hint

hint — 名詞

1. an indirect remark or action that reveals your thoughts or desires without stati

1.名詞B1
釋義

暗示；提示

以間接方式表達的想法或意圖

an indirect remark or action that reveals your thoughts or desires without stating them openly — for example, saying you are thirsty in the hope that someone offers you a drink

例句

Andrew kept dropping hints about wanting a new watch for his birthday.

Andrew 一直暗示想在生日時收到一支新手錶。

drop a hint — make an indirect suggestion

Kasia gave us a hint by writing the first letter of each answer.

Kasia 在黑板上寫下每個答案的第一個字母，給了我們一個提示。

give a hint — provide an indirect clue

同義詞
  • clue

    more concrete; usually points to a puzzle or problem to solve

  • suggestion

    more direct and less cautious than a hint

  • signal

    can be nonverbal and more intentional

文法句型

hint + about/as to + noun

hint + that-clause

2. a practical suggestion that makes it easier to complete a task — for example, a

2.名詞B1
釋義

秘訣；訣竅

有助於完成某事的實用建議

a practical suggestion that makes it easier to complete a task — for example, a cooking tip that saves time or exam advice that improves your score

例句

Putri's grandmother shared some helpful hints for removing stains from clothes.

Putri 的祖母分享了一些去除衣物污漬的實用小秘訣。

helpful hints — practical advice collocation

Vivek read the gardening hints in the magazine before planting his first vegetables.

Vivek 在種下第一批蔬菜之前，先閱讀了雜誌上的園藝訣竅。

同義詞
  • tip

    more casual and common in everyday conversation

  • advice

    more general and often uncountable; hint is countable and more practical

文法句型

hint + on + noun/noun phrase

hint + for + noun/noun phrase

3. a barely noticeable amount of a quality, flavour, or colour — for example, a hin

3.名詞B2
釋義

微量；少許

極少量的味道、顏色或特質

a barely noticeable amount of a quality, flavour, or colour — for example, a hint of lemon in a cake or a hint of sadness in someone's voice

例句

There was only a hint of chilli in the sauce, so it was not spicy.

醬汁裡只有少許辣椒，所以吃起來一點都不辣。

a hint of [something] — pattern for a small amount of a quality

The sky showed a hint of pink as the sun rose over the hills.

太陽從山丘升起時，天空露出了淡淡的一抹粉紅。

同義詞
  • trace

    slightly more scientific; common in chemistry or formal descriptions

  • touch

    more casual and often used for amounts of something added

  • dash

    mainly used for small amounts of liquid or food ingredients

文法句型

a hint of + noun

用法筆記

Always used in the singular with 'a' before it. Followed by 'of' and a noun describing a taste, colour, emotion, or quality. Cannot be used with numbers ('two hints of lemon').

常見錯誤

❌The soup had a hint spicy.
✅The soup had a hint of spice.
💡'hint' must be followed by 'of' when describing a flavour or quality.

4. a sign of what is likely to come or what a situation truly is — for example, fal

4.名詞B2
釋義

徵兆；跡象

預示未來情況或揭露真相的信號

a sign of what is likely to come or what a situation truly is — for example, falling sales that point to economic trouble

例句

Falling house prices were the first hint that the local economy was slowing down.

房價下跌是當地經濟開始放緩的第一個徵兆。

first hint that — pattern for an early signal of something

The children's sudden silence was our first hint that something was wrong.

孩子們突然安靜下來，是我們發現事情不對勁的第一個跡象。

同義詞
  • sign

    more general and broader in meaning; a hint is more subtle than a sign

  • indication

    more formal and neutral in tone

  • clue

    suggests a problem to solve rather than a future event

文法句型

a hint + that-clause

用法筆記

Often used with 'first' to mark the earliest indication of a change. Commonly followed by a that-clause explaining what is about to happen.

hint — 動詞