whale
whale — 名詞
- whalesingular
- whalesplural
1. One of the largest creatures on Earth, this ocean-dwelling animal takes in air t
鯨魚
海洋中的大型哺乳動物
One of the largest creatures on Earth, this ocean-dwelling animal takes in air through a blowhole and nurses its young with milk.
Hiro saw a whale jump out of the water during his trip to the coast.
Hiro 到海邊旅遊時，看到一頭鯨魚從水中躍起。
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth.
藍鯨是地球上曾經存在過的最大動物。
species name: blue whale; superlative construction
A mother whale keeps her baby close for many months after birth.
鯨魚媽媽在生產後的幾個月裡，會讓寶寶緊緊跟在自己身邊。
animal family behavior: mother + calf
Whales rise to the surface every few minutes to take a breath of air.
鯨魚每隔幾分鐘就會浮到水面呼吸空氣。
The tour boat stopped so passengers could watch the whales swimming nearby.
觀光船停了下來，讓乘客觀賞附近游動的鯨魚。
- blue whale
- humpback whale
- killer whale
- whale watching
- whale song
- pod of whales
- whale migration
- cetacean
scientific term for the group that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises; very formal, not used in everyday speech
文法句型
a/the whale
whales (plural)
常見錯誤
2. A person or thing that is extremely large, impressive, or important in a noticea
龐然大物
體積或影響力極大的人事物
A person or thing that is extremely large, impressive, or important in a noticeable way.
The new stadium is a whale of a building that can be seen from across the city.
那座新體育館是棟龐然大物，從市區各處都看得見。
pattern: a whale of a [noun] — emphasising size
In the world of technology, their company is a whale that smaller businesses hope to compete with.
在科技界，他們公司是個巨擘，小企業都希望能跟它競爭。
Rodrigo pulled a whale of a fish out of the lake on his first try with a new rod.
Rodrigo 第一次拿起新釣竿，就從湖裡釣起一條好大的魚。
pattern: a whale of a [noun] — emphasising impressiveness
The final report they wrote was a whale of a document, nearly two hundred pages long.
他們寫的最終報告厚得嚇人，將近兩百頁。
- a whale of a [noun]
- a whale of a problem
- a whale of a deal
- minnow
informal; describes a very small person or organization, often contrasted with 'whale' in business contexts
文法句型
a whale of a [noun]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the phrase 'a whale of a [noun]', which adds emphasis to the size or quality of the following noun. This structure is informal and often used for emphasis in spoken English.
常見錯誤
To enjoy yourself very much; to have a wonderfully fun experience.
玩得非常開心
The children had a whale of a time splashing in the pool all afternoon.
Everyone at the wedding had a whale of a time dancing and laughing until midnight.
whale — 動詞
- whalepresent simple I / you / we / they
- whales3rd person singular
- whaling-ing form
- whaledpast simple
1. To hunt and kill whales, particularly for their meat, oil, or other products obt
捕鯨
獵捕鯨魚以獲取其肉、油等
To hunt and kill whales, particularly for their meat, oil, or other products obtained from the body.
People in this coastal town have been whaling for more than two hundred years.
這個沿海城鎮的居民捕鯨已有兩百多年的歷史。
present perfect continuous with duration
Several countries have agreed not to whale in protected ocean areas anymore.
有幾個國家已同意不再於海洋保護區捕鯨。
The documentary showed how small communities used to whale from wooden boats.
那部紀錄片呈現了小漁村過去如何靠木船捕鯨。
historical context: 'used to' + infinitive
International treaties now heavily restrict where nations may whale.
國際條約現在嚴格限制各國可以在哪些海域捕鯨。
Tensions rose when a foreign ship was caught whaling inside the protected zone.
一艘外國船隻在保護區內捕鯨被發現，引發了緊張局勢。
passive construction: 'was caught whaling'
- go whaling
- whaling industry
- whaling ban
- whaling ship
- whaling treaty
文法句型
go whaling
whale (intransitive)
用法筆記
In modern English, the gerund form 'whaling' and the phrase 'go whaling' are far more common than simple past-tense uses of 'whale'. The verb is rarely used in everyday conversation outside discussions of the whaling industry or its history.
同根字
- whaler名詞C1
- whaling名詞B2
- whalelike形容詞C2
常見搭配
名詞搭配
- whale watching
- whale migration
- whale population
- whale species
- whale meat
常用片語
- pod of whales
- school of whales
- humpback whale
- blue whale
- killer whale
- beluga whale