phosphate

phosphate — noun

1. a substance with phosphorus in it, often a phosphoric-acid salt or ester, used i

1.名詞C1
釋義

a substance with phosphorus in it, often a phosphoric-acid salt or ester, used in fertilizers and other products

例句

Farmers spread phosphate on the field before planting corn.

collocation: spread phosphate on a field

In science class, Maya tested the river water for phosphate.

pattern: test water for phosphate

同義詞

文法句型

contain phosphate

test for phosphate

add phosphate to soil

用法筆記

Usually uncountable when speaking about the substance in general, especially in farming, water testing, and product labels. In technical writing, the plural 'phosphates' can mean different phosphate compounds.

常見錯誤

❌Phosphate is one of the basic chemical elements plants need.
✅Phosphorus is the element plants need, and phosphate is a common compound form of it.
💡Use 'phosphorus' for the element or nutrient name; use 'phosphate' for compounds often found in fertilizer, soil, and water tests.
❌The report found many phosphate in the river.
✅The report found a lot of phosphate in the river.
💡When you mean the substance in general, 'phosphate' is usually uncountable.