cane
cane — noun
- canesingular
- canesplural
1. the firm, tube-like body of tall grasses such as bamboo and sugar cane, used to
the firm, tube-like body of tall grasses such as bamboo and sugar cane, used to make lightweight furniture or cut into short sticks that support garden plants
Sumin bought cane chairs for her balcony, and they stayed in good shape for over a decade.
material use: cane chairs / cane furniture
The garden centre sells strong cane sticks that help tomato plants grow upright.
collocation: cane sticks / garden support
Farmers cut sugar cane by hand when the thick stems turn golden brown.
Bamboo is a fast-growing cane that builders use for scaffolding in many countries.
Years of sunlight had dried the woven cane on Grandfather's armchair until it began to fray.
文法句型
cane + [material noun]
sugar cane / bamboo cane
2. a stick with a curved or straight handle that people who are elderly, injured, o
a stick with a curved or straight handle that people who are elderly, injured, or have difficulty walking hold in their hand to help them stay steady on their feet
After breaking her ankle, Adaeze used a cane to get around the house.
collocation: use a cane / walk with a cane
The wooden cane with a silver handle belonged to Quan's great-grandfather.
Eli tapped his cane on the kerb to check where the pavement ended.
Renata's doctor suggested a lighter cane to reduce the strain on her wrist.
Since losing her sight, Mingxia relies on a white cane to feel for curbs and steps.
- walking stick
a broader term; can be decorative or for hiking, not necessarily used for medical support
- staff
a long, straight stick used for hiking; taller than a cane and usually held at chest height
文法句型
use a cane
walk with a cane
用法筆記
A cane supports part of your body weight; for full weight-bearing support people use crutches (which go under the arms) or a walking frame.
常見錯誤
3. a thin rod made from cane or similar material, used in former times to hit schoo
a thin rod made from cane or similar material, used in former times to hit schoolchildren as a formal punishment for bad behaviour
School records from St. Mark's showed the headmaster used the cane for fighting or stealing.
collocation: use the cane / the cane (singular)
Meera's grandfather recalled being hit with a cane for speaking in class.
passive: hit with a cane / be caned
By the late nineteen-eighties, British state schools had banned the cane after parent complaints.
The headmaster kept a thin cane in his office drawer for disciplinary purposes.
文法句型
the cane
use the cane on [somebody]
用法筆記
This sense is now mostly historical; corporal punishment with a cane has been illegal in most countries for decades. The phrase 'the cane' is commonly used without an article in set expressions ('to get the cane', 'to use the cane').
常見錯誤
cane — verb
- canepresent simple I / you / we / they
- canes3rd person singular
- caning-ing form
- canedpast simple
1. to strike a schoolchild or another person with a thin rod as a formal punishment
to strike a schoolchild or another person with a thin rod as a formal punishment, usually for breaking rules
The teacher caned the boy for drawing on his desk during class.
transitive: cane [somebody] for [something]
In nineteen-fifties Dublin, Mrs. O'Connor caned her son Seamus for fighting on the playground.
Kabir was caned in front of the whole school for stealing lunch money.
Harrow School rules in 1962 stated no teacher could cane a student without the headmaster's permission.
Kenji remembered the day the principal caned him for running in the corridor.
文法句型
cane [somebody]
cane [somebody] for [something]
be caned for [something]
用法筆記
The verb 'cane' is almost always used in past-tense or historical narratives. It has largely fallen out of active use because corporal punishment is now illegal in most countries. The gerund form 'caning' is also common as a noun ('public caning').