promise
promise — verb
1. When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will car
When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will carry out a certain action or ensure a particular result, which allows them to trust you.
Shirin promised her little brother she would take him to the aquarium on Saturday morning.
promise + (that) + clause
The manager promised the team that bonuses would arrive before Christmas.
promise + someone + that-clause
Sofie promised to help her elderly neighbour with the weekly grocery shopping.
"I will be there on time," Aiko promised, looking her friend in the eye.
My father promised me a new bicycle if I passed all my final exams.
- vow
stronger and more formal; often used in religious or ceremonial contexts
- pledge
more formal and public than 'promise'; often used in political or fundraising contexts
- swear
emphasises solemnity; often implies a formal declaration or oath
- assure
focuses on removing someone's doubt rather than making a commitment to act
- break a promise
to fail to do what you promised
文法句型
promise + to-infinitive
promise + (that) + clause
promise + someone + something
promise + speech
用法筆記
Common with a that-clause (often omitting 'that' in informal speech), a to-infinitive, or two objects. The direct-speech construction places 'promised' after the quoted words. This sense is very frequent in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
2. to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way
to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way or reach a certain state — for example, a project that promises to be difficult, or a young athlete who promises to be a star.
This summer promises to be one of the hottest on record, according to weather forecasters.
promise + to be + adjective
The new restaurant near the park promises to become a popular meeting place for locals.
promise + to-infinitive (become)
The clear sky and gentle breeze promised a perfect day for sailing on the lake.
Ayana's early sketches promised to be far better than typical beginner work, surprising her art teacher.
The negotiations promised to be lengthy, so the teams prepared for a long session.
文法句型
promise + to be + adjective
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to be' or another to-infinitive that indicates a likely result. Rarely used in continuous tenses — you would not say 'it is promising to be hot'. The subject is typically a situation, event, trend, or creative work rather than a person making a deliberate statement.
常見錯誤
promise — noun
1. a spoken or written statement in which you say that you will definitely do somet
a spoken or written statement in which you say that you will definitely do something for someone, so that they can count on your word.
Mayumi made a promise to visit her grandmother every weekend without fail.
collocation: make a promise
The candidate's promises sounded good, but voters were not sure she could keep them all.
Charlotte kept her promise to help her colleague finish the project on time.
Kofi made a promise to help his friend move, though he knew it would take all day.
Heather made a promise to bake a chocolate cake from scratch for her daughter's party.
- pledge
more formal and often public; used in political and fundraising contexts
- commitment
broader than 'promise'; can refer to any duty or obligation
- oath
a very formal, often legal or religious promise
- guarantee
emphasises certainty of outcome, often with a formal assurance
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with the verbs 'make', 'keep', 'break', 'fulfil', or 'honour'. 'Make a promise' creates the commitment; 'keep/honour/fulfil a promise' carries it out; 'break a promise' fails to carry it out.
常見錯誤
2. what happens after someone makes a promise — whether they do what they said they
what happens after someone makes a promise — whether they do what they said they would do, or fail to do it.
Eleni's brother kept his promise to meet her at the airport gate when she landed.
collocation: keep a promise
Sahil broke his promise to stop eating junk food, which upset his nutritionist.
collocation: break a promise
The government failed to honour its promise to raise the minimum wage this year.
Maja reminded her teammate about his promise to split the travel costs, and he transferred the money the next morning.
Despite the freezing rain, Ishaan kept his promise to walk his neighbour's dog every morning.
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 1 (SAY CERTAINLY): sense 1 refers to the act of making the promise itself ('she made a promise'), while sense 2 refers to what happens afterwards — keeping it, breaking it, or fulfilling it. This sense appears primarily in the fixed collocations 'keep a promise', 'break a promise', 'fulfil a promise', and 'honour a promise'. It is not used with the verb 'make' — 'make a promise' belongs to sense 1.
3. the quality that makes a person, a thing, or a situation seem likely to turn out
the quality that makes a person, a thing, or a situation seem likely to turn out especially well or achieve great results in the future — for instance, a young musician who clearly has talent, or a new technology that seems full of possibility.
The young pianist shows great promise and is expected to win the national competition.
collocation: show promise
Despite its early promise, the research project failed to attract enough funding to continue.
collocation: early promise
Eri's first novel is full of promise, though the later chapters need more work.
Teachers saw a lot of promise in Sivan's writing from a very early age.
The new vaccine held great promise for preventing the disease in older adults.
- hopelessness
complete lack of potential for improvement or success
用法筆記
Uncountable noun; never 'a promise' in this sense. Common verb partners: 'show', 'have', 'hold', 'demonstrate', 'fulfil'. Useful adjective partners: 'early', 'great', 'real', 'enormous'. This sense describes potential for future success, not a verbal commitment.