duplication

duplication — noun

1. the process of creating something that matches an original exactly, such as a ph

1.名詞B2
釋義

the process of creating something that matches an original exactly, such as a photocopy of a document or a copy of a digital file; can also refer to the copy itself

例句

Amani made a duplication of the house key so her sister could let herself in.

collocation: duplication of + physical object

The museum keeps digital duplications of its ancient paintings for research.

collocation: digital duplication

同義詞
  • copying

    more general; describes the action without emphasising exactness of the result

  • replication

    more formal, often used in scientific or technical contexts (e.g. DNA replication)

  • cloning

    specifically refers to creating an identical biological or digital copy; more specialised

反義詞
  • original

    the first version from which a duplication is made

文法句型

duplication of + noun phrase

avoid / prevent + duplication

用法筆記

Often used in computing and office contexts. The verb 'duplicate' is more common than the noun in everyday speech for the action of copying. When referring to the resulting object, 'a duplicate' or 'a copy' is more natural than 'a duplication.'

常見錯誤

❌Please make a duplication of this form for our records.
✅Please make a copy of this form for our records.
💡'duplication' emphasises the process, not the resulting object; use 'copy' or 'duplicate' for the physical result.
❌I need a duplication of your signature.
✅I need a duplicate of your signature.
💡when the resulting item is meant, use the countable noun 'duplicate.'

2. the situation in which work or a task is performed by someone after it has alrea

2.名詞B2
釋義

the situation in which work or a task is performed by someone after it has already been completed by another person, usually wasting time, money, or resources as a result

例句

The two teams found a lot of duplication of effort between their projects.

collocation: duplication of effort

Liang noticed the duplication in their reports and merged the two sections into one.

同義詞
  • repetition

    more neutral; describes something being done again without necessarily implying waste

  • redundancy

    emphasises the unnecessary nature; common in business contexts (e.g. 'redundancy of roles')

  • overlap

    partial duplication where two things cover the same ground but are not identical

反義詞
  • efficiency

    doing things with minimum wasted time or effort

文法句型

duplication of + effort / work

avoid + duplication

unnecessary duplication

用法筆記

Frequently appears in business, project management, and administrative contexts. Common in set phrases such as 'duplication of effort', 'duplication of work', and 'duplication of resources.' Unlike sense 1, this sense always carries a negative implication of waste.

常見錯誤

❌There was a duplication of the song on the radio this morning.
✅There was a repetition of the song on the radio this morning.
💡'duplication' (sense 2) refers to unnecessary repeated work by different people, not to an event happening again in time.
❌The duplication of the meeting was very helpful.
✅The repetition of the meeting was very helpful.' or 'Holding the meeting again was very helpful.
💡'duplication' implies wasted effort, so it cannot be used positively here.