blame
/bleɪm/ (bre, ipa) · /bleɪm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈblām/ (ame, mw)
blame — 動詞
1. to point at a person or thing as the cause of trouble — saying or believing that
責怪；歸咎於
把錯誤或壞結果歸到某人或某事身上
to point at a person or thing as the cause of trouble — saying or believing that they did the wrong action that led to a bad result.
Hiro blamed his younger brother for breaking the kitchen window with a football.
Hiro 責怪他弟弟踢足球打破了廚房的窗戶。
blame + somebody + for + -ing
The coach blamed the loss on poor passing in the second half.
教練把這場敗仗歸咎於下半場糟糕的傳球。
blame + something + on + somebody
Don't blame Xander; she wasn't even in the office when the files went missing.
別怪 Xander，檔案不見的時候她根本不在辦公室。
Many farmers blame climate change for the long dry summers.
許多農民把長時間的乾燥夏天歸咎於氣候變遷。
The driver was blamed for the crash, even though the road signs were hidden behind a tree.
那場車禍責任被歸到司機身上，雖然路標其實被一棵樹擋住了。
- accuse
stronger; usually involves a stated charge of wrongdoing
- fault
more formal; often used in writing or technical contexts
- hold responsible
neutral phrase; emphasises duty rather than wrongdoing
文法句型
blame + somebody + for + something/-ing
blame + something + on + somebody
用法筆記
Subject is the person doing the accusing; the direct object is the person or thing being accused. Either 'for' (introducing the bad outcome) or 'on' (when the outcome moves to the front of the sentence) is grammatical, but the patterns are not interchangeable in shape.
常見錯誤
2. in the negative form ('can't blame'), used to admit that someone's choice or act
怪不得
用否定句表示能體諒對方的選擇
in the negative form ('can't blame'), used to admit that someone's choice or action makes good sense — that you would probably do the same thing yourself in that situation.
After working twelve-hour shifts all week, you can't blame Beatriz for sleeping in on Saturday.
整週都上十二小時的班，怪不得 Beatriz 星期六睡到很晚。
can't blame + somebody + for + -ing
I don't blame the kids for leaving early — that party was incredibly boring.
我不怪那些孩子提早離開——那場派對真的非常無聊。
don't blame + somebody + for + -ing
Who could blame Aiko for quitting after her manager shouted at her in front of clients?
經理當著客戶的面對 Aiko 大吼，誰能怪她辭職呢？
Honestly, I couldn't blame Sofia if she walked out of that toxic project team tomorrow.
老實說，就算 Sofia 明天就退出那個烏煙瘴氣的專案團隊，我也不會怪她。
- fault
as in 'can't fault'; similar negative-only sympathetic use
文法句型
can't blame + somebody + for + -ing
you can't blame + somebody
用法筆記
Almost always appears with negation (can't/don't/couldn't) or as a rhetorical question ('who could blame…?'). A positive statement like 'I blame you for leaving' switches back to sense 1 (assigning fault). Distinct from sense 1 because the speaker is sympathising, not accusing.
常見錯誤
3. in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when ex
是肇因
某事是壞結果的原因
in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when explaining who or what made the trouble happen.
Faulty wiring in the basement was to blame for the fire at the old library.
舊圖書館那場火災的肇因是地下室的線路故障。
be to blame for + noun
Heavy rain over the weekend is to blame for the flooded football pitch.
週末的大雨是足球場積水的原因。
subject + be to blame for + noun
Investigators believe a tired pilot was partly to blame for the rough landing.
調查人員認為，疲勞的機師對那次顛簸的著陸要負部分責任。
Nobody at the box office seems sure who is to blame for the mix-up with Sofia's concert tickets.
售票處沒有人說得準，Sofia 的演唱會票券會搞錯到底是誰的責任。
- be responsible
broader; can describe positive or negative causes
- be at fault
very close in meaning; slightly more about misconduct
- be blameless
formal; carry no responsibility for the bad result
文法句型
something/somebody + be + to blame (for + something)
用法筆記
Only appears in the linking pattern 'be to blame', not as a normal action verb (you cannot say 'X to-blames Y'). The subject is the cause; 'for' introduces the bad outcome. Often softened with 'partly', 'largely', or 'mainly'.
常見錯誤
blame — 名詞
1. the responsibility for something bad, especially as a public judgement that land
責任；歸咎
壞事發生後落在某人身上的責備或責任
the responsibility for something bad, especially as a public judgement that lands on a person, group, or thing — distinct from the verb sense in that it names the criticism itself rather than the act of making it.
After the accident, much of the blame fell on the truck driver who ran the red light.
事故發生後，大部分的責任落在那位闖紅燈的卡車司機身上。
the blame falls on + somebody
Politicians often try to shift the blame onto each other when a policy fails.
政策失敗時，政客們常常把責任互相推給對方。
shift the blame onto + somebody
The principal placed the blame for the lost paperwork squarely on the new clerk.
校長把文件遺失的責任完全推給那位新來的職員。
After the office move went badly wrong, the manager said there was plenty of blame to go around.
辦公室搬遷出了大紕漏後，經理說每個人多多少少都有責任。
Xander refused to accept any blame for the missed deadline.
Xander 拒絕為錯過的截止日期承擔任何責任。
- responsibility
neutral; can be positive or negative
- fault
more personal; often heard in 'it's my fault'
- criticism
broader; covers any negative comment, not only cause-finding
文法句型
the blame for + noun
place/put/lay the blame on + somebody
用法筆記
Uncountable: say 'a lot of blame' or 'plenty of blame', not 'a blame'. Frequently combines with verbs of moving or assigning (shift, lay, place, pin, accept) — pick the verb based on the action: 'shift' = move away from yourself; 'pin/place/lay' = put on someone specific; 'accept/take' = receive it.
常見錯誤
2. in the fixed pattern 'take the blame' (or 'get the blame'), the responsibility y
扛責任；背鍋
主動承擔或被迫承擔出錯的責任
in the fixed pattern 'take the blame' (or 'get the blame'), the responsibility you publicly accept — or that others put on you — for something that went wrong, whether or not you actually did it.
The captain bravely took the blame for the team's poor performance in the final.
隊長勇敢地為球隊在決賽中的糟糕表現扛起責任。
take the blame for + noun
As the youngest, Otto always got the blame whenever something broke at home.
身為家裡最小的，每次有東西壞掉，總是 Otto 揹黑鍋。
get the blame for + noun
Someone has to take the blame, and the manager has decided it will be the assistant.
總得有人扛責任，經理已經決定要由那位助理來扛。
Hiro took the blame for breaking the vase so his sister wouldn't get into trouble.
Hiro 主動承認花瓶是自己打破的，這樣妹妹就不會被罵。
- take responsibility
more formal; covers good and bad outcomes
- carry the can
British informal; especially when it's unfair
- deny responsibility
refuse to accept that you caused the trouble
文法句型
take the blame (for + something)
get the blame (for + something)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names the criticism in general ('there is plenty of blame…'), while this sense focuses on a single person publicly accepting or receiving it. 'Take' suggests a willing choice; 'get' suggests it lands on you, often unfairly.