hasten
/ˈheɪsn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈheɪsn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhā-sᵊn/ (ame, mw)
hasten — 動詞
- hastenpresent simple I / you / we / they
- hastenshe / she / it
- hastenedpast simple
- hastening-ing form
1. to cause an event, process, or outcome to arrive earlier than it otherwise would
加速；催化
讓事情或結果更早發生
to cause an event, process, or outcome to arrive earlier than it otherwise would — for example, by removing delays or applying pressure that pushes things forward.
The factory shutdown hastened the collapse of the local economy in Maeve's hometown.
工廠關閉加速了 Maeve 家鄉當地經濟的崩壞。
hasten + abstract noun (collapse / decline)
Heavy rain hastened the spread of the mould through the wooden walls of the cottage.
大雨加速了黴菌在小屋木牆上的蔓延。
hasten + the spread / growth of [thing]
Emre hoped the new medicine would hasten his grandmother's recovery from pneumonia.
Emre 希望新藥能加速他奶奶從肺炎中的康復。
Years of heavy smoking only hastened the singer's loss of her voice.
多年的菸癮只是加速了那位歌手嗓子的衰退。
Pressure from voters hastened the resignation of the finance minister last spring.
選民的壓力催化了財政部長去年春天的請辭。
- accelerate
more technical; common for measurable rates and physical processes.
- speed up
everyday equivalent; less formal than hasten.
- precipitate
stronger — suggests something is brought on suddenly, often something bad.
文法句型
hasten + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually an event, condition, or action — not a person. Object is typically an abstract process (recovery, decline, collapse, resignation) rather than a physical object.
常見錯誤
2. to speak or act immediately, usually because you are eager to clear up a misunde
趕緊；連忙
立刻說或做某事，多半為澄清
to speak or act immediately, usually because you are eager to clear up a misunderstanding, stand up for someone, or offer reassurance before any more time slips by.
Caio hastened to apologise after he realised his joke had upset his cousin Lien.
Caio 一發現自己的玩笑惹堂妹 Lien 不高興，便趕緊道歉。
hasten to + verb (apologise / explain / add)
Mark hastened to add that the missing files were not really lost, just renamed.
Mark 連忙補充說，那些不見的檔案其實沒有遺失，只是被改了名字。
hasten to add — a common reassurance pattern
Jabari hastened to defend his sister when their uncle questioned her career choice.
當叔叔質疑姊姊的職業選擇時，Jabari 趕緊出聲為她辯護。
The mayor hastened to explain that no public funds had been spent on the trip.
市長連忙解釋，那趟出差完全沒有動用到公款。
Haruto hastened to point out that the report had been written before the new rules took effect.
Haruto 趕緊指出，那份報告是在新規定上路前就寫好的。
- hesitate
to pause before speaking or acting
文法句型
hasten to + verb
用法筆記
Almost always followed by a to-infinitive of saying (add, point out, explain, reassure, defend) or apologising. Distinguish from sense 3 (which is about physical motion) and sense 4 (which is the parenthetical clarifier 'I hasten to add').
常見錯誤
3. to travel or move to a particular place in a hurry, usually because something ur
趕往；急赴
匆忙前往某地（書面語）
to travel or move to a particular place in a hurry, usually because something urgent or important is waiting there. Now mainly used in literary or old-fashioned writing.
Ishaan hastened across the wet courtyard to fetch his daughter from school.
Ishaan 急忙穿過濕漉漉的庭院，去學校接女兒。
hasten + across / through / down (path adverbial)
The villagers hastened to the riverbank when they heard the bridge had collapsed.
村民們聽說橋斷了，紛紛趕往河邊。
hasten to + place noun
Eitan hastened back to the hospital as soon as the nurse called him.
護理師一通電話，Eitan 立刻趕回醫院。
The shepherd hastened down the hillside when the storm clouds began to gather.
烏雲一開始聚集，牧羊人便急忙下山。
Élise hastened through the empty corridors of the museum to lock the rear gate before midnight.
Élise 在午夜前急匆匆穿過博物館空蕩的走廊，去鎖好後門。
文法句型
hasten + to/towards/back/away + place
用法筆記
Mostly literary or written register — in everyday speech, learners should say 'hurry' or 'rush'. Always followed by a place adverbial (to, towards, back, down, across, through).
常見錯誤
4. used as a fixed parenthetical phrase — typically 'I hasten to add' — when the sp
順帶聲明
插入語，用以補充重要說明
used as a fixed parenthetical phrase — typically 'I hasten to add' — when the speaker wants to attach an important qualification right after a statement, so that no listener can possibly take the first part the wrong way.
I have read most of the book — though not, I hasten to add, the technical chapters at the end.
這本書我看了大部分——順帶聲明，後面的技術章節我沒看。
parenthetical insertion between dashes or commas
We disagreed strongly, but, I hasten to add, we remained close friends afterwards.
我們意見分歧得很激烈，但容我補一句，事後仍是好朋友。
Iker enjoys the spotlight — not, he hastens to add, the kind that comes with bad publicity.
Iker 享受眾人的目光，但他要趕緊強調，可不是負面新聞那種。
The novel is partly autobiographical, although, the author hastens to add, the murder scene is entirely invented.
這本小說有部分是作者的自傳，不過作者要先澄清，謀殺場景純屬虛構。
Christopher arrived two hours late — through no fault of his own, I hasten to add — and apologised to every guest.
Christopher 遲到了兩小時——容我先說明，並非他的錯——並向每位賓客致歉。
- must add
less formal alternative for the same hedge.
- should mention
softer; suggests politeness rather than urgency.
文法句型
I hasten to add/say/point out + that-clause
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 4 is a fixed parenthetical phrase set off by commas or dashes that softens or qualifies a preceding statement; sense 2 describes an actual rapid act of speech or action somewhere in a narrative. If the phrase can be lifted out and the sentence still makes sense, it is sense 4.