improvement
/ɪmˈpruːvmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪmˈpruːvmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /im-ˈprüv-mənt/ (ame, mw)
improvement — 名詞
- improvementsingular
- improvementsplural
1. a situation in which the quality or standard of something rises, or an effort to
改善；進步
事物變得更好，或使其更好的行為
a situation in which the quality or standard of something rises, or an effort to bring this about
Ravindra has shown a noticeable improvement in his maths test scores this semester.
Ravindra 這學期的數學測驗成績有明顯的進步。
countable: an improvement in [area]
The city is working on the improvement of public transport in the northern suburbs.
市政府正在改善北郊的公共交通。
uncountable: the improvement of [something]
Tuan made several improvements to the garden, adding new flower beds and a stone path.
Tuan 在花園裡做了幾項改善，添了新的花圃和一條石板步道。
The company still has room for improvement when dealing with customer complaints.
該公司在處理客戶投訴方面仍有改善空間。
Zayd’s swimming coach saw a clear improvement after just two weeks of practice.
Zayd 的游泳教練在僅僅兩週的練習後就看出了明顯的進步。
- advance
suggests forward movement or progress, often in knowledge or technology; slightly more formal
- progress
uncountable noun focusing on continuous development over time; cannot be used for a single specific change (✖ 'a progress')
- enhancement
more formal; often used for specific qualities, features, or digital content rather than general betterment
- decline
a gradual downward change in quality, amount, or strength
- deterioration
more formal than decline; becoming worse in condition, often due to neglect or wear
文法句型
improvement in [area/quality]
improvement to [thing/place]
make [adjective] improvement(s)
用法筆記
The countable form (an improvement / improvements) is used when referring to specific changes or results, such as changes made to a building or system. The uncountable form is used for the general concept or process of getting better.
常見錯誤
❖ 'I have a lot of improvement in my English this year.' ✅ 'I have made a lot of improvement in my English this year.' — 'improvement' is usually paired with 'make' or 'show', not 'have'.
❖ 'The new system is a big improvement of the old one.' ✅ 'The new system is a big improvement on the old one.' — use 'on' (or 'over') when comparing the improved thing to the original.