fences
fences — 名詞
- fencessingular
- fencesesplural
1. A structure made of wood, metal, or wire, held up by posts, that separates one p
柵欄；圍欄
用木頭或金屬製成，分隔土地的結構
A structure made of wood, metal, or wire, held up by posts, that separates one piece of land from another and keeps people or animals in or out.
Amara painted the wooden fence around her vegetable garden bright white.
Amara 把她菜園周圍的木柵欄漆成了亮白色。
collocation: wooden fence / painted the fence
The old fence between the two farms finally fell down in the storm.
兩座農場之間那道老舊的圍欄終於在暴風雨中倒塌了。
fence between [two places]
Kwame leaned against the wire fence and watched the horses run across the field.
Kwame 靠著鐵絲圍欄，看著馬兒在田野上奔跑。
A small brown rabbit squeezed through a hole in the garden fence.
一隻棕色小兔子從花園柵欄的破洞擠了過去。
Their new neighbours put up a tall fence to give themselves more privacy.
他們的新鄰居豎起了一道高高的圍欄，讓自己更有隱私。
- barrier
more general — can be natural or abstract, not necessarily a built structure
- wall
solid and usually made of brick or stone, not open like a fence
- railing
a metal bar barrier, often for safety on stairs or balconies rather than enclosing land
- hedge
a living barrier made of bushes or shrubs, not a built structure
用法筆記
Subject is usually a physical object made of wood, wire, or metal. Distinguish from a wall, which is solid and made of brick or stone, and a hedge, which is made of living plants.
2. A criminal who buys stolen items and then sells them on to other people, making
銷贓者
非法買賣贓物的人
A criminal who buys stolen items and then sells them on to other people, making money from theft without directly stealing anything themselves.
The police watched the known fence for weeks before finally making the arrest.
警方監視那個已知的銷贓者好幾個星期，最後才逮捕他。
collocation: known fence
Dimitri discovered too late that the cheap phone he bought online came from a fence.
Dimitri 發現自己在網上買的便宜手機來自銷贓者，但為時已晚。
The stolen jewellery passed through several fences before it reached the foreign buyer.
被盜的珠寶經過好幾個銷贓者轉手，才送到海外買家那裡。
Detectives traced the missing paintings back to a fence operating out of a small shop.
刑警追蹤失竊的畫作，找到了一個在一家小店經營的銷贓者。
- receiver
more formal legal term for someone who handles stolen property
- trafficker
broader term — covers all illegal goods, not just stolen ones
用法筆記
Always refers to a person, not a place. Do not confuse with noun sense 1. Common in crime reporting and detective stories.
常見錯誤
fences — 動詞
- fencespresent simple I / you / we / they
- fenceses3rd person singular
- fencesing-ing form
- fencesedpast simple
1. To take part in the sport of fencing, in which two competitors try to touch each
擊劍
運動形式的劍術比賽
To take part in the sport of fencing, in which two competitors try to touch each other with the tip of a light, flexible blade to score points.
Fatima has been fencing since she was eight and now trains with the national team.
Fatima 從八歲就開始擊劍，現在跟著國家隊訓練。
present perfect continuous: has been fencing
The two athletes fenced for nearly an hour before the final point was scored.
兩位選手對戰了近一個小時，才分出最後一分。
past simple: fenced for [duration]
Joaquín learned to fence at university and quickly fell in love with the sport.
Joaquín 在大學時學了擊劍，很快就愛上了這項運動。
Byung-ho fences three times a week at a club near the city centre.
Byung-ho 每週三次在市中心附近的俱樂部練習擊劍。
The coach showed the beginners how to fence without getting too close to each other.
教練向初學者示範如何擊劍而不靠得太近。
用法筆記
Always refers to the organised sport using a foil, épée, or sabre. The fencers wear protective masks and white jackets. Do not confuse with historical sword fighting or duelling.
常見錯誤
2. To put a fence around a piece of land so that it is closed off from the area aro
圍起柵欄
用柵欄把土地圍起來
To put a fence around a piece of land so that it is closed off from the area around it.
The farmer fenced the whole field to stop sheep from wandering onto the road.
農夫把整片田地圍上柵欄，免得羊跑到馬路上去。
transitive: fenced + object
The family decided to fence their backyard before they got a dog.
