salvage
salvage — verb
1. to take goods or property out of a dangerous situation such as a fire, flood, or
to take goods or property out of a dangerous situation such as a fire, flood, or shipwreck, so that they are not lost or destroyed
Gabriela's team managed to salvage several paintings from the burning museum.
salvage + concrete object + from + disaster location
After the ship hit the rocks, divers were sent to salvage the cargo.
The old wooden furniture was the only thing Rin could salvage from the flooded house.
Volunteers worked through the night to salvage documents from the damaged library.
Brian's family tried to salvage their belongings after the earthquake destroyed their home.
文法句型
salvage + noun phrase (concrete object) + from + noun phrase
用法筆記
The object is nearly always something physical — cargo, furniture, documents, or artworks. Used mainly when referring to disasters like fires, floods, shipwrecks, or earthquakes.
常見錯誤
2. to act in a way that stops a bad situation from becoming a complete failure or t
to act in a way that stops a bad situation from becoming a complete failure or that makes it less harmful than it could have been
Tariro tried to salvage the evening by telling a funny story after the argument.
salvage + social situation (evening, party, meeting)
Walid managed to salvage his reputation by apologising in public for the mistake.
Pim's quick thinking salvaged the presentation when the projector broke down.
The team salvaged a draw from a match they were losing by three goals.
It was too late to salvage anything from the failed business deal.
文法句型
salvage + abstract noun (reputation, evening, relationship, season)
用法筆記
The object is always an abstract noun referring to a situation, relationship, reputation, event, or career — never a physical object. Distinguish from sense 1 (RESCUE FROM DISASTER), which uses concrete objects.
常見錯誤
salvage — noun
1. the process of taking goods, property, or materials out of a dangerous or badly
the process of taking goods, property, or materials out of a dangerous or badly damaged place so that they are not lost
The salvage of the sunken ship took the team almost three months.
the salvage of + concrete noun
Firefighters focused on the salvage of valuable equipment from the burning factory.
A salvage operation was launched to recover the wreckage from the ocean floor.
The salvage of ancient pottery from the seabed attracted worldwide attention.
Insurance companies paid for the salvage of vehicles after the flood.
- abandonment
the act of leaving goods behind
- destruction
salvage prevents destruction
文法句型
the salvage of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Commonly appears in the compound noun 'salvage operation' or 'salvage team'. The noun is uncountable — you do not say 'a salvage' to mean a single act.
常見錯誤
2. objects or materials that have been taken out of a wrecked ship, burnt building,
objects or materials that have been taken out of a wrecked ship, burnt building, or other disaster scene and kept
The salvage from the warehouse fire included steel beams and industrial machinery.
salvage from + disaster origin
Amihan sorted through the salvage of the old church, keeping anything that could be repaired.
The wreck's salvage was auctioned off to collectors around the world.
Kasia found a box of old photographs among the salvage from her grandmother's house.
Most of the salvage from the train derailment was stored in a secure warehouse.
文法句型
the salvage from + noun phrase (origin)
用法筆記
Always refers to physical items. Unlike sense 1 (ACT OF RESCUING), which names the action, this sense names the things themselves. The two are often distinguished by context: 'the salvage was difficult' (sense 1) vs 'the salvage was sold' (sense 2).