acoustic
acoustic — adjective
1. connected with sound, the way sound travels, or the way the human ear picks it u
connected with sound, the way sound travels, or the way the human ear picks it up.
Bats use acoustic signals to find insects in the dark.
attributive: acoustic + noun (signals, waves, sensors)
Engineers tested the acoustic properties of the new concert hall before opening night.
collocation: acoustic properties / qualities
Dr. Lin studies how whales send acoustic messages across hundreds of miles of ocean.
Workers fitted the studio walls with acoustic panels to block street noise.
The new submarine carries advanced acoustic sensors for tracking nearby ships.
文法句型
acoustic + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (acoustic guitar, acoustic panel, acoustic signal). Rarely used after a linking verb such as 'be' or 'seem'.
常見錯誤
2. describing a guitar, piano, or similar instrument that produces sound through it
describing a guitar, piano, or similar instrument that produces sound through its own body, without plugging into an amplifier.
Jin plays an old acoustic guitar his grandfather gave him.
collocation: acoustic guitar (most common pairing)
The band switched to acoustic instruments for the quiet final song.
Lena prefers acoustic versions of her favourite rock songs.
The cafe hosts an acoustic night every Friday with local singers.
Ed Sheeran often opens his shows with a short acoustic set.
- unplugged
informal; usually describes a performance rather than the instrument
文法句型
acoustic + instrument
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is restricted to musical instruments and performances. If you can swap the noun for 'guitar' or 'concert' and the sentence still makes sense, you are in sense 2.
常見錯誤
acoustic — noun
1. (usually plural: acoustics) the way a room, hall, or building shapes the sound o
(usually plural: acoustics) the way a room, hall, or building shapes the sound of voices and music inside it.
The acoustics of the old church make every whisper carry to the back row.
pattern: the acoustics of + place
Carnegie Hall is famous for its warm and balanced acoustics.
collocation: warm / good / poor acoustics
The architect added wooden panels to improve the acoustics of the new theatre.
The school gym has terrible acoustics, so speeches turn into echoes.
- sound quality
broader; can describe recordings or speakers, not just rooms
文法句型
the acoustics of + place
用法筆記
Almost always plural in this sense ('acoustics'), even though the headword looks singular. The singular 'an acoustic' is not used; for the science, use 'acoustics' as a singular-verb noun: 'Acoustics is a branch of physics.'