generation
generation — noun
1. everyone belonging to a community or to one family line who arrived in life at r
everyone belonging to a community or to one family line who arrived in life at roughly the same period and often share similar experiences or views
The younger generation often has very different views on work and family from their parents.
younger generation / older generation — common contrasting collocations
Christopher's family has farmed this same land for three generations.
Ayesha believes her generation cares more about climate change than any previous one.
The older generation in that neighbourhood still shares stories from the war years.
文法句型
adjective + generation
generation of + plural noun
用法筆記
Often paired with adjectives like younger, older, new, rising, or lost to identify which age group is being discussed.
常見錯誤
2. roughly 25 to 30 years — the typical gap between parents having children and tho
roughly 25 to 30 years — the typical gap between parents having children and those children growing up and raising families of their own
The family business has been handed down for more than a generation.
Within a single generation, the fishing village grew into a busy tourist town.
within a single generation — time-span prepositional phrase
A generation ago, very few households owned a personal computer.
In one generation, the Chen family's farmland became a row of shops and houses.
- era
much longer and less precise; not tied to human reproduction cycles
文法句型
a generation
within a generation
a generation ago
用法筆記
Common in expressions that measure how much something changed over roughly 25–30 years, such as 'a generation ago' or 'within a generation'.
常見錯誤
3. a single level in the chain of descent for living things, where parents produce
a single level in the chain of descent for living things, where parents produce offspring, and those offspring become the parents for the next level
Farmers have bred these wheat plants over many generations to resist disease.
over many generations — cumulative breeding pattern
The third generation of mice in the trial showed no signs of the genetic disorder.
Élise studied how traits are passed from one generation of fruit flies to the next.
Bacteria can go through many generations in just a few hours inside a warm dish.
文法句型
ordinal number + generation of + plural noun
from one generation to the next
用法筆記
Used in biology and agriculture to discuss heredity and selective breeding. Often paired with a number (first, second, third) to indicate the descent level.
常見錯誤
4. used after a number such as 'first', 'second', or 'third' to show which stage of
used after a number such as 'first', 'second', or 'third' to show which stage of a family was born in the new country rather than in the original home country
Tariq is a first-generation American whose parents moved from Egypt in the 1990s.
first-generation [nationality] — immigrant-status compound
Many second-generation immigrants speak their parents' native language at home but use English at school.
Lakan's grandparents came from Korea, which makes him a third-generation Korean-Canadian.
Eshe is fourth-generation Japanese-Brazilian and speaks Portuguese as her first language.
文法句型
ordinal number + -generation + nationality noun
用法筆記
First-generation means the person was born in the new country to immigrant parents. Some conventions count the immigrants themselves as first-generation; check regional usage.
常見錯誤
5. the process of producing energy, especially electricity or heat, from a particul
the process of producing energy, especially electricity or heat, from a particular source such as sun, wind, water, or fuel
The new hydroelectric dam will increase the region's electricity generation by thirty percent.
electricity generation — common compound noun
Solar power generation has become dramatically cheaper over the past ten years.
Solar power generation — [source] + generation compound
The company is investing heavily in cleaner methods of energy generation.
Nuclear power generation produces large amounts of electricity with very little fuel.
- production
broader; can apply to any manufactured good, not just energy
- output
emphasises the amount produced rather than the process
文法句型
[energy source] + generation
generation of + energy type
用法筆記
Typically combined with the energy source as a compound noun — for example, 'wind generation', 'solar generation', 'power generation'. The 'of' form ('generation of electricity') is more formal.
常見錯誤
6. the process of making something start to exist, especially something abstract su
the process of making something start to exist, especially something abstract such as ideas, wealth, or opportunities
The company holds weekly brainstorming sessions to encourage the generation of fresh ideas.
generation of [abstract noun] — formal creation pattern
Joon's research focuses on the generation of stable jobs in rural communities.
The report examines how tax policy affects the generation of wealth across different income groups.
Universities play a key role in the generation of new knowledge through research and publication.
- creation
more general and more common in everyday language
- production
more concrete; often refers to manufacturing physical goods
文法句型
generation of + abstract noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 5 (ENERGY PRODUCTION): sense 6 applies to abstract or general creation, not specifically energy. Common in academic or formal writing with nouns like 'ideas', 'wealth', 'jobs', 'knowledge'.
常見錯誤
7. all items of a particular type, such as phones or computers, that come out durin
all items of a particular type, such as phones or computers, that come out during one phase of technical progress, with each newer set being more capable than the one before
The new generation of electric cars can travel much farther on a single charge.
new generation of [product class] — technology product cycle
Valentina just bought the latest generation of smartwatch, which tracks her sleep and heart rate.
This phone belongs to the previous generation, so it cannot run the newest operating system.
Gaming consoles typically get a new generation every six or seven years.
文法句型
ordinal number + generation of + plural noun
the next/previous generation of + plural noun
用法筆記
Very common in technology marketing and reviews. A 'next-generation' product is one that has significant improvements over what came before.
常見錯誤
8. the natural biological process by which living things produce offspring, continu
the natural biological process by which living things produce offspring, continuing the existence of a species
The textbook examines the role of generation and reproduction across different animal species.
generation and reproduction — paired formal biological terms
Dr. Ayana Okafor studied three generations of zebrafish in her lab to learn how fin tissue regenerates after injury.
three generations of [species] — generational study in biology
Owen's research focuses on generation in marine mammals that live in freezing polar waters.
The museum exhibit explains the history of scientific ideas about spontaneous generation.
- procreation
narrower in meaning; strictly refers to producing offspring
- reproduction
more common in modern science; broader, including cell division and cloning
文法句型
human generation
generation and reproduction
用法筆記
This is a formal, technical sense used mainly in biology, medicine, and historical texts about reproduction. In everyday speech, 'reproduction' or 'having children' is far more common.