odd
odd — adjective
1. different from what you would normally expect, in a way that feels surprising, s
different from what you would normally expect, in a way that feels surprising, slightly puzzling, or hard to explain.
It is odd that Marcus left the meeting without saying goodbye to anyone.
it is odd that + clause
Mei found the smell in the kitchen odd, like burnt toast mixed with vinegar.
find + object + odd
The old house in our village has odd little rooms with no windows or doors.
There was something odd about the way Dr. Tanaka avoided answering simple questions.
Rosa wore a bright orange hat and odd green socks to the wedding.
文法句型
it is odd that + clause
find it odd that + clause
用法筆記
Often used in the frames 'it is odd that…', 'find it odd that…', or 'there is something odd about…'. Carries a softer judgement than 'weird' — it suggests puzzlement rather than strong disapproval.
常見錯誤
2. appearing or being done now and then, with long gaps in between rather than as a
appearing or being done now and then, with long gaps in between rather than as a regular activity.
Carlos still smokes the odd cigarette when he goes drinking with his old friends.
the odd + singular noun for occasional events
Grandma Rosa does the odd bit of gardening, but mostly she reads on the porch.
the odd bit of + uncountable noun
I see the odd deer near the river, but never large herds like before.
Lina earns extra money by doing the odd painting job at the weekend.
- occasional
neutral and more common than this sense; can stand without 'the'
- infrequent
more formal; emphasises the long gaps between events
文法句型
the odd + singular noun
用法筆記
Almost always appears as 'the odd + singular noun', meaning a small, irregular number of something over time. Distinguish from sense 1 ('strange'): here 'odd' has nothing to do with strangeness.
常見錯誤
3. (of a whole number) leaving 1 when you divide by two; for example 1, 3, 5, 7, an
(of a whole number) leaving 1 when you divide by two; for example 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are odd.
The teacher asked the children to circle every odd number on the page.
odd number as a math term
Houses with odd numbers stand on the left side of our quiet street.
Seven is an odd number, but eight is even.
Maya wrote down all the odd numbers between one and twenty in her notebook.
文法句型
odd + number/numeral
用法筆記
Always paired with the contrast 'even'. Used only of whole numbers (integers); not used for fractions or decimals.
常見錯誤
4. (of one item from something that normally comes paired up or as a full set) miss
(of one item from something that normally comes paired up or as a full set) missing its partner, or left over once the rest have been matched up.
Lucas walked into class wearing two odd socks — one blue, one striped red.
odd socks for unmatched items
After the move, Mei found a few odd gloves at the bottom of the box.
The shop sells odd shoes at half price for customers with different-sized feet.
There is an odd cup left over because we broke its matching saucer last week.
- unmatched
clearer in writing; spells out that there is no partner
- mismatched
items that do not go together as a pair
文法句型
odd + plural noun (socks/gloves/shoes)
用法筆記
Most natural with everyday paired items: socks, gloves, shoes, earrings, cups and saucers. Distinguish from sense 1 ('strange') by context: 'odd socks' here means mismatched, not weird-looking.
常見錯誤
odd — suffix
1. joined to a round number with a hyphen to mean 'this much, plus a small amount m
joined to a round number with a hyphen to mean 'this much, plus a small amount more that I have not bothered to count'.
Grandpa Lee turned eighty-odd last spring, though he refuses to say the exact age.
[round number]-odd for approximate age
Twenty-odd people came to the picnic, mostly neighbours and a few cousins.
The city has thirty-odd small bookshops left, far fewer than ten years ago.
Maya saved up two hundred-odd dollars from babysitting her cousins all summer.
文法句型
[number]-odd + plural noun
用法筆記
Used with round numbers (especially multiples of ten or a hundred), never with very precise numbers. The hyphen is standard in writing. Common in spoken English; in formal writing, prefer 'about' or 'just over'.
常見錯誤
odd — abbreviation
1. short for 'oppositional defiant disorder' — a childhood condition in which a chi
short for 'oppositional defiant disorder' — a childhood condition in which a child often refuses to follow rules and argues with adults far more than other children of the same age.
The school nurse asked whether Lucas had ever been tested for ODD.
ODD as a medical abbreviation
Doctors often diagnose ODD in children between the ages of six and ten.
Mei's son was finally referred to a child psychologist who suspected ODD.
Teachers at the special school have weekly training on how to support pupils with ODD.
用法筆記
Always written in capitals (ODD) to mark it as an abbreviation, distinguishing it from the everyday adjective 'odd'. Used mainly by doctors, teachers, and parents in clinical or educational settings.