same
/seɪm/ (bre, ipa) · /seɪm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsām/ (ame, mw)
same — adjective
- samepositive
- samercomparative
- samestsuperlative
1. Two or more things that are the same are exactly like each other in the ways tha
Two or more things that are the same are exactly like each other in the ways that matter most, so there is very little or no difference between them.
Tamar's backpack is the same as the one Lan bought last week.
the same as + noun for comparing two items
Sophia and her brother both ordered the same dish at the restaurant.
These two chairs may look the same, but one is much older and more fragile.
Every morning, Dario wears the same grey jacket to the office.
文法句型
the same + noun
the same as + noun
用法筆記
Always used with a determiner — most commonly "the" (the same colour), but also "this", "that", "these", or "those" (that same afternoon).
常見錯誤
2. You use "same" before a noun to talk about a particular person, place, thing, or
You use "same" before a noun to talk about a particular person, place, thing, or situation that you have already mentioned — not a different one.
Rafael returned to the same village where his grandmother was born.
I cannot believe we are having the same argument again.
The same tree has stood in that courtyard for over two hundred years.
Aarav missed the train because the same delay happened yesterday.
文法句型
the same + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from IDENTICAL sense (adj/1): this sense points to ONE specific referent already known from context, while adj/1 compares TWO or more things that resemble each other. For example: 'the same doctor' (this sense) means the very doctor already mentioned, not another one; 'the same shoes' (adj/1) means shoes that look like another pair.
常見錯誤
same — pronoun
1. You use "the same" to refer to a person or thing that is exactly like another on
You use "the same" to refer to a person or thing that is exactly like another one already mentioned, without repeating the noun or verb.
Aarav won first prize, and his younger cousin also did the same.
If you make a mistake, just admit it honestly — I would do the same.
do the same = perform the same action
These two backpacks cost about the same, so pick whichever you prefer.
Henrik ordered iced tea, and Dewi asked for the same with lemon.
- the identical thing
more emphatic but less common in everyday speech
- the like
formal or literary: 'I have never seen the like.'
- the opposite
the completely different thing or action
- something else
a different item or action altogether
文法句型
the same
用法筆記
Common verbs paired with "the same" include: do, say, think, feel, cost, mean, look, sound, taste. The pronoun always requires "the" — never "a same" or bare "same" in standard English.
常見錯誤
2. A situation, condition, or quality that has not changed at all from what it was
A situation, condition, or quality that has not changed at all from what it was before.
After twenty years, the old town square still looks much the same.
Henrik's opinion on the matter has remained the same for years.
remain the same = unchanged over time
The village has changed but the people are still the same at heart.
The price of the bus ticket is the same as it was five years ago.
文法句型
the same
stay the same
remain the same
be still the same
用法筆記
Commonly follows linking verbs like "stay", "remain", "look", "feel", "be". Unlike the other pronoun senses of "same", this one emphasises continuity across time rather than similarity between items.
常見錯誤
3. You use "the same" to say that a statement or situation just mentioned is equall
You use "the same" to say that a statement or situation just mentioned is equally true for another person, thing, or context.
Living costs have risen in big cities, and the same is true in smaller towns.
the same is true of + context — for extending a statement
Online shopping has changed how people buy clothes — the same goes for books and electronics.
Teachers worry about large class sizes, and the same can be said of school nurses.
Rachid works twelve-hour night shifts, and the same applies to most nurses at this hospital.
文法句型
the same is true of
the same goes for
the same applies to
the same can be said of
用法筆記
This sense typically appears in set phrases: "the same is true of", "the same goes for", "the same applies to", "the same can be said of". These patterns are common in both writing and speech. The phrase introduces a second item that shares the property just described.
常見錯誤
4. You refer to someone as "the same" when you mean the identical person already me
You refer to someone as "the same" when you mean the identical person already mentioned, or when saying a person has not changed in character or identity.
Tariq is still the same — generous, loud, and always ready to help a friend.
be the same = unchanged in character
The woman who called this morning is the same who visited last Tuesday.
After ten years abroad, Dewi found her old classmates were still much the same.
The lawyer who defended Walid in court was the same who had handled his father's case years earlier.
- the very same
emphatic: adds emphasis that the person is not different
- the identical person
very formal; rarely used in spoken English
- someone else
a different person entirely
- a changed person
someone whose character has transformed
文法句型
the same
be the same
用法筆記
When this sense refers to a person's character, it is often used with "still" ("he's still the same") and expresses a mix of recognition and continuity. When it refers to identity ("the same who..."), it is more formal and often replaced by "the same person who" in everyday speech.
same — adverb
1. If two or more people do or think something the same, they do it or think it in
If two or more people do or think something the same, they do it or think it in an identical or very similar manner.
Élise treats all her students the same, no matter what their background is.
Sophia and her brother both think the same about moving to a new city.
think the same = share the same opinion
The two machines operate the same even though their designs are quite different.
Children learn new languages the same way adults do — through practice and exposure.
- differently
in a different manner or way
文法句型
verb + the same
用法筆記
As an adverb, "the same" follows the main verb and cannot go at the beginning of a sentence. For example: "They dress the same" — not "The same they dress." The alternative "in the same way" is more common in formal writing.