eighth
eighth — ordinal number
1. used for referring to the number 8 in a sequence that puts things in order — for
used for referring to the number 8 in a sequence that puts things in order — for example, the eighth person standing in a line, the eighth day of the month, or the eighth item on a list.
Aarav celebrated his eighth birthday with a big party at the park near his house.
eighth + noun (birthday; ordinal position)
Quan lives on the eighth floor of the apartment building next to the river.
The bus stop is at the eighth street after the traffic lights turn left.
This is the eighth time Élise has asked the same question today during class.
Hugo finished in eighth place out of all the runners in the race.
文法句型
the + eighth + noun
possessive + eighth + noun
用法筆記
Unlike cardinal numbers (eight, ten), ordinal numbers like eighth are almost always used with 'the' (the eighth day) or a possessive (his eighth birthday). One exception is in street names: Eighth Avenue.
常見錯誤
eighth — noun
1. any of the eight identical pieces that together form a whole thing — such as an
any of the eight identical pieces that together form a whole thing — such as an eighth of a cake, a litre, or a budget.
Allison cut the pizza into eight slices so each guest could eat an eighth.
an eighth of + whole (fractional part)
The recipe says to add an eighth of a cup of honey to the batter.
Nearly an eighth of the students at Kian's school play a musical instrument after class.
Jisoo ate just an eighth of the cake before putting the rest away.
An eighth of the town's houses were damaged in the flood last winter.
文法句型
an eighth of + noun
one eighth + of + noun
用法筆記
This noun is almost always used with 'an' or 'one' (an eighth of the pie, one eighth of the population). The plural 'eighths' is rare except in mathematical or measurement contexts (eighths of an inch).
常見錯誤
2. the person or thing that occupies the number-eight position in an ordered group
the person or thing that occupies the number-eight position in an ordered group or sequence — for example, the eighth runner to finish a race or the eighth house on a street.
Soraya was the eighth to cross the finish line in the race this morning.
the eighth + to-infinitive (ranking in a series)
Reema was the eighth to reach the top of the mountain during the school hiking trip.
the eighth + to-infinitive (achievement sequence)
Ari was the eighth in the queue at the ticket counter when the show sold out.
Ramón was the eighth called for the job interview that afternoon.
Yuki was the eighth in the national spelling bee, beating over fifty other contestants.
文法句型
the eighth + to-infinitive
the eighth + in/on + noun
用法筆記
This sense overlaps with the ordinal number sense but functions as a noun — it can be the subject or object of a sentence (The eighth was the fastest; He was the eighth to arrive). The ordinal number sense, by contrast, always modifies a following noun (the eighth runner).
常見錯誤
3. in music, a note valued at half the length of a quarter note, drawn as a filled
in music, a note valued at half the length of a quarter note, drawn as a filled oval with a stem and one flag; British English calls this a quaver.
In music class, the children learned to clap a steady rhythm of eighth notes.
eighth notes + noun (music rhythm)
Eighth notes are often written in pairs with a thick beam connecting their stems.
The song begins with four eighth notes followed by two quarter notes.
A quarter note lasts twice as long as an eighth note in standard time signatures.
Eli practiced playing the eighth notes on his flute until the rhythm felt natural.
- quaver
British English term for the same musical note; less common in Taiwan
文法句型
eighth note(s) + verb
play + eighth notes
用法筆記
In American English, this note is called an eighth note. In British English, it is called a quaver. Taiwanese music education commonly uses the American term. The symbol is a filled note head with a stem and one flag (♪).