enabling

enabling — 動詞

1. giving a person the skills, tools, or chance they need so that they can do somet

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

使能夠

提供條件，讓某人有能力做某事

giving a person the skills, tools, or chance they need so that they can do something they could not do before

例句

A small grant from the city is enabling Talia to open her bakery next spring.

市政府的一筆小額補助使 Talia 能夠在明年春天開設她的麵包店。

enabling + person + to-infinitive (cause–opportunity pattern)

The new ramp is enabling wheelchair users to enter the library without help.

新設的斜坡讓輪椅使用者能夠自己進入圖書館，不需要旁人協助。

enabling + plural person noun + to-infinitive

同義詞
  • empowering

    stronger; focuses on giving confidence and control, not just opportunity

  • helping

    weaker and more general; doesn't imply the help is what makes the action possible

  • allowing

    overlaps but stresses permission rather than new capacity

反義詞
  • preventing

    actively stops the person from doing the action

  • hindering

    makes the action much harder but not always impossible

文法句型

enable + person + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Subject is usually a resource, support, or change in conditions; object is the person who gains the new ability. Almost always followed by 'to' + bare infinitive.

常見錯誤

❌The scholarship is enabling Talia studying abroad.
✅The scholarship is enabling Talia to study abroad.
💡needs 'to' + bare infinitive, not -ing.
❌The grant is enabling for Talia to open a bakery.
✅The grant is enabling Talia to open a bakery.
💡no preposition between 'enabling' and the person.

2. making something able to happen or be done when it would otherwise be too hard,

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

促成；使可行

讓某件事得以發生或推動

making something able to happen or be done when it would otherwise be too hard, too slow, or out of reach

例句

GPS technology is enabling much faster delivery across rural Vietnam.

GPS 技術正促成越南偏鄉地區更快速的配送服務。

enabling + abstract noun phrase (no person object)

Cheaper solar panels are enabling small villages to switch from diesel to clean power.

更便宜的太陽能板正促成小村莊從柴油轉換到乾淨能源。

enabling + collective + to-infinitive (institutional subject)

同義詞
  • facilitating

    more formal; suggests smoothing the process, not strictly making it possible

  • allowing

    neutral overlap; sometimes implies permission rather than capacity

  • supporting

    weaker; the action could still happen without the support

反義詞

文法句型

enable + noun phrase

enable + something + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by what follows: sense 1 takes a person as object ('enabling Talia to…'); sense 2 takes an event, process, or institution as object ('enabling faster delivery', 'enabling villages to switch'). Often appears in news writing about technology and policy.

常見錯誤

❌The new bridge is enabling for year-round travel.
✅The new bridge is enabling year-round travel.
💡no preposition before the noun object.

3. switching a machine or computer feature into a working state so that it can be u

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

啟用；開啟

把某個功能或裝置打開使之運作

switching a machine or computer feature into a working state so that it can be used

例句

Enabling two-factor login on your phone takes about three minutes.

在手機上啟用雙重驗證大約只需要三分鐘。

enabling + technical noun (gerund as subject)

Xiu spent the morning enabling the new printer for everyone in the office.

Xiu 花了一個早上為辦公室的每個人啟用新的印表機。

同義詞
  • activating

    near-identical in tech contexts; slightly more formal

  • turning on

    everyday phrasing; preferred in spoken English

  • switching on

    British-leaning; everyday register

反義詞
  • disabling

    the standard pair in software and device contexts

文法句型

enable + feature / setting / device

用法筆記

Object is typically a setting, feature, function, or device — not a person. The opposite is 'disabling' (turning the feature off). Common in software instructions and IT support contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I enabled the printer to print.
✅I enabled the printer.
💡when the object is a device, no 'to'-infinitive follows.

4. giving an official body the legal right or formal authority to do something it c

4.動詞及物C1
釋義

授權；准予

以法律或正式授權賦予機關行使的權力

giving an official body the legal right or formal authority to do something it could not previously do

例句

The new act is enabling the city council to collect a small tourist tax from hotels.

這項新法案授權市議會向飯店業者徵收一筆小額的觀光稅。

enabling + institutional body + to-infinitive (legal sense)

Parliament passed enabling legislation, allowing the agency to inspect private clinics.

國會通過了授權法案，准許該機關進入私人診所進行檢查。

fixed phrase: enabling legislation / enabling act

同義詞
  • authorising

    near-identical in legal contexts; British spelling 'authorising', US 'authorizing'

  • empowering

    common in policy writing; slightly broader

  • sanctioning

    more formal; stresses official approval

反義詞

文法句型

enabling + body / authority + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Only sense that pairs with the fixed legal phrases 'enabling act' and 'enabling legislation'. Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is a law, treaty, or statute, and the object is an institution rather than an individual person.

常見錯誤

❌The mayor is enabling the new tax.' (sense 4 needs a legal instrument, not a person)
✅The new act is enabling the city to collect the tax.
💡the subject must be the law itself.