curving
curving — 動詞
1. (present participle of curve) bending gradually rather than continuing straight,
彎曲延伸
順著曲線方向延伸或彎
(present participle of curve) bending gradually rather than continuing straight, or moving along such a bending path
The mountain road kept curving sharply as Owen drove toward the village.
Owen 開車前往村莊時，山路一直急彎延伸。
curving + adverb of manner (sharply, gently)
Anjali watched the river curving slowly through the rice fields below her balcony.
Anjali 從陽台看著河流緩緩彎曲流過下方的稻田。
subject = inanimate path (road, river, line)
The kite stayed in the air for an hour, curving back and forth above the beach.
風箏在海灘上空來回彎曲飛舞，在空中停留了一個小時。
Jabari noticed the train tracks curving away from the station into the dark forest.
Jabari 注意到鐵軌從車站彎曲延伸進入黑暗的森林。
- bending
more general; works for sharp angles too, while curving implies a smooth gradual bend
- winding
stronger sense of repeated turns; a winding road keeps changing direction, a curving road may just turn once
- arching
suggests an upward bow shape, especially over something (a bridge arching over a river)
- straightening
opposite motion — becoming or going straight
文法句型
curving + adverbial phrase of direction
用法筆記
Subject is almost always an inanimate path, line, or surface (road, river, coastline, branch, spine). Animate subjects use 'curve' as a transitive verb instead (e.g. 'she curved her arm around the baby').
常見錯誤
curving — 形容詞
1. having a shape that bends smoothly without sharp corners, often used before a no
彎曲的
外形帶有平滑彎弧的
having a shape that bends smoothly without sharp corners, often used before a noun to describe the outline of something
Lan loved the curving staircase that led up to the library's reading room.
Lan 很喜歡那座通往圖書館閱覽室的彎曲樓梯。
attributive use: curving + concrete noun (staircase, wall, path)
The artist drew long curving lines across the wall to suggest waves.
藝術家在牆上畫了一道道長長的彎曲線條來表現海浪。
curving lines / curving shapes — typical with abstract patterns
Christopher sat on a curving wooden bench facing the lake at sunset.
Christopher 在夕陽下坐在面向湖邊的一張彎曲木長椅上。
Apinya painted a row of curving petals around the edge of the bowl.
Apinya 在碗的邊緣畫了一圈彎曲的花瓣。
文法句型
curving + noun (line, road, wall, staircase)
用法筆記
Used attributively before a noun far more often than after 'be'. After 'be' speakers usually say 'curved' (e.g. 'the wall is curved', not 'the wall is curving' unless the wall is bending at this moment).
常見錯誤
curving — 名詞
1. a shape or line that bends smoothly without any sharp corners
曲線；弧線
平滑彎曲的線條或形狀
a shape or line that bends smoothly without any sharp corners
Tariq traced the gentle curving of the seashell with his finger.
Tariq 用手指描摹貝殼平緩的弧線。
the curving of + concrete noun
The architect designed the roof as a single long curving above the entrance hall.
建築師把屋頂設計成一道橫跨入口大廳的長弧線。
a long / gentle / sharp curving
From the plane, Lucía could see the slow curving of the coastline below.
Lucía 從飛機上能看見下方海岸線緩緩的彎曲。
Élise sketched a wide curving across the page before adding the details.
Élise 在頁面上先畫了一道寬大的曲線，再加入細節。
- straight line
opposite — no bend at all
文法句型
a / the curving + of + noun phrase
draw / follow / trace a curving
用法筆記
Often interchangeable with 'curve' as a noun, but 'curving' emphasises the smooth, continuous nature of the bend rather than naming it as a fixed shape.
2. a smooth bend in part of a person's body, especially one that is seen as attract
身體曲線
人身體某部位的柔順曲線
a smooth bend in part of a person's body, especially one that is seen as attractive
The painter captured the soft curving of Eve's shoulders perfectly in the portrait.
畫家在肖像中完美捕捉了 Eve 肩膀柔順的曲線。
the curving of + body part (shoulders, hip, back)
Reuben admired the gentle curving of the dancer's neck as she turned her head.
