detect
detect — verb
1. to become aware of something that is hard to see, hear, or notice because it is
to become aware of something that is hard to see, hear, or notice because it is not obvious or is intentionally kept from view.
Eliska detected a hint of sadness in her friend's voice during the phone call.
detect + emotion in voice/speech
In the old photograph, the detective detected a small figure standing near the back door.
Even by dim light, Hugo detected a crack in the wall behind the sofa.
Baraka detected that his colleague was nervous from the way she kept tapping her pen.
The teacher detected a note of worry in the student's question about the final exam.
文法句型
detect + noun phrase
detect + that-clause
detect + wh-clause
用法筆記
This sense focuses on becoming aware of subtle cues — a tone of voice, a faint smell, a small change in appearance. The subject is usually a person, but the object is always something non-obvious.
常見錯誤
2. to find or identify the presence of something by using technical devices, sensor
to find or identify the presence of something by using technical devices, sensors, or laboratory procedures.
The hospital's new scanner can detect tumours at a very early stage.
detect + medical condition with scanner
Scientists detected traces of heavy metals in the river water near the factory.
The security system detected movement in the corridor at two in the morning.
Using a sensitive microphone, the research team detected sounds from deep inside the ice.
No radioactive material was detected at the site during the final safety check.
文法句型
detect + noun phrase
be detected + prepositional phrase
can/could detect + noun phrase
用法筆記
Very common in passive constructions and with 'can/could' to describe what a device or system is capable of finding. The subject is typically a machine, instrument, or scientist, and the object is a measurable substance, signal, or phenomenon.