tone
/təʊn/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈon] /toʊn/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈon] /ˈtōn/ (ame, mw) · [tˈon] /təʊn/ (ame, ipa)
tone — 動詞
- tonepresent simple I / you / we / they
- tones3rd person singular
- toning-ing form
- tonedpast simple
1. To make a specific area of the body tighter and more defined by doing regular ph
緊實
透過運動使肌肉結實
To make a specific area of the body tighter and more defined by doing regular physical activities such as lifting weights, doing yoga, or running.
Linh tones her arms by lifting small weights three times a week.
Linh 每週舉三次小重量的啞鈴來緊實她的手臂。
collocation: tone + body part (arms)
Regular yoga sessions helped Padma tone her stomach muscles.
定期做瑜伽幫助 Padma 緊實了她的腹部肌肉。
The personal trainer showed Christopher exercises to tone his legs and back.
私人教練教 Christopher 一些可以緊實腿部和背部的運動。
David's new workout plan is designed to tone his entire upper body.
David 的新健身計畫是用來緊實他整個上半身的。
Tara noticed that swimming every morning toned her shoulders and arms.
Tara 發現每天早上的游泳緊實了她的肩膀和手臂。
- firm
more general, can refer to skin as well as muscles
- strengthen
emphasises power gain rather than visible definition
- sculpt
more informal, suggests shaping the body's appearance
- soften
lose firmness; the opposite effect on muscles
文法句型
tone + body part
tone + up + body part
用法筆記
Object is always a body part or area of the body. Frequently used with 'up': 'tone up your legs.' The noun form 'toning' is common in fitness contexts ('arm toning exercises').
常見錯誤
tone — 名詞
- tonesingular
- tonesplural
1. The way a person's voice reveals their feelings or attitude, especially about th
語氣
說話時流露的態度或情緒
The way a person's voice reveals their feelings or attitude, especially about the person they are talking to.
Mira's tone when she spoke to the waiter was sharp and quite rude.
Mira 對服務生說話的語氣既尖銳又相當不客氣。
tone + possessive + adjective showing attitude
You could tell from his tone that Christopher was not interested in the plan.
你可以從 Christopher 的語氣聽出他對這個計畫不感興趣。
from [possessive] tone
The manager's tone softened when she realized how upset her employee was.
經理發現她的員工很難過時，語氣就緩和了下來。
Salma tried to keep her tone light and friendly despite her frustration.
Salma 儘管感到沮喪，還是努力保持輕鬆友善的語氣。
Élise's tone of voice made it obvious that the discussion had come to an end.
Élise 的語氣清楚表明討論已經結束了。
- manner
broader — covers behaviour and expression, not just voice
- delivery
more specific to how words are spoken
- inflection
technical term for changes in pitch, not general attitude
文法句型
tone + of + noun phrase
possessive + tone
adjective + tone
用法筆記
Often used with adjectives describing the emotional quality (sharp, gentle, angry, calm, sarcastic). The possessive form (his tone, her tone) is very common.
常見錯誤
2. How a person's voice sounds to the ear — for instance, whether it is deep, soft,
音質
聲音的高低、軟硬等物理特質
How a person's voice sounds to the ear — for instance, whether it is deep, soft, warm, or rough.
Daichi has a deep, rich tone that makes him stand out as a speaker.
Daichi 擁有深沉、飽滿的音質，讓他成為出色的演講者。
adjective + tone describing vocal quality
The nurse's calm tone helped settle the frightened child in the waiting room.
護士冷靜的嗓音幫助安撫了候診室裡受驚的孩子。
Valentina's voice has a warm and friendly tone that children naturally trust.
Valentina 的聲音帶著溫暖友善的音質，孩子們自然就信任她。
As Christopher grew older, the tone of his voice became rougher and quieter.
隨著 Christopher 年紀增長，他的嗓音變得更加粗糙、更加低沉。
Ada has such a soft tone that people in the back cannot hear her clearly.
Ada 的音質非常輕柔，坐在後面的人常常聽不清楚她的話。
文法句型
adjective + tone
tone of + [possessive] + voice
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 describes the physical or acoustic quality of the voice (deep, soft, rough), while sense 1 describes the emotional attitude (angry, sarcastic, warm). A deep tone (sense 2) can be used in an angry tone (sense 1).
常見錯誤
3. The use of different voice pitches on individual syllables or words to tell sepa
聲調
語音高低變化；區別字義的聲調
The use of different voice pitches on individual syllables or words to tell separate meanings apart — for example, saying ma on a flat pitch versus a rising pitch gives different words in Mandarin.
