympathy in the landlord's reply.

pattern: not a particle of + noun

After the storm, only a particle of hope remained in the village.

同義詞
  • trace

    often used for a very small remaining amount

  • hint

    suggests a small sign rather than a measurable amount

  • shred

    common in negative phrases such as 'not a shred of evidence'

反義詞

文法句型

not a particle of + noun

a particle of + abstract noun

用法筆記

Most common in the patterns 'not a particle of ...' and 'a particle of ...', especially with abstract nouns like hope, doubt, sympathy, or evidence.

常見錯誤

❌There were many particles of sugar in my tea.
✅There were sugar particles in my tea.
💡use sense 1 for tiny physical bits, not this abstract amount sense.

4. a small form in language that marks grammar, linking words or showing their role

4.名詞C1
釋義

a small form in language that marks grammar, linking words or showing their role, rather than carrying much meaning by itself.

例句

Our Japanese teacher spent ten minutes on the particles after each noun.

grammar teaching context: particles after nouns

Lara wrote the particles in red so beginners could spot them.

同義詞
  • marker

    a broader grammar term for a form that signals function

  • function word

    close in meaning, though not every particle is classified that way

反義詞

用法筆記

A technical grammar term, especially common when talking about Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. English learners usually meet it in textbooks, not casual speech.

常見錯誤

❌The particles are the important vocabulary words in the sentence.
✅The particles mainly show grammar relationships in the sentence.
💡particles usually mark function rather than main lexical meaning.