tales

IPA/teɪl/
KK[tˈelz]IPA/teɪl/

tales — noun

  • talessingular
  • talesesplural

1. a story about imaginary or exciting events, often one that is exaggerated or har

1.名詞B1
釋義

a story about imaginary or exciting events, often one that is exaggerated or hard to prove true. These can be folk stories passed down through generations, personal accounts of unusual experiences, or fictional narratives.

例句

Grandpa Joon told us a wild tale about wrestling a bear in the mountains when he was young.

tell + tale + about + [event]

The children gathered around the campfire, eager to hear Amira's spooky tale of the haunted lighthouse.

hear + tale + of + [topic]

同義詞
  • story

    the most general term; 'tale' often sounds slightly more traditional or folkloric

  • narrative

    more formal; describes the structure or telling of events rather than the content itself

  • account

    emphasises a factual or first-person report; less fictional than 'tale'

  • yarn

    informal; suggests a long, entertaining, and possibly exaggerated story

反義詞
  • fact

    a statement that can be proven true, unlike a tale which may be invented

文法句型

tale + about + [topic]

tale + of + [event/subject]

用法筆記

The singular form 'tale' is more common, but 'tales' is used when referring to multiple stories or a collection of stories. Frequently appears in compound nouns such as 'fairy tale', 'folk tale', and 'cautionary tale'.

常見錯誤

❌I read a tales before bed.
✅I read a tale before bed.
💡'tale' is the singular; use 'tales' only for multiple stories.
❌He told me a history about his trip.
✅He told me a tale about his trip.
💡'history' means recorded past events; 'tale' means a story that may be partly invented.

2. a spoken statement that is not true, told to deceive someone, especially about s

2.名詞B1
釋義

a spoken statement that is not true, told to deceive someone, especially about something minor or unimportant. Often used of children's fibs or harmless deception rather than serious fraud.

例句

Camille told a tale about missing the bus, but her friends had seen her playing basketball in the park.

told a tale about [false excuse]

Stop telling tales, Anjali — we all saw what actually happened at the party.

stop telling tales (warning against lying)

同義詞
  • lie

    stronger and more direct than 'tale'; always carries negative moral judgement

  • fib

    more childish or playful; means a small, trivial lie, closest in spirit to this sense of 'tale'

  • falsehood

    more formal and neutral than 'tale' or 'lie'

反義詞
  • truth

    a factually correct statement, the opposite of a false tale

文法句型

tale + about + [false claim]

tell tales (idiom)

用法筆記

Sense 2 is most commonly used in the expression 'tell tales' (meaning 'tell lies'). It often appears in warnings to children ('Don't tell tales!') or in informal contexts where the falsehood is relatively harmless. Distinguish from Sense 1: in Sense 1, the speaker may believe or want the listener to believe the story; in Sense 2, the statement is deliberately false.

常見錯誤

❌That novel is a tale about a detective.' (when meaning fiction)
✅That novel is a tale about a detective.
💡this IS correct for Sense 1. For Sense 2, the statement must be a deliberate lie, not a fictional story.
❌He told tales' is always negative.
✅He told tales' could mean either he told stories (Sense 1, positive or neutral) or he told lies (Sense 2, negative). Context determines the meaning.