phone
/fəʊn/ (bre, ipa) · /fəʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfōn/ (ame, mw) · /foʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /-fəʊn/ (bre, ipa)
phone — 名詞
- phonesingular
- phonesplural
1. equipment for speaking to somebody far away by voice.
電話
可遠距離通話的裝置
equipment for speaking to somebody far away by voice.
Maya left her phone on the kitchen table before school.
Maya 上學前把電話放在廚房桌上。
The nurse answered the phone while the doctor washed his hands.
醫生洗手時，護士接了電話。
answer the phone
Our hotel room phone rang just after midnight.
我們旅館房裡的電話剛過午夜就響了。
Ken uses his phone to call his grandmother in Tainan.
Ken 用電話打給住在台南的祖母。
- telephone
the fuller word; slightly more formal or old-fashioned in some contexts
- mobile
common in British English for a portable phone only
- cell phone
common in American English for a portable phone only
文法句型
answer the phone
use a phone to call somebody
phone + rings
用法筆記
Covers both landlines and mobile devices unless the context makes one kind clear.
常見錯誤
2. contact with someone through a phone, especially in fixed phrases.
電話聯繫
透過電話進行聯絡
contact with someone through a phone, especially in fixed phrases.
Lena sounded calm on the phone, but her hands were shaking.
Lena 在電話裡聽起來很冷靜，但雙手一直在發抖。
on the phone
First City Bank will not change your address over the phone.
First City Bank 不接受透過電話更改地址。
over the phone
After two hours on the phone, Omar finally reached the airline desk.
講了兩個小時電話後，Omar 終於打到航空公司的櫃台。
Mr. Wu handles most flower orders by phone, not by email.
Wu 先生大多用電話處理花店訂單，不用電子郵件。
- telephone contact
a fuller and more formal phrase
- call contact
less idiomatic and used mainly when contrasting methods of contact
- phone communication
broader and more formal, often in business writing
文法句型
on the phone
by phone
over the phone
用法筆記
Usually follows a preposition such as on, by, or over. Distinguish from noun/1, which names the device itself.
常見錯誤
3. used after be to say a place has a landline connection.
裝市話
某處接有市話線路
used after be to say a place has a landline connection.
The mountain lodge is not on the phone during winter storms.
那間山中旅舍在冬季暴風雪期間沒有裝市話。
be on the phone = have landline service
When the bakery opened in 1962, it was not yet on the phone.
那家麵包店在 1962 年開張時，還沒裝市話。
Only three houses in the village were on the phone then.
那時村裡只有三戶人家裝了市話。
The old clinic went on the phone in 1974.
那間老診所在 1974 年裝上市話。
- have a landline
the clearest everyday paraphrase
- have phone service
broader and slightly more modern in tone
- be connected
shorter, but it can refer to utilities other than telephone service
文法句型
be on the phone
go on the phone
not on the phone
用法筆記
This is an older landline expression about whether a building has telephone service. Distinguish from noun/2, where on the phone means using the phone to talk.
常見錯誤
4. time spent using a mobile for messages, games, or online tasks.
用手機
指傳訊、上網等，不是通話
time spent using a mobile for messages, games, or online tasks.
Suri was on her phone through the whole bus ride.
Suri 整段公車車程都在用手機。
be on your phone
During dinner, both boys stayed on their phones under the table.
吃晚餐時，兩個男孩都在桌下滑手機。
The guard asked visitors not to be on their phones near the painting.
警衛請參觀者不要在畫作旁一直滑手機。
Even in line for coffee, Tina was still on her phone.
連排隊買咖啡時，Tina 還是在滑手機。
- use your phone
the plain everyday paraphrase
- scroll
more specific, usually about moving through content on a screen
- text
narrower, only about sending messages
文法句型
be on your phone
stay on your phone
on their phones
用法筆記
Usually appears with be + on + a possessive. Unlike noun/2, the focus is not a voice call but general mobile use.
常見錯誤
5. a single spoken sound studied in phonetics, not the phoneme category of a langua
實際語音
語音學裡實際發出的單一音
a single spoken sound studied in phonetics, not the phoneme category of a language.
In today's phonetics class, Dr. Lin wrote each phone between square brackets.
今天的語音學課上，Lin 博士把每個實際語音寫在方括號裡。
phone in square brackets
In Dr. Chen's lab, one phoneme was heard as two phones.
在 Chen 博士的實驗室裡，一個音位被聽成兩個實際語音。
phone contrasted with phoneme
Mira marked the first phone in 'pin' as having extra air.
