grounds

grounds — 名詞

1. The gardens, lawns, and open land that lie within the boundary of a large house,

1.名詞B2
釋義

庭園；園區

建築物周邊所屬的庭園與土地

The gardens, lawns, and open land that lie within the boundary of a large house, school, hospital, or similar property, and that belong to it.

例句

Salma walked her dog around the grounds of the old country house.

Salma 帶著她的狗在老鄉間別墅的庭園裡散步。

the grounds of + [building] pattern

Visitors are welcome to picnic on the palace grounds during summer weekends.

夏季週末，遊客可以到皇宮園區內野餐。

compound: palace grounds

同義詞
  • garden

    smaller and usually private; grounds are larger and often institutional

  • estate

    includes the building plus all surrounding land; grounds means only the land

  • premises

    covers buildings and land together; grounds means the outdoor area only

文法句型

the grounds of [building/estate]

用法筆記

Always plural in this sense; the singular 'ground' cannot replace it. Subject is typically a building, institution, or estate.

常見錯誤

❌Salma walked around the ground of the house.
✅Salma walked around the grounds of the house.
💡must be plural when meaning the land around a building.

2. The reasons or facts that allow someone to do, say, or decide something — often

2.名詞B2
釋義

理由；依據

支持決定或主張的具體理由

The reasons or facts that allow someone to do, say, or decide something — often used in legal, official, or argument contexts where the speaker must justify a position.

例句

Tamar refused the job on health grounds after talking with her doctor.

Tamar 與醫生討論後，以健康為由婉拒了那份工作。

on [adjective] grounds collocation

The court dismissed the case on the grounds that there was no real evidence.

法院以證據不足為理由，駁回了這起案件。

on the grounds that + clause

同義詞
  • reasons

    everyday word; grounds is more formal and often legal

  • basis

    singular and more abstract; grounds points to concrete justifying facts

  • justification

    stresses moral or logical defence; grounds is more neutral

文法句型

grounds for + [noun]

on [adjective] grounds

on the grounds that + clause

用法筆記

Almost always plural in this sense; the singular 'ground' is rare and dated. Common fixed patterns: 'on [adjective] grounds', 'grounds for [noun]', 'on the grounds that [clause]'.

常見錯誤

❌She refused on health ground.
✅She refused on health grounds.
💡the plural form is fixed in this pattern.

3. A piece of land set aside and used for one specific activity, such as sport, hun

3.名詞B2
釋義

場地；專用區

為特定活動劃設的土地

A piece of land set aside and used for one specific activity, such as sport, hunting, burial, or training — usually marked off and named after that activity.

例句

Hyun met her teammates at the sports grounds an hour before the match.

Hyun 在比賽前一小時就到運動場地和隊友會合。

compound: sports grounds

Local volunteers cleaned up the old burial grounds last weekend.

上週末，當地志工清理了那片舊墓園。

compound: burial grounds

同義詞
  • field

    usually a single open area; grounds suggests a larger, named-for-purpose space

  • site

    general purpose-place; grounds implies repeated outdoor use over time

文法句型

[purpose] grounds

用法筆記

Usually appears in compound forms with a purpose word in front: sports grounds, burial grounds, hunting grounds, fairgrounds. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 means land that belongs to a specific building; sense 3 means land set aside by activity, often without a single owner-building.

4. The tiny pieces of coffee bean that sink to the bottom of a cup, pot, or filter

4.名詞C1
釋義

咖啡渣

沖泡後沉在底部的咖啡細粉

The tiny pieces of coffee bean that sink to the bottom of a cup, pot, or filter after the drink has been made.

例句

Gabriela tipped the coffee grounds into a pot of soil for her tomato plants.

Gabriela 把咖啡渣倒進一盆土裡，準備拿來種番茄。

fixed compound: coffee grounds

A thin layer of grounds had settled at the bottom of the cup.

杯底沉著薄薄一層咖啡渣。

同義詞
  • sediment

    any solid material that settles in liquid; grounds is specific to coffee

  • dregs

    the last unwanted bits of a drink, often wine or tea; grounds is the coffee-specific term

文法句型

coffee grounds

用法筆記

Nearly always appears with 'coffee' as a fixed compound: 'coffee grounds'. The singular 'a ground' is not used in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌I threw the coffee ground in the bin.
✅I threw the coffee grounds in the bin.
💡plural is fixed for the sediment sense.