dozen

dozen — 名詞

1. a very large number or amount of people or things, used when saying that somethi

1.名詞B1
釋義

大量

非常多的人或事物

a very large number or amount of people or things, used when saying that something exists in great quantities — often more than expected or desired.

例句

Eric found dozens of old photographs in his grandmother's attic while cleaning it out.

Eric 在打掃祖母的閣樓時，發現了幾十張老照片。

dozens of + [noun]

Eve has visited that temple dozens of times over the past ten years.

Eve 在過去十年裡去過那座寺廟幾十次了。

dozens of times

同義詞
  • lots of

    more informal and neutral; 'dozens of' emphasizes that the quantity is large enough to count in groups of twelve

  • countless

    stronger; implies too many to count, while 'dozens of' is usually an exaggeration for effect

反義詞
  • a few

    a small number; opposite end of the quantity spectrum

文法句型

dozens of + [noun]

用法筆記

This sense ONLY works in the plural form "dozens" followed by "of". You cannot say "a dozen of people" to mean many people. The singular forms ("a dozen", "two dozen") refer to exact or approximate groups of twelve, not large quantities.

常見錯誤

❌Dozen of people came to the event.
✅Dozens of people came to the event.
💡the plural 's' and 'of' are both required for the 'many' meaning.
❌I have dozens apples.
✅I have dozens of apples.
💡'of' must follow 'dozens' before the noun.

2. a set or group of twelve identical or similar items of the same kind — for examp

2.名詞A2
釋義

一打

十二個為一組

a set or group of twelve identical or similar items of the same kind — for example, a dozen eggs, a dozen roses, or half a dozen donuts.

例句

Jack bought a dozen roses for his mother's birthday celebration.

Jack 買了一打玫瑰送給媽媽作為生日禮物。

a dozen + [noun]: a dozen roses

Tamás used a recipe that called for half a dozen eggs and some sugar.

Tamás 用的食譜需要半打雞蛋和一些糖。

half a dozen + [noun]

同義詞
  • twelve

    used when the focus is on the number itself rather than the group; 'twelve eggs' vs 'a dozen eggs' — the latter feels more natural for packaged sets

文法句型

[number] + dozen + [noun]

half a dozen + [noun]

用法筆記

After a specific number, "dozen" stays singular: "two dozen eggs" (NOT "two dozens eggs"). When used before a noun directly ("a dozen eggs"), no "of" is needed — this is called an attributive use.

常見錯誤

❌I bought two dozens of eggs.
✅I bought two dozen eggs.
💡after a number or quantifier, "dozen" does not take a plural "s".
❌I have a dozen of apples.
✅I have a dozen apples.
💡no "of" when directly modifying a noun.

3. a quantity of roughly twelve people or things, used when the exact number is not

3.名詞B1
釋義

約十二個

大約十二個

a quantity of roughly twelve people or things, used when the exact number is not important or not known precisely.

例句

Faisal saw several dozen people waiting outside the concert hall before the doors opened.

Faisal 看到大約幾十個人在音樂廳門外等候開門。

several dozen + [noun]

Apinya counted about a dozen chairs in the meeting room, though some were broken.

Apinya 數了數會議室裡大約有十幾張椅子，不過有些已經壞了。

about a dozen + [noun]

同義詞
  • about twelve

    more explicit about the approximate nature; 'dozen' alone can sound precise

  • roughly a dozen

    makes the approximation even clearer; slightly more informal

文法句型

[quantifier] + dozen + [noun]

about a dozen + [noun]

用法筆記

With "several dozen", "a few dozen", or "a dozen or so", the following noun has no "of": "several dozen people" (not "several dozen of people"). The quantity is understood to be roughly, not exactly, twelve times the number.

常見錯誤

❌I saw a dozen people' (when you actually mean about twelve but are unsure).
✅I saw about a dozen people' or 'I saw a dozen or so people.
💡for an approximate meaning, use a hedge word.

4. the number that is one more than eleven, used as a name for the quantity 12 in c

4.名詞A2
釋義

十二

數字12

the number that is one more than eleven, used as a name for the quantity 12 in counting or arithmetic.

例句

A baker's dozen is thirteen pieces, not twelve like a regular dozen.

一打（baker's dozen）是十三個，而不是一般的十二個。

one dozen = the number 12; baker's dozen = 13

Sofia packed exactly one dozen cookies into each gift box for the holiday sale.

Sofia 為節日義賣活動在每個禮盒裡裝了剛好一打餅乾。

one dozen = exactly 12 items

同義詞
  • twelve

    the ordinary number word; used in most everyday contexts where "dozen" is possible but less natural

文法句型

[number word] dozen

one dozen

用法筆記

The word "twelve" is far more common than "dozen" when referring to the pure number. "Dozen" is normally used for groups of items rather than the number itself.

常見錯誤

❌There are dozen people in the room' (when meaning exactly twelve).
✅There are a dozen people in the room.
💡"dozen" needs a determiner like "a" when counting a specific group.