gallon

gallon — noun

1. a standard unit for measuring liquids. In the United States, one gallon equals a

1.名詞A2
釋義

a standard unit for measuring liquids. In the United States, one gallon equals about 3.8 litres or four quarts. In the United Kingdom, one gallon equals about 4.5 litres.

例句

Elena filled the car with ten gallons of petrol before the road trip.

number + gallon(s) + of + [liquid]

The recipe calls for two gallons of water to boil the pasta.

gallon as a cooking measure

文法句型

number + gallon(s) + of + [liquid]

用法筆記

In the US, a gallon of gasoline at a pump is often simply called 'a gallon,' without specifying the liquid. The UK gallon is about 20% larger than the US gallon, so always check which system is being used.

常見錯誤

❌I need to buy a gallon of bread.
✅I need to buy a gallon of milk.
💡gallons measure liquids, not solid food items.
❌The price per gallon in the UK is the same as in the US.
✅The price per gallon in the UK is higher because a UK gallon is larger than a US gallon.
💡the two gallons are different sizes and should not be treated as identical.

2. a very large amount of a liquid, used informally to emphasize that there is far

2.名詞B2
釋義

a very large amount of a liquid, used informally to emphasize that there is far more than usual — for example, drinking gallons of water after a long run, or spilling gallons of soup in the kitchen.

例句

After the marathon, Gabriel drank gallons of water to rehydrate.

gallons of + [liquid] — informal emphasis of large quantity

The storm dumped gallons of rain on the village in just one afternoon.

同義詞
  • loads of

    more informal, can be used for non-liquids too

  • tons of

    even more informal, works for any substance

反義詞
  • drop

    a tiny amount, the opposite extreme

文法句型

gallons of + [liquid]

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used with the plural 'gallons' or with 'a whole gallon' to stress the size of the amount. It is too informal for scientific or technical writing.

常見錯誤

❌I drank gallon of coffee this morning.
✅I drank gallons of coffee this morning.
💡the plural 'gallons' is the standard form for this figurative meaning.
❌We used three gallons of paint on the ceiling, exactly as measured.
✅We used three gallons of paint on the ceiling.
💡if the amount is precise, use Sense 1 instead of Sense 2.