這家人決定先把後院圍起來，再養狗。
to-infinitive after 'decided': decided to fence
Local residents fenced off the dangerous old well to keep children safe.
當地居民把危險的舊水井用柵欄圍起來，保護孩子安全。
The park was fenced in last summer after complaints from nearby homeowners.
去年夏天附近住戶投訴後，公園就被柵欄圍起來了。
Sunita had to fence the vegetable patch because rabbits kept eating the lettuce.
Sunita 不得不把菜園圍上柵欄，因為兔子老是把萵苣吃掉。
文法句型
fence + off
fence + in
fence + around
用法筆記
Often used with a particle: 'fence off' (separate one area from another), 'fence in' (enclose completely), or 'fence around' (surround). Subject is usually a person or group who builds the fence.
常見錯誤
3. To illegally sell goods that have been stolen, acting as a middle person between
銷贓
非法出售偷來的物品
To illegally sell goods that have been stolen, acting as a middle person between the thieves and the final buyers.
The gang used the shop to fence stolen electronics from burglaries across the city.
那個集團利用店鋪銷贓，處理全市盜竊案中偷來的電子產品。
to-infinitive of purpose: used the shop to fence
Soren was arrested for fencing antique clocks taken from a museum in the capital.
Soren 因銷贓從首都一家博物館偷來的古董鐘而被捕。
gerund after preposition: arrested for fencing
Police believe the suspect fenced the stolen watches through an online marketplace.
警方認為嫌疑人透過網路交易平臺銷贓了那些偷來的手錶。
The thieves needed someone to fence the jewellery before they could leave the country.
竊賊需要找人銷贓珠寶，才能離開這個國家。
用法筆記
Object must be stolen goods (jewellery, electronics, art, etc.). Related to noun sense 2 — the person who does this is called 'a fence.' Rare in everyday conversation; mostly appears in crime fiction and news reports.
常見錯誤
4. To avoid answering a question directly by talking around the subject or giving c
迴避問題
用巧妙言詞避免直接回答
To avoid answering a question directly by talking around the subject or giving clever but deliberately vague replies.
The minister fenced with reporters for twenty minutes without giving a single clear answer.
部長跟記者們周旋了二十分鐘，一個明確的答案都沒給。
fenced with [people] + duration
When Ananya asked about the missing money, her brother fenced and changed the subject.
Ananya 追問錢的去向時，她弟弟含糊其詞，轉移了話題。
Journalists grew frustrated as the spokesperson fenced around every direct question.
發言人對每個直接的問題都閃爍其詞，記者們愈來愈沮喪。
During the interview, Rashid fenced skilfully, never admitting to any of the claims.
面試過程中，Rashid 巧妙迴避，對任何指控都不承認。
Stop fencing and tell us what really happened at the office yesterday.
別再閃爍其詞了，告訴我們昨天辦公室裡到底發生了什麼事。
文法句型
fence + with [person]
fence + around [topic]
用法筆記
Distinguish from verb sense 5 (arguing): this sense is about evasion and avoiding answers, not about having a real disagreement. Common in political journalism.
常見錯誤
5. To argue or quarrel with someone, usually about something fairly small or unimpo
爭吵
為某件事與人發生口角
To argue or quarrel with someone, usually about something fairly small or unimportant.
The siblings fenced over whose turn it was to do the washing-up.
兄弟姊妹為了輪到誰洗碗這件事吵了起來。
fenced over [disputed matter]
Hugo and his flatmate fenced endlessly about the heating bill every winter.
Hugo 跟他的室友每年冬天都為了暖氣帳單吵個沒完。
fenced about [topic] + frequency
The two politicians fenced in the debate, each trying to score points off the other.
兩位政治人物在辯論中脣槍舌劍，都想在對方身上佔上風。
Mei fenced with her parents about her plans to travel alone after graduation.
Mei 為了畢業後獨自旅行的計劃，跟她父母爭論了一番。
- agree
to have the same opinion rather than opposing views
文法句型
fence + about [topic]
fence + over [topic]
fence + with [person]
用法筆記
Distinguish from verb sense 4 (dodging questions): this sense involves a real disagreement where both sides express opposing views. Mainly British English.