fertilizing

fertilizing — verb

1. to add a substance rich in nutrients to soil or around plants so that they grow

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to add a substance rich in nutrients to soil or around plants so that they grow larger, stronger, or more productive

例句

Every spring, Kenji fertilizes his vegetable garden with compost made from kitchen scraps.

collocation: fertilize + garden / soil / crops

The farm manager asked the workers to fertilize the wheat fields before the rainy season.

passive be asked + to-fertilize

同義詞
  • enrich

    broader — can apply to soil quality generally; less specific about adding nutrients

  • feed

    less formal, used more for individual plants than fields

  • dress

    technical gardening term; 'top-dress' means to spread fertilizer on the surface

文法句型

fertilize + noun phrase (soil / land / plants / crops)

用法筆記

Object is typically soil, land, garden, or a crop name. The substance added can be called 'fertilizer' (noun) or referred to specifically as 'compost', 'manure', or 'plant food'.

常見錯誤

❌I need to fertilize the water in the vase.
✅I need to fertilize the soil in the flowerpot.
💡fertilize applies to soil or growing medium, not to water.

2. when a male sperm or pollen cell joins with a female egg cell, making it possibl

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

when a male sperm or pollen cell joins with a female egg cell, making it possible for a new living thing to start growing

例句

In human reproduction, a single sperm cell fertilizes the egg inside the woman's body.

scientific register: fertilize + egg + sperm

Under the microscope, the biologist watched the sperm fertilize the frog eggs one by one.

同義詞
  • impregnate

    more formal; implies successful pregnancy rather than the cellular event

  • inseminate

    technical term for the act of introducing sperm; narrower than fertilize

  • pollinate

    only for plants and flowers, not animals

文法句型

fertilize + noun phrase (egg / ovum / ovule)

be fertilized by + noun phrase (sperm / pollen)

用法筆記

Formal or scientific register. In casual conversation, 'fertilize an egg' is uncommon — people say 'the egg was fertilized' or use context-specific terms like 'pollinate' for plants. The passive construction ('be fertilized by') appears frequently in textbooks and research papers.

常見錯誤

❌The farmer fertilized the chicken's egg.' (ambiguous between adding nutrients and reproduction).
✅The hen's egg was fertilized by the rooster.
💡for biological reproduction, use the passive or make the agent (sperm/male) clear.