cross-sectional

cross-sectional — 形容詞

1. used to describe a type of research that gathers information from a group of peo

1.形容詞B2
釋義

橫斷面的

同一時間點收集資料的研究方法

used to describe a type of research that gathers information from a group of people or things at a single point in time, instead of watching them develop over months or years.

例句

A cross-sectional survey of 600 Bangkok households measured how many had high-speed internet access.

一項針對曼谷 600 戶家庭的橫斷面調查，計算了有多少家庭可以使用高速網路。

attributive: cross-sectional + survey

Unlike a ten-year longitudinal study, a cross-sectional study compares different age groups at one moment.

與長達十年的縱貫研究不同，橫斷面研究是在同一個時間點比較不同年齡層。

contrasted with longitudinal — opposite method

同義詞
  • snapshot

    informal synonym — 'a snapshot survey'; less technical than cross-sectional

  • one-time

    emphasises the single measurement point; less common in academic writing

反義詞
  • longitudinal

    the opposite research design — follows subjects over an extended period

文法句型

cross-sectional + noun (study, survey, analysis, research)

用法筆記

Frequently used as an attributive modifier before nouns such as study, survey, research, analysis, or design. Does not appear predicatively — you would not say 'this research is cross-sectional'; instead say 'this is a cross-sectional study'.

常見錯誤

❌The researchers did a cross-section study of diabetes rates.
✅The researchers did a cross-sectional study of diabetes rates.
💡When the word acts as an adjective before a noun, use the -al form cross-sectional, not the noun cross-section.
❌A cross-sectional research follows different age groups over time.
✅A longitudinal study follows the same group over time; a cross-sectional study collects data at one point.
💡Learners often confuse the two methods; cross-sectional is a single snapshot, not a timeline.

2. showing or relating to a picture, diagram, or image that reveals the inside of s

2.形容詞B1
釋義

斷面的；剖面的

顯示物體內部的切割圖像

showing or relating to a picture, diagram, or image that reveals the inside of something by cutting straight through it.

例句

The biology textbook included a cross-sectional diagram of the human heart with the four chambers clearly labelled.

這本生物教科書附有人類心臟的斷面圖，四個腔室都標示得很清楚。

attributive: cross-sectional + diagram

The architect drew a cross-sectional view of the five-storey building to show the lift shaft.

建築師繪製了一張五層樓建築物的剖面圖，以顯示電梯井的位置。

同義詞
  • cutaway

    common in diagrams and illustrations — 'a cutaway drawing of an engine'

  • sectional

    shorter form, used especially in architecture and engineering

文法句型

cross-sectional + noun (view, diagram, image, drawing)

用法筆記

Used attributively before nouns for visual representations. In technical contexts it may appear after 'is' when the noun serving as subject is also a visual term: 'This view is cross-sectional.'

常見錯誤

❌The cross-section view shows the pipe's interior.
✅The cross-sectional view shows the pipe's interior.
💡Use the adjective cross-sectional before the noun view.
❌A cross-sectional slice of the fruit was placed on the plate.
✅A cross-section of the fruit was placed on the plate.
💡For the physical object itself (the slice), use the noun cross-section, not the adjective.

cross-sectional — 名詞