In Mandarin Chinese, the tone of the syllable ma can change its entire meaning.
在中文裡，「ma」這個音節的聲調會完全改變它的意思。
tone changes meaning in tonal languages
Folake struggled with the rising tone needed at the end of questions in Cantonese.
Folake 不太能掌握粵語疑問句結尾需要上揚的聲調。
Linguists compare how tone patterns in Thai differ from those in Vietnamese.
語言學家比較泰語和越南語的聲調模式有何不同。
A falling tone can turn a simple statement into a command in some languages.
在某些語言中，下降的聲調可以把陳述句變成命令句。
The student practiced the four tones of Mandarin every morning before class.
那位學生每天早上上課前練習中文的四聲。
- pitch
the actual highness/lowness of a sound; tone is the meaningful pattern of pitch changes
- intonation
pitch patterns across a phrase/sentence; broader than lexical tone
文法句型
the + adjective + tone
tone + of + language
verb + tone
用法筆記
Commonly used with the adjectives 'rising', 'falling', 'flat', and 'contour'. In tonal languages, each syllable carries a specific tone that distinguishes words from one another.
常見錯誤
4. The overall mood, character, or atmosphere that a text, speech, conversation, me
基調；氣氛
文章、場合或談話的整體氛圍
The overall mood, character, or atmosphere that a text, speech, conversation, meeting, or other situation conveys.
The tone of the meeting changed when the manager announced the budget cuts.
經理宣布削減預算時，會議的氣氛就變了。
tone of + [event/situation]
Her letter had a grateful and warm tone that touched everyone who read it.
她的信件帶有感激而溫暖的基調，感動了每一位讀信的人。
Eliska set a serious tone for the presentation by starting with the bad news.
Eliska 以壞消息開場，為整個簡報定下了嚴肅的基調。
The opening music gave the ceremony a hopeful and uplifting tone throughout.
開場音樂為典禮帶來了充滿希望且振奮人心的基調。
The tone of the conversation stayed relaxed until someone brought up politics.
談話的氣氛一直很輕鬆，直到有人提起了政治話題。
- mood
more emotional/affective; tone includes attitude and character, not just feeling
- atmosphere
refers to the surrounding feeling; more ambient than tone
- character
describes the overall nature; tone is more specific to expressive quality
文法句型
the tone of + noun
set the tone
adjective + tone
用法筆記
Frequently used in the fixed phrase 'set the tone' meaning to establish the general mood at the start of something. Also common with 'the tone of' followed by a noun (meeting, speech, article, book).
常見錯誤
5. A particular shade, tint, or variation of a colour, ranging from lighter to dark
色調
顏色的深淺程度或變化
A particular shade, tint, or variation of a colour, ranging from lighter to darker versions of that colour.
The living room was painted in a warm tone of yellow that felt like sunshine.
客廳漆了溫暖的黃色調，感覺像灑滿了陽光。
a [warm/cool] tone of [colour]
Indra chose a cooler tone of blue for the bedroom to make it feel calm.
Indra 選了較冷的藍色調來漆臥室，讓空間感覺寧靜。
This lipstick has a pink tone that looks good on most skin colours.
這款口紅帶有粉紅色調，在大多數膚色上看起來都很好看。
Ari adjusted the colour tone on the photo to make it look warmer and richer.
Ari 調整了照片的色調，讓它看起來更溫暖、更豐富。
The artist mixed different tones of green to paint the forest scene accurately.
藝術家混合了深淺不同的綠色調，來準確描繪森林的景色。
文法句型
adjective + tone + of + colour
a + adjective + tone
6. The healthy firmness and tightness of a person's body, especially their muscles
肌力；緊實度
肌肉或皮膚的健康緊實狀態
The healthy firmness and tightness of a person's body, especially their muscles and skin.
Regular swimming helps maintain good muscle tone without stressing the joints.
定期游泳有助維持良好的肌力，又不會對關節造成壓力。
muscle tone
After the accident, Gita did months of physiotherapy to regain tone in her leg.
車禍之後，Gita 做了好幾個月的物理治療來恢復腿部的肌力。
The fitness instructor noticed that her arms had lost tone after she stopped lifting weights.
那位健身教練發現自己停止舉重後，手臂的緊實度就下降了。
Yoga is excellent for improving both flexibility and overall body tone.
