accounts
accounts — 名詞
1. written records that show money received, money spent, and the balance left.
帳目
收支與結餘紀錄
written records that show money received, money spent, and the balance left.
The shop's yearly accounts showed a sharp rise in repair costs.
那家店的年度帳目顯示修理費大幅上升。
yearly accounts showed a cost change
Mina checked the farm accounts before paying the workers on Friday.
Mina 在星期五發薪前先查了農場帳目。
The charity's accounts were sent to the board at the end of March.
那家慈善機構的帳目在三月底送交董事會。
The hotel's accounts hid several cash payments from the summer festival.
那家飯店的帳目藏起了夏季節慶中的幾筆現金付款。
- records
broader and not limited to money matters
- books
informal business term for financial records
- statements
usually refers to prepared reports, not the whole system of records
文法句型
keep accounts
check the accounts
company accounts
用法筆記
Usually plural in this meaning. It names a set of financial records, not the bank or online arrangements in sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. agreements that let people keep money with a bank, buy from a business, or sign
帳戶；帳號
可提款或登入的使用安排
agreements that let people keep money with a bank, buy from a business, or sign in to an online service under their name.
Joaquín opened two new accounts when his design studio changed banks.
Joaquín 的設計工作室換銀行後，開了兩個新帳戶。
open new accounts
The twins use separate game accounts so each child keeps a saved game.
那對雙胞胎各用自己的遊戲帳號，這樣每個孩子都能保留存檔。
Our school gives new staff email accounts before the first training day.
我們學校會在第一次培訓日前，先給新進員工 email 帳號。
Customers with business accounts can pay for office paper at the end.
有商業帳戶的客戶可以月底再支付辦公用紙的費用。
- profile
focuses on the visible personal page, not the full service arrangement
- membership
stresses belonging to a group or organization
- subscription
focuses on regular payment for access
文法句型
open an account
close an account
business accounts
email accounts
用法筆記
This sense is about an ongoing arrangement with a bank, company, or online service. Distinguish it from sense 1, which is about the financial records themselves.
3. spoken or written tellings of what happened in an event or period of time.
敘述；報導
對事件經過的描述
spoken or written tellings of what happened in an event or period of time.
Witness accounts of the fire differed on when the first window broke.
關於那場火災的目擊敘述，對第一扇窗何時破掉說法不一。
witness accounts of an event
Rin wrote brief accounts of village life during her year abroad.
Rin 在國外那一年，寫下了幾篇關於村莊生活的簡短敘述。
The museum keeps accounts from families who fled the border by boat.
那座博物館保存著逃離邊境、搭船離開的家庭所留下的敘述。
News accounts of the strike ignored the long bus ride home.
關於那場罷工的新聞報導忽略了漫長的回家公車路程。
文法句型
accounts of something
witness accounts
news accounts
用法筆記
Often followed by of when naming the event or period. Distinguish it from sense 4, which focuses on the reason offered rather than the full story.
4. explanations or reasons offered to show why something happened or why someone ac
理由；說法
用來解釋原因的說明
explanations or reasons offered to show why something happened or why someone acted in a certain way.
Parents wanted clearer accounts for the missing lunch money after the trip.
家長想知道畢旅行程後午餐錢不見這件事，更清楚的理由。
accounts for a problem
The inquiry collected several accounts for why the alarm failed that night.
調查蒐集了好幾種說法，想弄清楚那晚警報為何失靈。
Her notes list three accounts for the sudden rise in rent on Willow Street.
她的筆記列出 Willow Street 房租突然上漲的三個理由。
The paper compares local accounts for why the road cracked again after winter.
那篇報紙比較了當地對那條路為何在冬天後又裂開的各種說法。
- explanations
the broadest and most neutral option
- reasons
more direct and less formal
- justifications
often suggests defending a decision or action
文法句型
accounts for something
conflicting accounts for something
用法筆記
Often appears when different explanations are being weighed against each other. Sense 3 tells what happened; sense 4 explains why it happened.
accounts — 動詞
1. to give the reason for something or make it understandable by explaining it.
解釋
說明某事為何發生
to give the reason for something or make it understandable by explaining it.
How do you account for the wet footprints outside the locked office?
你要怎麼解釋那間上鎖辦公室外面的濕腳印？
account for + noun when asking for an explanation
No one could account for the missing cash after the school fair.
學校園遊會後，沒有人能解釋那筆失蹤現金。
The doctor could not account for the rash on both knees.
醫生無法解釋他雙膝上的那片紅疹。
Can science account for why some birds return to the same roof?
科學能解釋為什麼有些鳥會回到同一個屋頂嗎？
- explain
the closest everyday verb
- justify
often suggests defending something as acceptable
- make sense of
more informal and less compact
文法句型
account for + noun
cannot account for + noun
用法筆記
Usually followed by for. Distinguish it from sense 2, where the subject itself forms a share or cause instead of explaining one.
常見錯誤
2. to form a large or important part of a total, or to be the main cause of a resul
佔；造成
構成大部分或成主因
to form a large or important part of a total, or to be the main cause of a result.
Online orders now account for half the bakery's weekend income.
網路訂單現在佔了那家麵包店週末收入的一半。
account for + share of a total
Long bus rides account for much of the driver's back pain.
長時間搭公車造成了這名司機大部分的背痛。
These three farms account for most of the town's tomatoes each summer.
這三座農場每年夏天佔了鎮上大部分的番茄產量。
A single broken pipe accounted for the cold showers in two buildings.
一根壞掉的水管造成了兩棟大樓只能洗冷水澡。
文法句型
account for + percentage or part
account for + result or problem
用法筆記
The subject is the thing that makes up the share or causes the result. Distinguish it from sense 1, where someone accounts for something by explaining it.
常見錯誤
3. to be thought of or judged as a particular kind of person or thing.
視為
把人或事判作某樣
to be thought of or judged as a particular kind of person or thing.
At that time, girls were seldom accounted equal partners in science.
在那個年代，女孩很少被視為科學上的平等夥伴。
formal passive: be accounted + noun phrase
In the village, Yara's father was accounted the best carpenter.
在村裡，Yara 的父親被視為最好的木匠。
For many years, the river path was accounted too dangerous after dark.
很多年來，那條河邊小路在天黑後都被視為太危險。
Among the younger players, Lena was accounted the calmest leader.
在年輕球員之中，Lena 被視為最冷靜的領袖。
文法句型
be accounted + adjective
be accounted + noun
用法筆記
Mostly seen in formal writing and often in the passive. Unlike sense 2, this sense is about judgment, not proportions or causes.