lingering
lingering — 形容詞
1. describes something unpleasant or unwanted that continues for a long time, espec
揮之不去
持續很久、久久不散的
describes something unpleasant or unwanted that continues for a long time, especially when it is slowly disappearing — for example, a doubt that stays in your mind, a smell that will not leave a room, or the effects of an illness that last after the main symptoms are gone.
A lingering sadness stayed with the Watanabe family long after the funeral was over.
葬禮結束很久以後，Watanabe 一家人仍籠罩在一股揮之不去的悲傷中。
attributive adjective before abstract noun: lingering sadness
The lingering smell of burnt popcorn filled the office kitchen for the rest of the afternoon.
爆米花燒焦的味道在辦公室廚房裡飄散了一整個下午。
attributive adjective before concrete noun: lingering smell
Doctors warned that the infection might have lingering effects on her lungs for years.
醫生警告說，這次感染可能對她的肺部造成長期的後遺症。
- persistent
more neutral or negative; often used for problems or symptoms that resist treatment
- prolonged
emphasises the duration itself rather than the slow fading
- residual
more formal; used for what remains after the main part is gone, especially in medicine or finance
文法句型
lingering + noun (doubt, smell, effects, pain, question)
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive position). The noun is typically something abstract (doubt, sadness, suspicion) or a sensory experience (smell, taste, pain).
常見錯誤
lingering — 動詞
1. to stay somewhere for more time than is necessary, usually because you are enjoy
逗留
因不願離開而停留不走
to stay somewhere for more time than is necessary, usually because you are enjoying the place or you do not want to leave — for example, staying at a café long after finishing your drink because you like the atmosphere.
Diego lingered at the park bench even after the sun went down, watching the city lights come on.
太陽下山後，Diego 仍在公園長椅上逗留，看著城市的燈光一盞盞亮起。
intransitive + prepositional phrase 'at': lingered at [place]
The children lingered by the ice-cream stall, hoping someone would buy them a cone.
孩子們在冰淇淋攤旁邊徘徊，希望有人會買一支給他們。
intransitive + prepositional phrase 'by': lingered by [place]
After the party ended, a few guests lingered in the garden, talking under the stars.
派對結束後，幾位客人在花園裡待著聊天，頭頂是滿天星斗。
文法句型
linger + prepositional phrase (at, in, by, over, near)
用法筆記
Commonly followed by a prepositional phrase indicating location. The preposition choice depends on the type of place: 'at' for specific spots, 'in' for larger spaces, 'by' or 'near' for landmarks.
常見錯誤
2. if a feeling, smell, taste, sound, or memory lingers, it continues to exist for
殘留
緩慢持續存在、逐漸消失
if a feeling, smell, taste, sound, or memory lingers, it continues to exist for a long time after the thing that caused it has ended, slowly becoming weaker — for example, the smell of a candle that stays in a room hours after it was blown out.
The sweet smell of jasmine lingered in the courtyard long after the flowers were picked.
茉莉花的甜香在花朵被摘掉很久之後，仍殘留在庭院裡。
subject = smell, intransitive + prepositional phrase 'in'
A strange feeling of unease lingered in Mei-Ling's chest for days after the phone call.
那通電話之後好幾天，Mei-Ling 心中仍殘留著一股奇怪的不安感。
subject = abstract emotion, intransitive + prepositional phrase 'in'
The last notes of the violin solo lingered in the concert hall before fading into silence.
小提琴獨奏的最後幾個音符在音樂廳中縈繞許久，才漸漸歸於寂靜。
文法句型
[sensation / emotion / smell / sound] + linger + (prepositional phrase / adverbial)
用法筆記
The subject is almost never a person — it is a sensory or emotional phenomenon (smell, taste, sound, doubt, fear, memory). This sense is the one most closely related to the adjective 'lingering'.
常見錯誤
3. to take an unnecessarily long time to do something, especially because you are a
拖延
行動遲緩、拖延不做
to take an unnecessarily long time to do something, especially because you are avoiding it or do not want to start — for example, spending twenty minutes deciding what to order because you cannot make up your mind.
Olu lingered over the report for two hours, rewriting sentences that were fine the first time.
Olu 在報告上磨蹭了兩個小時，不斷改寫本來就已經寫好的句子。
intransitive + 'over' + [task]: lingered over the report
Please do not linger on this decision — the scholarship deadline is next Friday.
請不要在決定上拖延——獎學金的申請截止日期是下週五。
intransitive + 'on' + [abstract noun]: linger on a decision
Fatima lingered over her breakfast until her train was already ten minutes late.
Fatima 慢慢地吃早餐，最後她的火車已經晚了十分鐘。
- procrastinate
more formal; suggests deliberately putting something off
- dawdle
less formal; often used for moving slowly rather than delaying a task
- dally
old-fashioned; suggests wasting time in a carefree way
文法句型
linger + over + [task / decision / meal]
用法筆記
Commonly paired with 'over' (lingered over a meal, a task, a decision) or 'on' (linger on a topic, question, choice). The preposition signals what is being delayed.