southern
/ˈsʌðən/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈʌðɚn] /ˈsʌðərn/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈʌðɚn] /ˈsə-t͟hərn/ (ame, mw)
southern — adjective
- southernpositive
- more southerncomparative
- most southernsuperlative
1. describes a place, area, or direction that is located in, faces toward, or comes
describes a place, area, or direction that is located in, faces toward, or comes from the south side of a country, region, or other area.
Christopher's family moved from the northern city to a southern coastal town.
contrastive use: from northern to southern
The southern entrance to the park is closed for repairs this week.
attributive: southern entrance
Yasmin painted her room in warm colours that suit its southern exposure.
Nikos prefers travelling along the southern route because the views are stunning.
The southern part of the country receives very little rain during summer.
- south
used as an adjective mainly in fixed geographical labels (the south coast, the south side); less common in everyday description
- southerly
more formal and often used for wind direction or in weather reports; can sound technical in casual conversation
- southward
focuses on movement towards the south rather than location or origin
- northern
the opposite directional pole — refers to the north side of an area
文法句型
southern + noun
be + southern
用法筆記
Southern is often capitalised when it is part of a recognised place name, such as Southern California or the Southern Hemisphere. Use a lowercase s for general directional descriptions.
常見錯誤
2. relates to wind, air, or weather that originates in the south and moves northwar
relates to wind, air, or weather that originates in the south and moves northward — most often found before nouns like wind, breeze, or storm.
A southern wind brought warm air from the desert across the valley.
collocation: southern wind
The sailors welcomed the southern breeze after days of still weather.
collocation: southern breeze
Omar closed the window when the southern storm began to blow fiercely.
Camille could smell rain in the warm southern air that arrived that morning.
The southern wind faded by evening, leaving behind a clear and calm night.
- southerly
preferred in predicative position (the wind is southerly) and common in formal weather reports
- northern
refers to wind or air coming from the north
文法句型
southern + wind / breeze / air / storm
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used before weather-related nouns such as wind, breeze, air, or storm. It rarely appears predicatively (avoid 'the wind is southern' — use southerly instead).