elephant

elephant — noun

1. A very large land animal native to Africa and Asia, with grey skin, a long trunk

1.名詞A2
釋義

A very large land animal native to Africa and Asia, with grey skin, a long trunk used for breathing and grasping objects, large ears, and two long curved teeth called tusks.

例句

The elephant at the zoo used its trunk to spray water on the visitors.

collocation: trunk + spray water

Aylin could see a herd of elephants drinking from the river during her trip.

collocation: a herd of elephants

同義詞
  • pachyderm

    A formal, scientific term for thick-skinned mammals including elephants, rhinos, and hippos; rarely used in everyday speech.

文法句型

an + elephant

a herd of + elephants

elephant + verb expressing animal action

用法筆記

Two living species exist: the African elephant (larger ears, both sexes grow tusks) and the Asian elephant (smaller ears, only males have visible tusks). The noun is countable — one elephant, two elephants.

常見錯誤

❌Elephant have a long trunk.
✅An elephant has a long trunk.
💡The subject 'elephant' is singular and needs the article 'a/an' or 'the', and the verb must agree in the third-person singular form.
❌The elephant's tooth was very long.
✅The elephant's tusk was very long.
💡The long curved teeth of an elephant are called 'tusks' (made of ivory), not ordinary 'teeth'.

2. A very obvious but uncomfortable issue that people in a group are aware of and y

2.名詞B2
釋義

A very obvious but uncomfortable issue that people in a group are aware of and yet avoid discussing, because talking about it would cause embarrassment or conflict.

例句

At the family dinner, the elephant in the room was their father's recent illness.

fixed phrase: the elephant in the room + be + noun phrase

Nobody at the meeting mentioned the budget cuts, even though it was the elephant in the room.

同義詞
反義詞
  • an open secret

    Both refer to something widely known, but an open secret is often talked about indirectly, whereas the elephant in the room is actively avoided.

文法句型

be + the elephant in the room

address / ignore / mention + the elephant in the room

the elephant in the room + be + problem/issue/subject

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'the elephant in the room'. Common verbs that precede it include 'address', 'ignore', 'point out', 'mention', and 'be'. Avoid using it to refer to literal elephants.

常見錯誤

❌There is an elephant in the room about the budget.
✅The elephant in the room is the budget problem.
💡The phrase is used as a subject or object, not a 'there is' construction.
❌I saw an elephant in the room at the party.
✅The elephant in the room at the party was the argument between the hosts.
💡Using the phrase literally (about a real elephant) changes the meaning completely.