word-for-word

/ˌwɜːd.fəˈwɜː.d/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌwɝːd.fɚˈwɝːd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwərd-fər-ˈwərd How to pronounce word-for-word (audio)/ (ame, mw)

word-for-word — adjective

1. used to describe a version of a text or spoken statement that keeps every single

1.形容詞B2
釋義

used to describe a version of a text or spoken statement that keeps every single word of the original, without changing, omitting, or adding anything.

例句

The newspaper printed a word-for-word transcript of the prime minister's press conference.

attributive: word-for-word + transcript

Was the email a word-for-word copy of the original message or a summary?

interrogative: was it a word-for-word copy?

同義詞
  • verbatim

    more formal; common in legal and academic contexts

  • literal

    broader meaning — can refer to exact sense rather than exact wording

  • exact

    less specific; can apply to any kind of precision, not just words

反義詞
  • paraphrased

    restated in different words while keeping the meaning

  • summarised

    condensed into fewer words, omitting details

文法句型

word-for-word + noun

用法筆記

Only used before a noun (attributive position), never after a linking verb. Compare 'This is a word-for-word translation' (✓) with '*This translation is word-for-word' (✗). For the adverbial meaning after a verb, see the phrasal-verb entry below.

常見錯誤

❌He gave a word for word translation of the speech.
✅He gave a word-for-word translation of the speech.
💡When used as an adjective before a noun, the compound must be hyphenated.
❌This report is word-for-word.
✅This is a word-for-word report.
💡The adjective form cannot be used after a linking verb like 'is'; it must go directly before the noun it modifies.

word-for-word — phrasal verb