Mira 把「pin」的第一個實際語音標成送氣較強。
The classroom chart grouped similar phones by where the tongue touched.
那張教室圖表依照舌頭接觸的位置，把相近的實際語音分組。
- speech sound
the clearest plain-English paraphrase
- sound unit
broader and less technical
- segment
a technical term that often refers to one speech sound in sequence
文法句型
each phone
different phones
phone in square brackets
用法筆記
Mainly used in phonetics. Distinguish from phoneme, which is the abstract sound category in a language system.
常見錯誤
phone — 動詞
- phonepresent simple I / you / we / they
- phones3rd person singular
- phoning-ing form
- phonedpast simple
1. to call someone and speak to them by phone.
打電話
用電話聯絡某人
to call someone and speak to them by phone.
I'll phone my mother after the train reaches Taichung.
火車到台中後，我會打電話給媽媽。
phone + person
The dentist phoned Alan before the morning appointment.
牙醫在早上的預約前打電話給 Alan。
Please phone Mr. Huang's shop if your printer stops working.
如果印表機壞了，請打電話給黃先生的店。
Rita phoned from the airport when her suitcase disappeared.
Rita 在機場發現行李不見時打了電話。
文法句型
phone somebody
phone from somewhere
phone about something
用法筆記
Often takes the person or place directly as its object. In many everyday contexts, it is interchangeable with call, though phone is slightly more specific about the method.
常見錯誤
phone — 字尾
1. added to words for a person or group that uses a named language.
某語使用者
構成詞，指使用某語的人或群體
added to words for a person or group that uses a named language.
The article compared Francophone writers from Montreal and Dakar.
那篇文章比較了來自 Montreal 和 Dakar 的 Francophone 作家。
-phone for speakers of a language
At school, the new club welcomed both Anglophone and Spanish-speaking students.
學校的新社團同時歡迎 Anglophone 與說西班牙語的學生。
The school survey counted Lusophone families on the north side of town.
那份校內調查統計了鎮上北區的 Lusophone 家庭。
Our teacher explained that Sinophone can name Chinese-speaking communities.
老師解釋說，Sinophone 可以指華語使用者社群。
- language-speaking
a plainer descriptive phrase
- language user
broader and less tied to established learned labels
- speech community label
an explanatory phrase rather than a direct substitute
文法句型
[language root] + -phone
Anglophone / Francophone / Sinophone
用法筆記
Usually appears in academic, cultural, or social description. Distinguish from noun combining form/4, which explains the same element as a meaning part inside word analysis.
常見錯誤
2. added to some words whose whole form names a musical instrument.
樂器名
構成詞，用於樂器名稱
added to some words whose whole form names a musical instrument.
At band practice, Nia carried her saxophone in a black case.
樂團排練時，Nia 把她的 saxophone 裝在黑色琴盒裡。
-phone in an instrument name
The child struck the xylophone and counted each bright note.
那個孩子敲著 xylophone，數著每個明亮的音。
The orchestra tuned a vibraphone before the doors opened.
觀眾進場前，樂團先替 vibraphone 調音。
In music class, Ms. Gao grouped saxophone and xylophone as -phone instruments.
音樂課上，Gao 老師把 saxophone 和 xylophone 歸為 -phone 樂器。
- instrument ending
a plain explanation of its role
- music-word suffix
broader and less precise
文法句型
[root] + -phone
saxophone / xylophone / vibraphone
用法筆記
Most often discussed in word study, because modern English does not freely add this ending to new instrument names. Distinguish from noun combining form/2, which describes the meaning part inside such compounds.
phone — 名詞構詞成分
1. in compound words, a device that sends sound, carries it, or lets people hear it
傳聲裝置
構成詞，指傳送或接收聲音的裝置
in compound words, a device that sends sound, carries it, or lets people hear it.
On the classroom poster, microphone ends with -phone because it carries sound.
在教室海報上，microphone 以 -phone 結尾，因為它是傳聲裝置。
-phone meaning a sound device
In Mei's workbook, page 42 grouped headphone, earphone, and telephone together.
Mei 的練習本第 42 頁把 headphone、earphone 和 telephone 歸在同一組。
On the whiteboard, Mr. Ho wrote sound device under -phone in headphone.
白板上，Ho 老師在 headphone 的 -phone 下方寫了「傳聲裝置」。
The museum poster showed megaphone as another word built with -phone.
