perfect
perfect — adjective
1. as good, exact, or complete as it can be, with nothing wrong, missing, or damage
as good, exact, or complete as it can be, with nothing wrong, missing, or damaged.
Lina found a perfect pearl inside her grandmother's old wooden box.
perfect + noun for something without visible flaws
After three tries, Mia finally baked a perfect loaf for breakfast.
The copy was perfect, down to the tiny crack in the corner.
Coach Tanaka gave Ken a perfect score for the floor routine.
文法句型
perfect + [noun]
in perfect condition
用法筆記
Often used for results, copies, scores, and conditions where no mistake or damage is expected. Distinguish from sense 3 (JUST RIGHT), which is about suitability rather than flawlessness.
常見錯誤
2. used before a noun to stress that something is complete, absolute, or extreme.
used before a noun to stress that something is complete, absolute, or extreme.
The school play became a perfect disaster when the lights went out.
before noun: a perfect disaster
At dinner, Leo made a perfect fool of himself by singing loudly.
fixed phrase: make a perfect fool of yourself
To the twins, the empty gym was perfect heaven on a rainy day.
Nora's note was perfect nonsense, with arrows pointing in every direction.
文法句型
a perfect + [expressive noun]
用法筆記
Almost always appears before a noun, especially in fixed phrases such as 'a perfect stranger', 'a perfect fool', or 'a perfect disaster'. For emphasis before adjectives, English normally uses adverbs like 'completely' or 'absolutely' instead.
常見錯誤
3. right for what someone needs, or for a particular purpose, time, or situation.
right for what someone needs, or for a particular purpose, time, or situation.
This small lamp is perfect for reading beside the sofa.
perfect for + purpose
Her calm voice was perfect for the children after the fire drill.
Saturday morning would be perfect for a picnic by the river.
For a first bike ride, this flat park is perfect.
- unsuitable
not right for the purpose or person
- wrong
everyday opposite when the fit is poor
文法句型
perfect for + [person/purpose]
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'for' plus a person, purpose, or situation. Distinguish from sense 1 (NO FAULTS): a hotel can be perfect for a weekend trip even if it has small faults.
常見錯誤
4. describing a verb form that shows an action finished before a stated time or ano
describing a verb form that shows an action finished before a stated time or another event.
In class, Ms Chen explained the perfect form with a short timeline.
grammar label: perfect form
Our chart lists perfect tenses in blue and past tenses in green.
In Latin class, Julia learned that some perfect endings show a finished action.
The teacher asked us to find the perfect participle in the sentence.
文法句型
perfect + form/participle/tense
用法筆記
Mostly used in grammar labels before nouns such as 'tense', 'form', and 'participle'. Learners usually meet the noun term itself in noun sense 1.
5. In Western music, used for note distances such as unison, fourths, fifths, and o
In Western music, used for note distances such as unison, fourths, fifths, and octaves.
On the piano, Aya played a perfect fifth above middle C.
music term: perfect fifth
The choir held a perfect octave while the organ stayed quiet.
His lesson book marks the perfect fourth with a blue circle.
The conductor asked for a perfect unison at the song's end.
文法句型
perfect + fourth/fifth/octave/unison
用法筆記
Limited to music theory, especially in labels such as 'perfect fifth' and 'perfect octave'.
perfect — noun
1. the group of verb tenses that show an action as already completed before now or
the group of verb tenses that show an action as already completed before now or before another point in time.
We learned the present perfect after the simple past last week.
tense label: present perfect
On page 42, the grammar book shows how the past perfect marks the earlier event.
tense label: past perfect
In English class, Jia noticed the perfect links past actions to now.
During the test, Omar mixed up the future perfect and the future simple.
文法句型
the present/past/future perfect
用法筆記
Usually discussed with labels like 'present perfect', 'past perfect', and 'future perfect'. In English, these forms use 'have' plus a past participle, but the term also applies to tense systems in other languages.
常見錯誤
perfect — verb
1. to improve, finish, or correct something until it reaches its best form.
to improve, finish, or correct something until it reaches its best form.
The chef spent months perfecting the soup for the winter menu.
perfect + product or method
Engineers perfected the bridge design after the first safety test.
Over time, Rosa perfected her swing in the school gym.
The team hopes to perfect the app before parents start using it.
文法句型
perfect + [object]
用法筆記
Object is usually a skill, method, text, design, or product rather than a person. Strongly transitive: say 'perfect the process', not 'perfect at the process'.