description

description — noun

1. A written or spoken account that gives details about what a person, place, objec

1.名詞A2
釋義

A written or spoken account that gives details about what a person, place, object, or event looks like, sounds like, or is like in other ways.

例句

Sven gave a clear description of the thief's clothing to the police officer.

description + of + noun phrase

The museum guide provided a detailed description of each painting in the gallery.

同義詞
  • account

    More neutral and factual; often used for reporting events rather than appearances

  • depiction

    More formal; often used for visual or artistic representations

  • portrayal

    Emphasizes how someone or something is shown, often with a subjective angle

  • sketch

    A brief or rough description, giving only the main features

文法句型

description + of + noun phrase

possessive + description + of + noun phrase

give/provide/write + description + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Countable when referring to a specific account (e.g., "three descriptions") and uncountable when referring to the act itself (e.g., "Description is an important skill for writers"). Frequently followed by the preposition "of" when an object is named.

常見錯誤

❌The police asked for a description about the car.
✅The police asked for a description of the car.
💡Use 'of', not 'about', to introduce the thing being described.

2. Used after "of" to indicate a type, kind, or variety — for example, in phrases l

2.名詞B1
釋義

Used after "of" to indicate a type, kind, or variety — for example, in phrases like "of every description" or "of all descriptions," meaning many different kinds.

例句

The festival had food stalls of every description, from tacos to dumplings.

noun of every description

We found seashells of all descriptions along the beach after the storm.

同義詞
  • type

    More general and common; can be used in a wider range of grammatical structures

  • kind

    Interchangeable with 'type' in most contexts; very common in everyday speech

  • sort

    Similar to 'kind'; often used in informal contexts

  • variety

    Emphasizes difference and range within a group

文法句型

noun + of every description

noun + of all descriptions

noun + of some description

用法筆記

This sense only appears after the preposition "of" in fixed expressions such as "of every description," "of all descriptions," and "of some description." The noun itself is uncountable here and does not follow the usual count/uncount rules of sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The shop sells bags of every descriptions.
✅The shop sells bags of every description.
💡After 'every', keep 'description' singular in this fixed phrase.
❌We had problems of all description.
✅We had problems of all descriptions.
💡After 'all', use the plural 'descriptions'.

3. So great in degree, beauty, horror, or quality that words cannot express it adeq

3.名詞B2
釋義

So great in degree, beauty, horror, or quality that words cannot express it adequately; used in the fixed phrase "beyond description."

例句

The beauty of the sunrise over Mount Fuji was beyond description.

be beyond description — fixed phrase

When Hari saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, its vastness was beyond description.

同義詞
  • indescribable

    Adjective form that can modify a noun directly; more flexible than the phrase 'beyond description'

文法句型

be + beyond description

be + adjective/adverb + beyond description

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase "beyond description" — do not substitute other prepositions ("above description" or "out of description" are incorrect). Grammatically uncountable; no plural form is used. Typically occurs in formal or literary contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The view was out of description.
✅The view was beyond description.
💡The fixed phrase uses 'beyond', not 'out of' or 'above'.
❌The scenes were beyond descriptions.
✅The scenes were beyond description.
💡Keep 'description' singular in this phrase.