portent

IPA/ˈpɔːtent/
KK[pˈɔrtɛnt]IPA/ˈpɔːrtent/

portent — noun

  • portentsingular
  • portentsplural

1. something that happens or appears, which people take as a warning that trouble o

1.名詞C1
釋義

something that happens or appears, which people take as a warning that trouble or disaster is coming

例句

Locals viewed the strange lights as a portent of the drought that followed.

portent + of + noun phrase (portent of the drought)

The sudden departure of the seabirds was seen as a portent of the coming typhoon.

passive: was seen as a portent

同義詞
  • omen

    more general term; can be good or bad, while 'portent' is almost always negative

  • sign

    less dramatic and more everyday; any indication, not necessarily ominous

  • harbinger

    more literary; can be positive ('harbinger of spring'), 'portent' is not used this way

  • warning

    implies an active alert; 'portent' is a passive sign that people must interpret

文法句型

portent + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

More formal than 'sign' or 'omen'. The word is almost always followed by 'of' when specifying what is foreshadowed. Common in literary, historical, or dramatic contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The dark clouds are a portent.
✅The dark clouds are a portent of the storm.
💡'portent' nearly always needs 'of' to say what it warns about.
❌The rainbow was a portent of good weather.
✅The rainbow was a sign of good weather.
💡'portent' is used mainly for bad or unpleasant events, not positive ones.