decide
decide — 動詞
1. to look at the different possibilities available and pick one as your plan or ac
選定；決定
考慮不同選項後作出選擇
to look at the different possibilities available and pick one as your plan or action after giving each some thought.
Min decided to study engineering after visiting a robotics lab.
Min 參觀機器人實驗室後，決定攻讀工程學。
decide + to-infinitive for choosing an action
The committee decided on a date for the school festival after a long meeting.
委員會經過長時間開會後，選定了學校園遊會的日期。
decide on + noun for selecting an option
"Have you decided where to go for your honeymoon?" Felipe asked his sister.
Felipe 問他妹妹：「你們決定好要去哪裡度蜜月了嗎？」
After trying on three different jackets, Élise finally decided on the black one.
Élise 試穿了三件不同的外套後，最後選定了黑色那件。
Nkechi decided that she would apply to the nursing programme in Kumasi.
Nkechi 決定要申請庫馬西的護理課程。
- hesitate
to delay or be uncertain before choosing
文法句型
decide + to-infinitive
decide + that-clause
decide + wh-clause
decide on/about + noun/gerund
decide + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently followed by a to-infinitive or a that-clause. The pattern 'decide on [noun/gerund]' emphasises the option selected rather than the act of choosing.
常見錯誤
❗ 'I decided joining the club.' ✅ 'I decided to join the club.' — Use a to-infinitive, not a gerund, after 'decide.'
❗ 'I decided going to the beach.' ✅ 'I decided on going to the beach.' — Use 'decide on' before a gerund.
2. to directly shape or control what ends up happening in a situation, so that a pa
主導結果
直接影響某事的結果
to directly shape or control what ends up happening in a situation, so that a particular factor is the main reason for the final result.
The quality of the ingredients often decides how good a dish will taste.
食材的品質主導了一道菜最終的味道。
decide + wh-clause for the factor that controls a result
One more goal from Ziad would decide the winner of the championship.
Ziad 的球隊再多進一球，就能決定冠軍誰屬。
The weather usually decides whether the outdoor market opens or stays closed.
天氣左右了露天市集要開門還是暫停營業。
Benjamin's score on the final exam decided which university he could enter.
Benjamin 期末考的分數決定了能進入哪一所大學。
文法句型
decide + that-clause
be decided by + noun/noun phrase
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing or a situation (a factor, event, or condition), not a person making a conscious choice. Frequently used with wh-clauses ('whether', 'how', 'which').
3. to give a binding and final judgement on a dispute, case, or question that has b
判決；裁定
作出具法律效力的裁決
to give a binding and final judgement on a dispute, case, or question that has been brought before a court, judge, or official panel.
The Supreme Court decided the case in favour of the local community.
最高法院判決此案當地社區勝訴。
decide + case + in favour of — legal construction
A panel of three judges decided the custody dispute after hearing both sides.
由三名法官組成的小組聽取雙方陳述後，對監護權糾紛作出了裁決。
The arbitration board decided that the company must pay back its workers.
仲裁委員會裁定該公司必須償還員工的薪資。
It took the jury two days to decide whether the accused was guilty.
陪審團花了兩天才決定被告是否有罪。
- adjudicate
strictly legal; more technical and narrower in scope
- rule
common in both legal and non-legal official settings
- resolve
broader; can be used in legal or non-legal contexts to mean 'bring to a close'
文法句型
decide + a case/dispute/matter
decide + that-clause
be decided in favour of + noun
用法筆記
Primarily used in legal and formal procedural contexts. The object is usually a case, dispute, appeal, or similar matter. Distinguish from sense 1: here, the result carries official authority.
常見錯誤
❗ 'The judge decided his son to study law.' ✅ 'The judge decided that the contract was valid.' — In legal sense 3, 'decide' takes a case or that-clause, not a person.
4. to be the final reason that makes someone choose a particular course of action a
促使決定
成為某人下決心的關鍵原因
to be the final reason that makes someone choose a particular course of action after a period of uncertainty.
The low price of the flat near the station finally decided Samir to make an offer.
車站附近那間公寓的低價，促使 Samir 最終出了價。
decide + person + to-infinitive — causative pattern
What decided Mayumi in favour of the job offer was the flexible working hours.
令 Mayumi 決定接受這份工作的原因，是彈性工時。
what decided + person — fronted-clause pattern
Seeing the puppy's sad eyes decided the girl to adopt it from the shelter.
小狗可憐的眼神，促使小女孩決定把牠從收容所領養回家。
The teacher's encouraging words decided Erik to try out for the school play.
老師鼓勵的話語，促使 Erik 決定參加學校話劇的試鏡。
- persuade
more common and less formal; emphasises the act of convincing rather than the deciding factor
- prompt
suggests the reason triggered the decision without the element of finality
- tip the balance for
idiomatic; emphasises that the factor was the small but decisive one
文法句型
decide + person + to-infinitive
what decided + person + was/were + noun
be decided + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Frequently used in the structure 'what decided + person + was + reason.' The object is always a person or group capable of making a choice. This pattern is more common in written than spoken English.