fourth
fourth — ordinal number
1. the word for the number 4 when you are showing the position of something in a li
the word for the number 4 when you are showing the position of something in a list, series, or order; written as 4th.
My room is on the fourth floor of the house.
the fourth [noun] for position
Today is the fourth day of this month.
This is the fourth time the boy has read this book.
Christopher finished in fourth place in the race at school.
The fourth girl in the line is my new friend.
- 4th
the same meaning written as a numeral; common in notes, lists, and signs
文法句型
the fourth [noun]
fourth [noun] (no article — e.g. fourth place)
the fourth of [month]
常見錯誤
fourth — noun
1. any of the four equal pieces that you get when you divide a whole amount or thin
any of the four equal pieces that you get when you divide a whole amount or thing into four; a quarter.
Rania ate a fourth of the pizza, and Daichi ate the rest.
a fourth of [noun] for one of four equal parts
About a fourth of the students in Léa's class come from other towns.
Vinícius cut the orange into fourths and shared them with his friends.
Dylan saved a fourth of his birthday money to buy a new game.
Three fourths of the garden is planted with vegetables this year.
- quarter
the more common word for one of four equal parts; used more often in everyday speech than 'fourth'
- one-fourth
a more formal or mathematical way of saying the same thing
文法句型
a fourth of [noun]
one fourth [preposition] [noun]
[number] fourths
用法筆記
In everyday British English, 'quarter' is far more common than 'fourth' for this meaning. In American English, both are used, but 'quarter' is still more frequent in speech.
常見錯誤
2. in music, the pitch distance separating a note from the note that is three whole
in music, the pitch distance separating a note from the note that is three whole steps higher or lower on the scale, for instance from C up to F.
The two notes in Evelyn's song are a fourth apart from each other.
a fourth apart for distance between notes
Lakan practiced playing fourths on the piano for the school concert.
In music class, the teacher showed the children how to sing a fourth.
The song starts with a strong fourth between the guitar and the voice.
- perfect fourth
the most common type of fourth interval in Western music
文法句型
a fourth
play a fourth
in fourths
a fourth apart
用法筆記
In music theory, a fourth can be 'perfect' (the standard interval between C and F) or 'augmented' (a half step wider). This is a technical term most learners will encounter in formal music education.
3. a person or thing that is in the position after the third in a series, race, lis
a person or thing that is in the position after the third in a series, race, list, or competition.
Dylan was the fourth to cross the finish line in the race.
the fourth to [verb] for position in a sequence
The fourth in the queue at the ticket counter was an old woman.
Sivan came in fourth in the school spelling competition last year.
The fourth to speak at the meeting was the company's manager.
文法句型
the fourth
the fourth to [verb]
finish fourth
come in fourth
用法筆記
This noun sense is different from the ordinal number 'fourth' (which is used before a noun, e.g. 'the fourth day'). Here 'fourth' stands alone as a noun referring to the person or thing itself.