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:
- The suggestion that we can travel to Mars next year is preposterous.
- 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:
- The fees they charge for parking are outrageous.
- 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:
- Egregious errors were made in the investigation process.
- 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。