agency

agency — noun

1. a private company that arranges things on behalf of customers, such as travel, j

1.名詞B1
釋義

a private company that arranges things on behalf of customers, such as travel, jobs, advertising, or houses to rent — for example, a travel agency books flights and hotels for you.

例句

Xander found her summer internship through a small recruitment agency in Taipei.

collocation: recruitment agency

The travel agency on Zhongxiao Road booked our flights and hotel in Osaka.

collocation: travel agency

同義詞
  • firm

    broader; any company, not just one acting for clients

  • bureau

    often used for information or news services

  • office

    more general; any workplace location

文法句型

a/an + agency

agency + for + noun

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by a modifier that names the service (travel, recruitment, advertising, estate, modeling). Bare 'an agency' without context is rare.

常見錯誤

❌I work at an agency' (with no context).
✅I work at a travel agency.
💡English speakers expect a modifier saying what kind of agency.

2. an official department set up by a government to carry out a specific public tas

2.名詞C1
釋義

an official department set up by a government to carry out a specific public task, such as protecting the environment, collecting taxes, or running spy operations.

例句

The Environmental Protection Agency fined the factory for dumping waste into the river.

proper-noun pattern: [Topic] + Agency

Three federal agencies are investigating the bank for hiding money from foreign clients.

plural: federal agencies

同義詞
  • department

    usually a unit within a ministry; broader scope

  • bureau

    common in American government names (e.g. FBI)

  • authority

    stresses official power to regulate

文法句型

proper noun + Agency

government agency

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: a government agency is funded by the state and serves the public; a business agency (sense 1) is private and serves paying clients. In proper names, capitalised: 'the Central Intelligence Agency'.

常見錯誤

❌I went to the agency to get a passport.
✅I went to the government agency to get a passport.
💡without 'government', readers may assume a private business.

3. the power someone has to make their own decisions and shape their own life — for

3.名詞C2
釋義

the power someone has to make their own decisions and shape their own life — for example, a child who is allowed to pick their own clothes is gaining agency.

例句

After the accident, Mateo worked hard to recover his sense of agency over daily tasks.

collocation: sense of agency

The novel shows how the village women slowly gained agency in family decisions.

gain agency in + noun

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

a sense of agency

personal/human agency

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense — never 'an agency' or 'agencies'. Common in academic, social-science, and self-help writing. Frequent collocates: 'sense of', 'human', 'personal', 'gain', 'have', 'lack', 'over'.

常見錯誤

❌She gained an agency over her own life.
✅She gained agency over her own life.
💡uncountable, no 'a/an' or plural.

4. the means by which something happens, named with the phrase 'through the agency

4.名詞C2
釋義

the means by which something happens, named with the phrase 'through the agency of' to point at the person or thing that brought the result about.

例句

The peace deal was reached through the agency of a respected Norwegian diplomat.

fixed phrase: through the agency of

Seeds travel from island to island through the agency of seabirds and ocean currents.

agency of + natural force

同義詞

文法句型

through the agency of + noun

by the agency of + noun

用法筆記

Almost only seen inside the fixed phrase 'through/by the agency of …'. Formal and slightly old-fashioned; in everyday writing, prefer 'through' or 'with the help of'.

常見錯誤

❌The deal happened by agency of a diplomat.
✅The deal happened through the agency of a diplomat.
💡the determiner 'the' is required inside this fixed phrase.