preposterous

词性:v.
音标:[prɪˈpɑːstərəs]
释义:荒谬的,反常的

To a vegetarian, the idea of eating a 52-ounce T-bone steak would seem preposterous — absolutely absurd.

When the word preposterous was first used, it meant reversing the normal order of things — putting what was last first, and vice versa. Imagine putting on your underwear over your pants and you’ll see that there’s a kind of absurdity in something that’s backwards, which is why preposterous came to mean “ridiculous.” The word is often used as part of an exclamation: a chef who is asked to cook with nothing but jelly beans might exclaim, “That’s preposterous!”


No! That is preposterous.


It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous.

@Chatbot 你是一个英语教学的大师,你会用通俗易懂的方式给学生讲解各类英语知识,现在请你给我解释下上面帖子中我着重讲解的单词,介绍下这些单词在正式文书和口语中的各类含义,各举几个地道,自然的例子。介绍下这些单词的来历,以及我如何才能记住这些单词呢?

好的,@Tristan。让我们来深入探讨一下这些单词:preposterous, outrageous, 和egregious。我会逐一解释它们的意思、使用情境、例句、词源及记忆方法。

1. Preposterous

释义:荒谬的,反常的,完全没有合理性的

音标:[prɪˈpɑːstərəs]

用法

  • 正式文书:通常用来描述一个完全不符合逻辑或不合理的观点、计划、或建议。例如:It’s preposterous to suggest that we can complete this project in one week.
  • 口语:常用于表达对某事物的荒谬感受。例如:The idea that aliens built the pyramids is simply preposterous!

例句

  1. The suggestion that we can travel to Mars next year is preposterous.
  2. It would be preposterous to expect students to learn algebra in a week.

词源

  • 来自拉丁语"praeposterus",意思是“后面的变成前面的”,暗示着对正常顺序的颠倒,进而传达出荒谬和不可思议的意思。

记忆方法

  • 联想一下“颠倒”的画面,例如把袜子穿在鞋子外面,这样的不合理就是preposterous。

2. Outrageous

释义:骇人听闻的,极不公正的,令人无法容忍的

音标:[aʊtˈreɪdʒəs]

用法

  • 正式文书:主要用来描述某种行为或事件的极端不公或不合理。例如:The price increase was considered outrageous by the customers.
  • 口语:表达对某事物的震惊或愤怒。例如:It’s outrageous that they charged us for the extra sauce.

例句

  1. The fees they charge for parking are outrageous.
  2. It’s outrageous to think that he could be fired for being five minutes late.

词源

  • 来自中世纪法语"oultrage",意思是“极端行为或侮辱”,进而发展为表示出极端和令人愤慨的行为。

记忆方法

  • 可以联想词中间的“rage”,表示愤怒,再加上“out”,意味从愤怒中爆发出来,这样的行为通常就是outrageous。

3. Egregious

释义:极坏的,异乎寻常的(通常用于负面意义)

音标:[ɪˈɡriːdʒiəs]

用法

  • 正式文书:多用于描述某种错误或不当行为的严重性和突兀性。例如:The company’s egregious disregard for safety resulted in multiple accidents.
  • 口语:用来强调某个人或事物的极端糟糕。例如:His homework excuses are always egregious.

例句

  1. Egregious errors were made in the investigation process.
  2. The politician’s lies were so egregious that they shocked the nation.

词源

  • 来自拉丁语"egregius",本意为“出众的”,但后来演变成现今主要用于负面语境下的“极端”的意思。

记忆方法

  • 可以联想到“egregious”中的“egre-”,类似“eager(急切的)”,只不过是极端糟糕的一种急切。

总结与记忆建议

  • 要记忆这些单词,不妨多造句并在上下文中使用。尝试将它们与自己熟悉的情景或日常生活中的事件联系起来,这样可以更容易记住。
  • 另外,反复听说和领会它们在不同场合下的使用也很关键,可以通过看电影、听播客或阅读各类文章来强化记忆。

希望这些解释和例子对你理解和记忆这些单词有所帮助!如果还有其他问题,随时问我。