carrot

carrot — noun

1. a long, thin vegetable with a pointed tip that grows in soil; it has a bright or

1.名詞A2
釋義

a long, thin vegetable with a pointed tip that grows in soil; it has a bright orange outer layer and is eaten either uncooked — for instance in salads or as snack sticks — or boiled, roasted, or added to stews and soups.

例句

Leila chopped three carrots and added them to the soup pot.

countable: individual carrots

A slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is my favourite dessert.

compound: carrot cake

同義詞
  • root vegetable

    broader category; carrot is one type of many root vegetables

  • parsnip

    similar shape but pale cream in colour and sweeter in taste; not interchangeable in recipes

文法句型

carrot(s) → as a vegetable

用法筆記

Countable when referring to individual roots (_two carrots_); uncountable when referring to the food substance (_grated carrot_). The uncountable use is more common in British English cooking contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I bought some carrots at the shop, but they were purple.
✅I bought some carrots at the shop, and a few of them were actually purple.
💡The mistake is thinking purple carrots are wrong or strange; in fact, carrots come in different colours (orange, purple, yellow, white), though bright orange is the most common variety learners will see in supermarkets.

2. a reward dangled in front of someone so that they will work harder or take a par

2.名詞C2
釋義

a reward dangled in front of someone so that they will work harder or take a particular action — the idea is that, like a carrot held before a donkey, the promise of getting it makes people move forward. A company might dangle a promotion as a carrot for hitting sales targets, or a parent might offer a trip as a carrot for good exam results.

例句

The boss held out a bonus as a carrot for finishing the project early.

idiomatic: hold out a carrot

Some parents use extra screen time as a carrot for finishing homework.

carrot + to-infinitive pattern

同義詞
  • incentive

    more formal and general; an incentive can be positive or negative

  • inducement

    more formal, often implying something offered to sway a decision

  • reward

    given after the action; a carrot is offered beforehand as a promise

  • bribe

    negative connotation, usually unethical or illegal; a carrot is neutral or positive

反義詞
  • stick

    the punishment side of the carrot-and-stick approach

  • penalty

    a negative consequence rather than a promised reward

文法句型

(a) carrot + to-infinitive

offer/hold out a carrot

用法筆記

Almost always used in the singular in metaphorical sense, often with '_as a carrot_' or '_hold out a carrot_'. The '_carrot and stick_' idiom pairs this sense with the implied threat of punishment (the stick).

常見錯誤

❌The boss gave his team a carrot to reach the goal.
✅The boss offered the team a bonus as a carrot to reach the goal.
💡The metaphorical carrot needs a specific reward named; it sounds odd as a bare noun without context.