portent

IPA/ˈpɔːtent/
KK[pˈɔrtɛnt]IPA/ˈpɔːrtent/

portent — 名詞

  • portentsingular
  • portentsplural

1. something that happens or appears, which people take as a warning that trouble o

1.名詞C1
釋義

凶兆；預兆

預示壞事將發生的徵兆

something that happens or appears, which people take as a warning that trouble or disaster is coming

例句

Locals viewed the strange lights as a portent of the drought that followed.

當地人將那些奇異的光視為隨後乾旱的凶兆。

portent + of + noun phrase (portent of the drought)

The sudden departure of the seabirds was seen as a portent of the coming typhoon.

海鳥突然離開，被視為颱風即將來臨的預兆。

passive: was seen as a portent

常見搭配
  • portent of doom
  • portent of disaster
  • portent of war
  • portent of trouble
  • portent of things to come
同義詞
  • omen

    more general term; can be good or bad, while 'portent' is almost always negative

  • sign

    less dramatic and more everyday; any indication, not necessarily ominous

  • harbinger

    more literary; can be positive ('harbinger of spring'), 'portent' is not used this way

  • warning

    implies an active alert; 'portent' is a passive sign that people must interpret

文法句型

portent + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

More formal than 'sign' or 'omen'. The word is almost always followed by 'of' when specifying what is foreshadowed. Common in literary, historical, or dramatic contexts.

常見錯誤

The dark clouds are a portent.
The dark clouds are a portent of the storm.
'portent' nearly always needs 'of' to say what it warns about.
The rainbow was a portent of good weather.
The rainbow was a sign of good weather.
'portent' is used mainly for bad or unpleasant events, not positive ones.

同根字

  • portentous
    形容詞C1
  • portend
    動詞C2
  • portentously
    副詞C2

常見搭配

名詞搭配

常用片語

  • a portent of things to come
  • interpret something as a portent
  • read something as a portent
  • view something as a portent

介系詞搭配