博物館海報把 megaphone 列成另一個用 -phone 構成的字。
- sound-device element
an explanatory phrase for word study
- audio-device form
similar in meaning, but more technical in tone
- sound-carrying form
emphasizes transmission rather than the object itself
文法句型
[root] + -phone
microphone / headphone / megaphone
用法筆記
This sense explains the element inside compounds, not a free noun you can use by itself. Distinguish from noun/1, which is the everyday standalone word for a telephone.
常見錯誤
2. in compound words, something whose full word names an instrument for making musi
樂器
構成詞，整個詞表示一種樂器
in compound words, something whose full word names an instrument for making music.
In class, the ending -phone in xylophone helps form the instrument's name.
在課堂上，xylophone 裡的 -phone 幫忙構成整個樂器名稱。
-phone in an instrument compound
Marcy circled vibraphone and saxophone in the list of -phone instruments.
Marcy 在那張 -phone 樂器清單上圈出 vibraphone 和 saxophone。
Our teacher said metallophone is another instrument word with this form.
老師說 metallophone 也是另一個帶有這種樂器構詞的字。
The museum card placed lithophone beside xylophone as another example.
博物館卡片把 lithophone 放在 xylophone 旁邊當另一個例子。
- instrument element
a short explanation of its role in word formation
- music-name form
less exact, but still points to naming function
文法句型
[root] + -phone
xylophone / vibraphone / metallophone
用法筆記
Very close to suffix/2 in meaning. Here the focus is the inner word part in compounds, while suffix/2 treats -phone as the ending used to form such names.
3. in technical compounds, a speech sound or sound segment.
語音片段
構成詞，指語音學中的聲音片段
in technical compounds, a speech sound or sound segment.
On the lecture slide, allophone was split to show -phone for one speech sound.
課堂投影片上，allophone 被拆開來，顯示 -phone 指一個語音片段。
-phone meaning a speech sound
The teacher broke allophone into allo- and -phone during class.
老師上課時把 allophone 拆成 allo- 和 -phone。
On the handout, triphone labeled three linked speech sounds in sequence.
講義上，triphone 用來指連在一起的三個語音片段。
In the speech lab manual, diphone named two sounds spoken as one pair.
語音實驗室手冊裡，diphone 指一起說出的兩個語音片段。
- sound segment
a close technical paraphrase
- speech-sound element
an explanatory phrase for morphology or phonetics classes
文法句型
[prefix] + -phone
allophone / diphone / triphone
用法筆記
Seen mainly when technical terms are explained piece by piece. Distinguish from noun/5, which is the standalone technical noun phone.
4. in compounds, a person or community that uses the language named before it.
語言使用者
構成詞，指前面那種語言的使用者或社群
in compounds, a person or community that uses the language named before it.
On the quiz card, Anglophone showed -phone for an English-speaking group.
小考卡片上，Anglophone 這個字裡的 -phone 指英語使用者群體。
-phone meaning speaker of a language
Our teacher parsed Francophone into a language name plus -phone.
老師把 Francophone 拆成語言名稱加上 -phone。
In the museum essay, Sinophone labeled Chinese-speaking communities in Vancouver and Singapore.
在那篇博物館文章裡，Sinophone 用來標示溫哥華和新加坡的華語社群。
On the map, Lusophone marked places where Portuguese is widely spoken.
地圖上用 Lusophone 標出葡萄牙語普遍通行的地方。
- speaker of
the plainest explanation in normal English
- language community member
broader, especially when the word refers to a group rather than one person
文法句型
[language root] + -phone
Anglophone / Francophone / Sinophone
用法筆記
Most useful when breaking down words such as Anglophone or Francophone. Distinguish from suffix/1, which presents the same ending as a suffix category rather than a meaning element.
phone — 形容詞構詞成分
1. in compounds, linked to people, places, or culture that use a named language.
某語社群的
構成詞，表某語社群或文化相關
in compounds, linked to people, places, or culture that use a named language.
The 2024 education report studied Francophone schools outside Quebec.
那份 2024 年教育報告研究了魁北克以外的 Francophone 學校。
Francophone + plural noun
A small Anglophone neighborhood grew around the port.
港口周圍慢慢形成一個小型 Anglophone 社區。
The museum opened a Sinophone film series for spring.
博物館春季開了一檔 Sinophone 電影系列。
Our guide described the city as a Lusophone cultural center.
導覽員把那座城市形容成一個 Lusophone 文化中心。
- language-based
a plainer descriptive phrase
- language-community
an explanatory label rather than a natural free adjective
文法句型
Francophone school
Anglophone neighborhood
Sinophone media
用法筆記
This sense modifies nouns such as school, media, area, or community. Distinguish from noun combining form/4, which names the people or group themselves.