harp
harp — noun
1. A large instrument that stands on the floor, built from wood with strings runnin
A large instrument that stands on the floor, built from wood with strings running down its tall triangular frame. The player pulls the strings gently to make musical notes.
Faisal sat at the back of the orchestra and played the harp with great care.
collocation: play the harp
A small harp stood in the corner of the music room for student practice.
countable: a harp / the harp
Cyrus gently pulled the harp strings and a warm, soft note filled the concert hall.
Layla listened to recordings of Celtic harp music every evening before bed.
When the harp strings broke during the concert, the audience waited quietly.
文法句型
a harp
the harp
用法筆記
Often preceded by 'the' when referring to the instrument as a category ('She plays the harp'). Countable when referring to individual instruments ('Three harps were on stage').
常見錯誤
2. A small metal musical instrument that you hold against your mouth and blow or su
A small metal musical instrument that you hold against your mouth and blow or suck air through to make sounds. In informal use, this word means the same as a harmonica.
Andrés pulled a harp from his coat pocket and played a short folk tune.
informal register: 'harp' for harmonica
The old blues singer carried a harp everywhere he went.
Hyun learned three new songs on the harp after only two weeks of practice.
At the jazz club, Beatrix played a bright solo on her harp while the band smiled around her.
- harmonica
the standard formal name for this instrument
- mouth organ
another informal name, more common in British English
文法句型
a harp
on the harp
用法筆記
This sense is most common among blues, folk, and jazz musicians. In general English, 'harmonica' is the usual term; learners should use 'harmonica' unless they know the context is informal or music-specialist.
常見錯誤
harp — verb
1. To produce music by pulling the strings of a harp with your fingers.
To produce music by pulling the strings of a harp with your fingers.
Wren learned to harp at a young age and performed in many concerts.
The musician harped softly while the guests walked around the gallery.
intransitive: no direct object needed
Daichi practiced the harp each evening in his grandfather's workshop until calluses formed on his fingers.
Amihan harped at the festival and received loud applause from the crowd.
- pluck
more general — you can pluck any stringed instrument, not just a harp
文法句型
harp + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
This is an uncommon verb. The noun phrase 'play the harp' is much more frequent in everyday English than the verb 'to harp'.
常見錯誤
2. To keep talking about one particular subject for too long, in a way that becomes
To keep talking about one particular subject for too long, in a way that becomes boring or annoying for others. Often used with 'on' or 'about'.
Grandpa kept harping on about the price of eggs when he was young.
pattern: harp on about + topic
Yael's teacher would harp on the same grammar rule until everyone understood.
pattern: harp on + noun phrase
During meetings, Ife always harps on about the need for more staff training.
Allison wished her friend would stop harping on past mistakes that could not be changed.
The manager harped on safety rules at every company gathering.
- dwell on
more neutral — can be internal/mental, not necessarily spoken aloud
- go on about
equally informal, very common in British English
- labour
more formal, as in 'labour the point'
- drop
as in 'drop the subject' — to stop talking about it
文法句型
harp on + topic
harp about + topic
用法筆記
Almost always used with the particle 'on' ('harp on') or 'on about' ('harp on about'). 'Harp about' alone is possible but less common. The tone is mildly disapproving — the speaker feels the repetition is excessive.
常見錯誤
3. To annoy someone by repeatedly telling them what to do or complaining about what
To annoy someone by repeatedly telling them what to do or complaining about what they have done, like being a nag.
Astrid's mother harped at her all morning to clean the kitchen.
pattern: harp at + person + infinitive
Justin felt the supervisor was always harping at him for small mistakes.
The children grew tired of hearing their aunt harp at them about table manners.
Tuan's coach harped at him about keeping his elbow up during every baseball practice.
- leave alone
to stop bothering someone
文法句型
harp at + person
用法筆記
Used with the preposition 'at' ('harp at someone'). This sense overlaps with sense 2 (DWELL ON), but differs by directing the complaint AT a person rather than dwelling ON a topic. Less common in modern English than 'nag' or 'harp on'.