intermittently
intermittently — 形容詞
1. happening at irregular times, not in a continuous or steady way — for example, r
間歇的；斷續的
不定時發生、不持續的
happening at irregular times, not in a continuous or steady way — for example, rain that stops and starts, or a pain that comes and goes
Sofia's job involved intermittent periods of intense work followed by quiet weeks.
Sofia 的工作包含間歇性的高強度工作期，之後接著幾週較閒的時間。
intermittent + periods — common noun collocation
The intermittent pain in Kwame's knee kept him from training for the marathon.
Kwame 膝蓋的間歇性疼痛使他無法訓練參加馬拉松。
Diego relied on an intermittent bus service that arrived roughly every hour.
Diego 依靠一班間歇發車的公車，大約每小時才來一班。
The intermittent sound of police sirens kept Yuki awake all night.
斷斷續續的警笛聲讓 Yuki 整晚無法入睡。
After the earthquake, the city had intermittent electricity for several weeks.
地震過後，該市斷斷續續供電了數週。
- sporadic
suggests isolated occurrences with no predictable pattern
- irregular
focuses on lack of fixed schedule rather than stop-start nature
- occasional
implies lower frequency, not necessarily a repeated stop-start cycle
- fitful
adds a sense of restlessness or abrupt starting and stopping
- continuous
without any breaks or interruptions
- constant
happening all the time without changing
- steady
regular and even in occurrence
用法筆記
This adjective is less common in everyday speech than the adverb form 'intermittently'. It most often appears with nouns describing weather (rain, showers), systems (service, electricity, signal), and bodily sensations (pain, pulse).
常見錯誤
intermittently — 副詞
1. in a way that stops and starts repeatedly over time, with pauses in between rath
間歇地；斷續地
不規律地、時停時續地
in a way that stops and starts repeatedly over time, with pauses in between rather than happening without interruption
The hotel Wi-Fi worked only intermittently, much to Amara's frustration.
旅館的 Wi-Fi 只能斷斷續續地使用，讓 Amara 很惱火。
worked + intermittently — common verb+adverb pairing with functioning verbs
Rain fell intermittently throughout the afternoon, so Lucia kept her umbrella close.
雨整個下午斷斷續續地下著，所以 Lucia 一直把傘帶在身邊。
The old refrigerator hummed intermittently, waking Fatima up several times each night.
舊冰箱間歇性地發出嗡嗡聲，每晚把 Fatima 吵醒好幾次。
Omar checked his phone intermittently while waiting for the test results.
Omar 在等待考試結果時，不時地查看手機。
The lighthouse beam flashed intermittently across the dark water, guiding ships to safety.
燈塔的光束間歇地在黑暗的水面上閃爍，引導船隻安全航行。
- sporadically
implies scattered, unpredictable occurrences with no rhythm
- irregularly
focuses on lack of a fixed schedule
- fitfully
suggests restless or uneasy starting and stopping, especially with sleep
- off and on
more informal, describes the same stop-start pattern in everyday speech
- continuously
without any breaks or pauses
- steadily
in a regular, even manner
- constantly
all the time, without interruption
用法筆記
This is the most commonly used form in the word family. It frequently pairs with verbs of functioning (works, operates), sensing (flashes, sounds, hums), or occurring (falls, happens). Unlike the adjective, it directly modifies action verbs.