context
/ˈkɒntekst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɑːntekst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkän-ˌtekst/ (ame, mw)
context — 名詞
- contextsingular
- contextsplural
1. the conditions and events that surround something and give you a clearer underst
背景；環境
事件或想法發生的周遭條件
the conditions and events that surround something and give you a clearer understanding of why it exists or happens
To understand why the factory closed, know the economic context of the region.
要了解這間工廠為何關閉，你需要知道該地區的經濟背景。
in the context of [place] — prepositional phrase showing scope
The novel helps readers understand the social context of rural Japan in the 1930s.
這本小說幫助讀者理解 1930 年代日本鄉村的社會環境。
Lauren's angry email only made sense once her colleagues learned the full context.
Lauren 生氣的那封郵件，在同事了解完整背景後才說得通。
Without the broader context, a single statistic about crime rates can be misleading.
缺少更廣的背景脈絡時，單一犯罪率統計數據可能會誤導人。
The documentary places the artist's work within the political context of the civil rights movement.
這部紀錄片將藝術家的作品置於民權運動的政治背景中來呈現。
- background
focuses on earlier events rather than immediate surroundings; 'background' is broader in time, 'context' is broader in scope
- circumstances
refers to specific conditions rather than the overall setting; more concrete but narrower
- setting
more concrete and often physical; 'setting' is where something happens, 'context' is why it happens
- framework
more formal and structural; suggests an organized system of ideas rather than a messy real-world situation
文法句型
context + of + noun phrase
in the context of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often appears in the phrase 'in the context of', followed by a noun phrase that names the surrounding situation.
2. the words and sentences that appear near a word or passage and offer hints about
上下文
前後文；有助理解詞義的文字
the words and sentences that appear near a word or passage and offer hints about its meaning
Students can guess an unfamiliar word's meaning from the surrounding context.
學生可以從前後文猜出不熟悉單字的意思。
surrounding context — common phrase for nearby text
Teachers encourage students to use context clues when they meet an unfamiliar word.
老師鼓勵學生在遇到不熟悉的單字時，利用上下文線索來推測意思。
context clue — common fixed phrase in language learning
Context helped the translator see whether the French word meant a river or a bank.
上下文幫助譯者判斷這個法文字指的是河流還是銀行。
Jisoo guessed the word 'pestle' meant a grinding tool from the context of the recipe.
Jisoo 從食譜的上下文猜出「pestle」這個字是指一種研磨工具。
Karim knew the character's name meant 'warrior' because the passage context made it clear.
Karim 知道那個角色的名字意思是「戰士」，因為段落上下文說明了這一點。
- surrounding text
more literal and concrete; used when referring to visible written words on a page
- co-text
technical term in linguistics; rarely used by general learners
文法句型
context + for + noun phrase
context clues
用法筆記
Commonly appears in language-learning materials as 'context clue' — a nearby word or phrase that helps a reader infer the meaning of an unknown word.
常見錯誤
3. when a remark or piece of writing is quoted as a separate fragment without the s
斷章取義
只引用片段導致原意改變
when a remark or piece of writing is quoted as a separate fragment without the surrounding explanation, so that the original meaning is changed or lost
The newspaper took the mayor's words out of context to make her sound dishonest.
這份報紙斷章取義市長的話，讓她聽起來像在說謊。
took [someone's] words out of context — core verb + noun + preposition phrase
Daichi said the review quoted his novel out of context and ignored the happy ending.
Daichi 說那篇書評對他的小說斷章取義，完全忽略了快樂的結局。
A single angry sentence pulled out of context can ruin a friendly conversation.
一句被斷章取義的生氣話，就能破壞一場友好的對話。
Justin felt his interview answers had been presented out of context in the online article.
Justin 覺得他的訪談回答在那篇網路文章中被斷章取義了。
The professor warned students not to take historical quotes out of context in their essays.
教授提醒學生不要在論文中對歷史引言斷章取義。
文法句型
take + noun phrase + out of context
quote + noun phrase + out of context
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'out of context', typically with verbs such as 'take', 'quote', 'pull', or 'present'. The opposite form 'in context' is also common ('The quote must be seen in context').