canal

canal — noun

1. a water channel built by people so that boats and ships can travel across land,

1.名詞B1
釋義

a water channel built by people so that boats and ships can travel across land, or so that water reaches farms and crops

例句

The Watanabe family took a boat trip along the historic canal.

Farmers use this canal to bring water to their rice fields during the dry season.

collocation: bring water to fields

同義詞
  • waterway

    a more general term for any navigable water route, not necessarily man-made

  • channel

    can refer to a natural or artificial passage, often used for narrower stretches of water

用法筆記

Often used with 'along', 'through', or 'by' when describing movement: 'walked along the canal', 'sailed through the canal', 'a house by the canal'.

常見錯誤

❌Ships sailed through the canal in Panama.
✅Ships sailed through the Panama Canal.
💡'Panama Canal' is a proper name and takes a capital C.

2. a narrow tube inside a human or animal body through which air, food, or other su

2.名詞B2
釋義

a narrow tube inside a human or animal body through which air, food, or other substances pass from one part to another

例句

Food travels through the alimentary canal after you swallow it.

alimentary canal — the digestive passage

The ear canal carries sound waves from the outer ear to the eardrum.

ear canal — part of the hearing system

同義詞
  • duct

    more technical, usually refers to a passage that carries a specific fluid (tear duct, bile duct)

  • passage

    a more general term for any path or channel in the body

用法筆記

Most commonly used in fixed medical combinations: 'alimentary canal', 'ear canal', 'birth canal'. Only the 'ear canal' appears frequently in everyday conversation.