forty
forty — number
1. the whole amount or quantity equal to four times ten, written as the digits 4 an
the whole amount or quantity equal to four times ten, written as the digits 4 and 0
Owen invited forty guests to his wedding reception.
forty + plural noun (guests)
The library added forty new books to the children's section.
Soraya walked forty kilometers across the mountain trail.
Aylin saved forty dollars every week for six months.
The school bus can carry forty children at one time.
文法句型
forty + [plural noun]
forty + [unit of measurement]
用法筆記
Learners often confuse forty and fourteen when listening. Forty ends with the -ee sound /iː/, while fourteen has a strong -teen ending /tiːn/ with stress on the last syllable.
常見錯誤
forty — noun
1. the written word or digit form of the number 40, considered as a single item of
the written word or digit form of the number 40, considered as a single item of information
Adina chose the number forty when she filled out the form.
the number forty — noun phrase as object
In the card game, forty was the winning score by two points.
forty as subject of the sentence
The house number forty is painted in bright blue on the gate.
His lucky number is forty because he scored forty points in his first game.
文法句型
the number forty
forty + singular verb
用法筆記
In formal writing, spell out forty as a word (not 40) when it appears at the start of a sentence or in non-technical text: Forty is the correct answer.
常見錯誤
2. the whole range of numbers from 40 to 49, used mainly to describe a person's age
the whole range of numbers from 40 to 49, used mainly to describe a person's age or a group of ten years within a century
Meera is in her early forties but still climbs mountains every summer.
in one's early forties — age range
The temperature stayed in the mid-forties during the cold January week.
Kasia was born in the late forties, just after the war ended.
The company grew quickly in the early forties and opened many new stores.
文法句型
in one's forties
the early / mid / late forties
用法筆記
Use the definite article the for decades (the forties) and a possessive adjective for ages (her forties). Do not say 'my forty' to mean 'my forties.'