shortages

IPA/ˈʃɔː.tɪdʒ/
KK[ʃˈɔrtədʒəz]IPA/ˈʃɔːr.t̬ɪdʒ/

shortages — noun

  • shortagessingular
  • shortagesesplural

1. a situation when the amount of something that people need, such as food, water,

1.名詞B1
釋義

a situation when the amount of something that people need, such as food, water, or housing, is smaller than what is actually wanted or required; a lack of something essential.

例句

The city faced severe water shortages after three years of very little rain.

collocation: face + shortages (+ of + noun)

Rural clinics in the area are struggling with shortages of basic medicines.

collocation: struggle with + shortages + of

同義詞
  • lack

    more general; shortage implies a specific, often measurable deficit below what is needed, while lack can simply mean 'not having any'

  • deficit

    more formal and often used in financial or statistical contexts; implies a shortfall against a target

  • scarcity

    suggests rarity or limited availability rather than a numerical deficit; often used for natural resources

  • dearth

    formal and less common; emphasises that there is far too little of something important

反義詞
  • surplus

    the opposite: more than enough of something

  • abundance

    a large quantity that is more than sufficient

  • plenty

    more informal; enough or more than enough

文法句型

shortage + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

The plural form shortages is very common when talking about widespread problems affecting many locations or multiple types of resources. The singular shortage is used for a specific instance (e.g., a shortage of teachers at one school).

常見錯誤

❌After the flood, there were shortage of clean water everywhere.
✅After the flood, there were shortages of clean water everywhere.
💡When describing a widespread situation across multiple places, use the plural form shortages.
❌We have a lack of staffs.
✅We have a shortage of staff.
💡Use shortage (not lack) for a specific, measurable deficit; staff is already plural.