瑜伽對於改善柔軟度和整體身體緊實度都非常有效。
The doctor checked the tone of the patient's muscles after the long surgery.
醫生在長時間手術後檢查了病人肌肉的緊實度。
- flabbiness
lack of firmness in muscles
文法句型
possessive + tone
adjective + tone
verb + tone
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a tone' or 'two tones' in this sense. Use 'muscle tone' or 'body tone'. Common collocations: 'build tone', 'lose tone', 'regain tone', 'improve tone'.
常見錯誤
7. In Western music, a tone is the standard unit for measuring the pitch gap betwee
全音
音階中兩個相鄰音符的距離，等於兩個半音
In Western music, a tone is the standard unit for measuring the pitch gap between two adjacent notes on a scale, equal in width to two semitones.
Rohan practiced the C major scale on the piano, moving up one tone at a time.
Rohan 在鋼琴上練習 C 大調音階，一次往上移動一個全音。
collocation: whole tone / half tone
A whole tone is the distance in pitch between the notes C and D on a standard keyboard.
一個全音是標準鍵盤上 C 音和 D 音之間的音高距離。
During her lesson, Élise learned to tell the difference between a tone and a semitone by ear.
Élise 在課堂上學會用耳朵分辨全音與半音的差別。
Mateo found it easier to sing scales built from whole tones than from semitones.
Mateo 發現用全音來唱音階比用半音容易多了。
Jisoo discovered that the gap from E to F sharp on the guitar equals exactly one tone.
Jisoo 發現吉他上 E 音到 F 升記號之間的距離正好是一個全音。
- whole tone
more common term for this specific interval in British English
- whole step
North American equivalent; used interchangeably in music education
- semitone
half the width of a tone; the smallest interval in Western music
用法筆記
In music theory, one tone equals two semitones. This is the standard interval in Western classical and popular music for building major scales.
常見錯誤
8. The particular character or colour of a sound produced by a voice or a musical i
音色
樂器或歌聲聽起來的特質
The particular character or colour of a sound produced by a voice or a musical instrument, determined by factors such as warmth, brightness, or richness rather than by pitch or loudness.
The old violin has a warm, sweet tone that fills the entire concert hall.
這把老舊的小提琴有著溫暖甜美的音色，能響徹整個音樂廳。
collocation: warm tone / sweet tone
Stephanie adjusted the equaliser on her speakers to improve the tone of the music.
Stephanie 調整了喇叭上的等化器，讓音樂的音色變得更好。
Nia loved the bright, clear tone of the new flute her grandmother gave her.
Nia 很喜歡祖母送她的新長笛那明亮清澈的音色。
The tone of an acoustic guitar sounds much richer than that of a cheap electric one.
木吉他的音色聽起來比便宜的電吉他豐富多了。
Wren could recognise the instrument just from its unique tone before seeing it on stage.
Wren 光憑獨特的音色就能認出那項樂器，不用等到它出現在舞臺上。
- timbre
the technical musical term for the quality that distinguishes one instrument from another
- sound quality
more general phrase describing how something sounds to the listener
用法筆記
Describes the character of a sound, not its pitch or volume. Frequently modified by adjectives of quality such as warm, bright, rich, mellow, or harsh.
常見錯誤
9. A steady or repeating sound produced by a telephone network to indicate the stat
提示音
電話系統發出的持續聲音，表示線路狀態
A steady or repeating sound produced by a telephone network to indicate the status of a call, such as whether the line is ready, ringing, or already in use.
Yan picked up the phone and heard the dial tone before calling his mother.
Yan 拿起電話，聽到撥號音後才打電話給媽媽。
collocation: dial tone
After Pim dialled the number, a ringing tone told her the call was going through.
Pim 撥完號碼後，聽到響鈴聲，知道電話正在接通。
collocation: ringing tone
Heloísa put the phone down when the busy tone started, meaning the line was in use.
Heloísa 聽到忙線音就把電話掛了，表示對方正在通話中。
If you hear a repeated short tone on the phone, your call did not connect properly.
如果你在電話中聽到重複的短音，表示你的通話沒有順利接通。
Hassan waited for the dial tone before he typed in the international code for Japan.
Hassan 等到撥號音出現，才輸入打往日本的國際代碼。
- dial tone
the specific tone indicating the line is ready for dialling
- ringing tone
the specific tone indicating the call is going through
- busy tone
the specific tone indicating the line is occupied
用法筆記
British English uses engaged tone where American English uses busy tone. Dial tone is universal for the sound that tells you to start dialling.