tell apart

IPA/tˈɛl ɐpˈɑːt/
IPA/tˈɛl ɐpˈɑːɹt/

tell apart — phrasal verb

  • tell apartbase form
  • tells apart3rd person singular
  • telling apart-ing form
  • told apartpast simple

1. to notice how two people or things that look almost the same are not the same

1.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

to notice how two people or things that look almost the same are not the same

例句

The twins look so alike that even their teacher cannot tell them apart.

tell + [object pronoun] + apart for two similar people

Vivek tasted both wines slowly, but he still could not tell them apart.

同義詞
反義詞
  • confuse

    to wrongly think two things are the same

  • mix up

    informal; to mistake one for the other

文法句型

tell + [two things] + apart

tell [one] apart from [another]

用法筆記

Object usually sits between 'tell' and 'apart' (tell them apart); 'from' introduces the second item when naming both (tell X apart from Y). Subject is a person doing the noticing, and the two things compared are nearly identical.

常見錯誤

❌I cannot tell apart them.
✅I cannot tell them apart.
💡a pronoun object goes between 'tell' and 'apart', not after it.
❌She told the brothers apart with their faces.
✅She told the brothers apart by their faces.
💡use 'by' for the feature that helps you notice the difference.