remained

/rɪˈmeɪn/ (bre, ipa) · [rɪmˈend] /rɪˈmeɪn/ (ame, ipa) · [rɪmˈend] /ri-ˈmān/ (ame, mw)

remained — verb

  • remainedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • remaineds3rd person singular
  • remaineding-ing form
  • remainededpast simple

1. to continue to be in a particular place, state, or situation without changing

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to continue to be in a particular place, state, or situation without changing

例句

Kian remained at the office long after everyone else had left.

remain + at [place] + time clause

Mr. Okonkwo's bookshop remained closed throughout the holiday season after the ceiling collapsed.

同義詞
  • stay

    more common for physical locations and temporary accommodation

  • continue

    emphasises the action of going on rather than the state of staying

  • keep

    more informal; often used with adjectives in spoken English

反義詞
  • leave

    to go away from a place

  • change

    to become different rather than staying the same

文法句型

remain + adjective

remain + prepositional phrase

remain + past participle

用法筆記

Frequently used as a linking verb followed by an adjective (remain silent, remain calm). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes staying in one state or place; sense 2 describes something left over after other things have gone.

常見錯誤

❌She remained her calm despite the noise.
✅She remained calm despite the noise.
💡'remain' as a linking verb takes the adjective directly, not a noun or possessive.
❌I remained at a hotel during the trip.
✅I stayed at a hotel during the trip.
💡'stay' is the natural word for accommodation; 'remain' emphasises continuing rather than lodging.

2. to still be there after everything else has gone, been used, or been dealt with

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to still be there after everything else has gone, been used, or been dealt with

例句

After the meal, only a few pieces of bread remained on the plate.

quantity expression + remained

Several questions about the footbridge remained unanswered after the meeting with the parish council.

remain + past participle (unanswered)

同義詞
  • be left

    more informal and concrete; emphasises what survives after subtraction

  • survive

    suggests lasting through a threat, disaster, or passage of time

  • linger

    implies staying longer than expected or welcome; often for feelings or smells

反義詞
  • disappear

    to go away completely so that nothing is left

  • vanish

    to disappear suddenly and completely

文法句型

remain + past participle

there remained + noun phrase

用法筆記

Subject is often what is left after removal, destruction, or completion. Frequently used with quantity expressions ('only a few remained', 'nothing remained') or in the pattern 'there remained...'.

常見錯誤

❌There was remained nothing in the cupboard.
✅There remained nothing in the cupboard.
💡'remain' is intransitive; it is never used in the passive voice.
❌Only few breads remained.
✅Only a few pieces of bread remained.
💡'remain' in this sense typically pairs with quantity expressions for uncountable nouns.

remained — noun