foster
foster — 動詞
1. to take a child or animal into your home and look after them for a limited perio
寄養
暫時照顧非親生小孩或動物
to take a child or animal into your home and look after them for a limited period, without becoming their legal parent or permanent owner.
Hyun and his wife decided to foster a teenage girl from the local agency.
Hyun 和太太決定從當地的安置機構寄養一名少女。
foster + direct object (child placed by agency)
The shelter asked Karim if he could foster the injured puppy for a few weeks.
收容所問 Karim 是否能暫時寄養那隻受傷的小狗幾個星期。
foster + direct object (animal); time-bound
Imani was fostered by the same family from age four until she turned eighteen.
Imani 從四歲到十八歲一直由同一個家庭寄養。
Families who foster receive monthly payments to cover food, clothing, and school supplies.
寄養家庭的父母每月會收到補助，用來支付伙食、衣服和學用品。
- take in
less formal, can also mean offering shelter to anyone (not just children or animals)
- look after
broader meaning — can refer to any care situation, not limited to non-legal arrangements
- adopt
permanent legal parenthood rather than temporary care
文法句型
foster + noun phrase (child or animal)
be fostered + by + agent
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive ('The child was fostered by neighbours'). Unlike 'adopt', fostering is always temporary — the biological parents retain legal rights. The verb can also refer to animals when shelters need short-term homes before permanent adoption.
常見錯誤
2. to help something develop or grow over time, such as a skill, feeling, relations
培養；促進
幫助技能、情感或關係成長
to help something develop or grow over time, such as a skill, feeling, relationship, or idea.
The school's music programme helped foster a love of singing in young students.
學校的音樂課程幫助培養了學生對唱歌的熱愛。
foster + abstract noun phrase (love of singing)
Regular team meetings can foster better communication between different departments.
定期的團隊會議可以促進不同部門之間更順暢的溝通。
The charity works to foster understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds.
該慈善機構致力於促進不同文化背景的人們之間的理解。
Sahil's parents tried to foster his interest in science by taking him to museums.
Sahil 的父母帶他去博物館，希望能培養他對科學的興趣。
- stifle
to stop something from developing
- discourage
to make someone less likely to do something
文法句型
foster + noun phrase (abstract concept such as relationship, development, understanding)
用法筆記
The object is almost always an abstract noun — feelings, attitudes, skills, or relationships. It is rarely used with concrete nouns such as 'a business' or 'a plant'. Compare with 'cultivate', which can be used for plants as well as abstract qualities.
常見錯誤
foster — 形容詞
1. relating to a system where a child or animal temporarily lives with adults who a
寄養的
關於非親生父母照顧的安排
relating to a system where a child or animal temporarily lives with adults who are not their biological or legal parents.
Dewi's foster mother picked her up from school every afternoon.
Dewi 的寄養母親每天下午到學校接她。
foster + mother (relationship noun)
The rescue centre is looking for foster homes for the abandoned kittens.
救援中心正在為那些被遺棄的小貓尋找寄養家庭。
foster + homes (place noun)
Christopher felt grateful to his foster parents for supporting his education.
Christopher 很感激他的寄養父母支持他完成學業。
Paul spent three years in foster care before being adopted at the age of seven.
Paul 在七歲被收養之前，曾接受過三年的寄養照顧。
- biological
related by blood, as in 'biological parent'
- adoptive
related by legal adoption, usually permanent
文法句型
foster + noun (parent, child, home, family, care)
用法筆記
Always placed directly before a noun — you cannot say 'The parents are foster' without a following noun. Common combinations include 'foster parent', 'foster child', 'foster family', 'foster home', and 'foster care'. The adjective can refer to both children and animals.
常見錯誤
foster — 名詞
1. Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864), an American songwriter who wrote popular son
美國作曲家
十九世紀美國知名歌曲作者
Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864), an American songwriter who wrote popular songs such as 'Oh! Susanna', 'Camptown Races', and 'Beautiful Dreamer', many of which are still known today.
Stephen Foster wrote over two hundred songs before his death at the age of thirty-seven.
Stephen Foster 在三十七歲去世前總共寫了兩百多首歌曲。
proper noun (songwriter); fact about output
Many schoolchildren in the United States still sing Stephen Foster's songs in music class.
美國許多小學生到現在還會在音樂課上唱 Stephen Foster 的歌。
The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in Florida offers tours of his former home.
佛羅里達州的 Stephen Foster 民俗文化中心開放參觀他生前的故居。
Biographers note that Stephen Foster's melodies drew from both European and African musical traditions.
傳記作家指出 Stephen Foster 的旋律融合了歐洲與非洲的音樂傳統。
用法筆記
Often referred to as 'the father of American music' because his songs became widely popular during the 19th century and helped shape American popular songwriting.
2. William Z(ebulon) Foster (1881–1961), an American Communist Party leader and lab
共黨領袖
二十世紀美國勞工運動及政治人物
William Z(ebulon) Foster (1881–1961), an American Communist Party leader and labour organiser who ran for president several times.
William Z. Foster led the Communist Party USA from the 1920s through the 1950s.
William Z. Foster 從 1920 年代到 1950 年代領導美國共產黨。
proper noun (political leader); role + time span
Foster first became active in labour unions while working in the railroad industry.
Foster 在鐵路行業工作時首次參與工會活動。
During the 1930s Foster helped organise strikes among steel and coal workers.
1930 年代 Foster 協助組織了鋼鐵與煤炭工人的罷工。
Foster's writings on labour politics influenced left-wing activism for several decades.
Foster 關於勞工政治的著作影響了數十年的左派運動。
用法筆記
The middle initial 'Z.' stands for 'Zebulon'. Foster was a prominent figure in American labour movements and was imprisoned under the Smith Act for his political activism.