wages

wages — noun

1. Money paid on a regular basis to someone for the work they do, especially when t

1.名詞B1
釋義

Money paid on a regular basis to someone for the work they do, especially when the amount is based on an hourly rate, daily rate, or the number of items they produce, rather than a fixed yearly salary.

例句

The factory workers received their wages every Friday afternoon.

plural noun with possessive 'their'

Meera took the job because the hourly wage was higher than at her previous company.

compound noun: hourly wage

同義詞
  • pay

    broader term covering any form of payment for work; less specific about how it is calculated

  • salary

    a fixed annual amount paid monthly; used for professional and office jobs rather than manual or hourly work

  • earnings

    the total amount of money someone makes from work; often used in formal or financial contexts

  • income

    all money received from work, investments, or other sources; broader than wages

用法筆記

The singular form 'wage' is used in fixed compounds such as 'minimum wage', 'hourly wage', and 'living wage', and when referring to the rate itself rather than the actual payment. Compare with 'salary' (a fixed annual amount paid monthly, typical for professional roles) — 'wages' are typically paid weekly or daily for manual, skilled, or part-time work.

常見錯誤

❌I received my wage yesterday.
✅I received my wages yesterday.
💡'wages' is the standard plural form for an actual payment; the singular 'wage' is used for the rate or in compounds.
❌She earns a good wage as a doctor.
✅She earns a good salary as a doctor.
💡Professional jobs typically pay a salary, not wages. 'Wages' is more common for hourly or piecework jobs.

2. The deserved outcome or consequence of a person's actions, typically a punishmen

2.名詞C1
釋義

The deserved outcome or consequence of a person's actions, typically a punishment or negative result. This sense is almost always found in the fixed phrase 'the wages of…'.

例句

The old proverb warns that the wages of sin is death.

fixed phrase: 'the wages of' + singular verb 'is'

In the novel, the greedy merchant learned that the wages of dishonesty are loneliness and shame.

singular verb usage: 'is' / 'are' both found in literary contexts

同義詞
  • recompense

    more neutral; can be positive or negative; less common in everyday speech

  • retribution

    specifically punishment for wrongdoing; stronger negative tone

  • deserts

    what someone deserves; formal or legal; usually in the phrase 'just deserts'

文法句型

the wages of + noun

用法筆記

This sense is almost entirely confined to the fixed structure 'the wages of [something]'. Though 'wages' is plural in form, it can take either a singular or plural verb in this construction. The phrase is most famously found in the biblical expression 'the wages of sin is death' (Romans 6:23), and is used in formal, literary, or moralising contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The wage of sin is death.
✅The wages of sin is death.
💡The biblical and literary phrase uses 'wages' (plural form), not 'wage' (singular).
❌She received the wages of her hard work — a promotion.
✅She received the reward of her hard work
💡a promotion.' — This figurative sense of 'wages' carries a negative or solemn tone and is not used for positive outcomes like promotions.

wages — verb