marble

marble — noun

1. a hard natural stone, usually white or light-coloured, with coloured veins or li

1.名詞B1
釋義

a hard natural stone, usually white or light-coloured, with coloured veins or lines running through it, that people can smooth and shine by polishing and then use for statues, floors, kitchen tops, and building decorations

例句

Saira ran her hand over the cool, smooth marble of the kitchen counter.

uncountable: cool smooth marble

The palace floor was made of white marble brought from a distant mountain.

同義詞
  • stone

    general term for any hard natural material; less specific than marble

  • alabaster

    a softer, often white stone with a similar polished look, less durable than marble

  • granite

    a much harder, speckled stone with a different grain pattern; less refined in appearance

用法筆記

Uncountable when referring to the material ('made of marble'). Countable when referring to a specific object made from it ('a Roman marble', meaning a marble statue).

常見錯誤

❌The countertop is made by marble.
✅The countertop is made of marble.
💡After 'made', the preposition 'of' is used for the material.
❌I bought a marble.' (meaning a marble object)
✅I bought a marble statue.
💡'Marble' as a countable noun for an object is rare in everyday use; it is better to name the object.

2. a small round ball for children's games, typically made from coloured or clear g

2.名詞B1
釋義

a small round ball for children's games, typically made from coloured or clear glass, that players roll or shoot along the ground

例句

Aoi dropped her favourite blue marble on the playground and it rolled away.

The children traded marbles in the schoolyard, comparing colours and sizes.

plural: marbles as a set/collection

同義詞
  • glassie

    informal word for a glass marble, used mainly by children

  • taw

    a special large marble used as the shooter in the game; less common outside the game itself

用法筆記

Countable when referring to a single ball ('a marble'). The plural 'marbles' can refer to a set or collection of the balls, or to the game itself (see sense 3).

常見錯誤

❌I have a marbles in my pocket.
✅I have a marble in my pocket.
💡Use the singular form for one ball.

3. a game in which players take turns shooting small glass balls across the ground,

3.名詞B2
釋義

a game in which players take turns shooting small glass balls across the ground, trying to hit each other's marbles or knock them out of a marked area

例句

The older students taught the younger ones how to play marbles at break.

pattern: play marbles

Quan won five marbles from Adina in their game under the oak tree.

用法筆記

Always used in the plural form 'marbles' even though it refers to one game. The most common pattern is 'play marbles'. You cannot say 'play marble' to mean the game.

常見錯誤

❌Do you want to play marble with me?
✅Do you want to play marbles with me?
💡The name of the game is always 'marbles' (plural).

marble — verb