Reuben 看著舞者轉頭時頸部柔和的曲線。
gentle / soft curving — aesthetic register
The instructor noticed the natural curving of Linh's spine while she stood at the barre.
教練看到 Linh 站在把杆旁時，注意到她脊背自然的曲線。
The sculptor spent weeks carving the slow curving of the hip into the marble.
雕刻家花了好幾週，把臀部緩緩的曲線雕進大理石裡。
文法句型
the curving of + body part
用法筆記
Frequently appears in artistic, descriptive, or romantic writing rather than everyday speech. Often paired with adjectives like 'soft', 'gentle', or 'natural'.
3. the bent path that a ball follows after being hit, kicked, or thrown with spin
球的弧線
球被擊出後旋出的彎曲路徑
the bent path that a ball follows after being hit, kicked, or thrown with spin
Charlotte's free kick had so much curving that the goalkeeper could only watch it sail in.
Charlotte 的自由球弧線太強，守門員只能眼睜睜看著球飛進球門。
have / put + a lot of curving on the ball
The coach taught Paul how to add a slight curving to every serve.
教練教 Paul 怎麼在每一次發球時加上一點弧線。
add / put + curving + to a shot
Walid hit the cricket ball with a sharp curving that fooled the batsman completely.
Walid 把板球擊出一道強烈的弧線，完全騙倒了打擊手。
The pitcher's curving was so wide that the catcher had to dive to stop it.
投手的弧線太寬，捕手必須撲身才能接住球。
文法句型
the curving of + ball noun
with a curving (on the ball)
用法筆記
Used across football, baseball, cricket, and tennis. In baseball the equivalent noun 'curveball' is more common; 'curving' here describes the motion rather than the pitch name.
4. in mathematics, the bending shape of a graph or the line that represents an equa
圖形曲線
圖表或函數呈現的彎曲走勢
in mathematics, the bending shape of a graph or the line that represents an equation or set of data
Eli studied the steep curving of the temperature graph during the heatwave.
Eli 研究熱浪期間溫度圖那段陡峭的曲線走勢。
the curving of + graph / curve / function
The economist explained the gentle curving of the demand line to the students.
經濟學家向學生解釋需求線那條平緩的曲線。
gentle / steep / sharp curving
Sari noticed an unusual curving in the data near the end of the chart.
Sari 注意到圖表末端的資料出現一段不尋常的曲線。
Kwame argued that the curving of the population graph showed slower future growth.
Kwame 認為人口圖表上的曲線顯示未來增長將會放緩。
- curve
the formal mathematical noun; curving is more descriptive of the shape's bending action
- trend line
specifically a line showing the general direction of data
文法句型
the curving of + the graph / function
用法筆記
Common in academic and scientific writing. The verb 'curves' is often used for the same idea ('the graph curves sharply'); use the noun 'curving' when treating the shape itself as the subject of discussion.
5. a way of giving marks so that grades reflect each student's score compared with
曲線評分
按相對表現分配等第的評分方式
a way of giving marks so that grades reflect each student's score compared with the others, not against a fixed standard
Hamza's professor announced that the final exam would use curving to set the grades.
Hamza 的教授宣布期末考將採用曲線評分來決定成績。
use curving + to set grades
Abigail argued that curving rewards weaker classes and punishes stronger ones.
Abigail 主張曲線評分對程度較弱的班級有利，卻會懲罰程度較強的班級。
curving rewards / punishes / favours [group]
The school banned curving in introductory science courses last semester.
上學期該校禁止在入門科學課採用曲線評分。
Erik prefers fixed standards over the curving used in many graduate programs.
Erik 偏好固定標準，而不是許多研究所課程採用的曲線評分。
- grading on a curve
the everyday phrasal version; curving is the noun form
- norm-referenced grading
the technical educational term
- criterion-referenced grading
grading against fixed standards instead
文法句型
curving + of + grades / scores
on a curving
用法筆記
Mainly American academic English; UK schools rarely use this system or the term. Often appears in debates about fairness in grading. The verb form 'grading on a curve' is more common in everyday speech.