late
late — 形容詞
1. happening or existing closer to the finish of a day, season, era, or stage of li
晚期；後期
接近一段時間的末尾
happening or existing closer to the finish of a day, season, era, or stage of life than to its start.
We went for a long walk in the late afternoon sunshine.
我們在午後的陽光下散了很長一段路。
collocation: late afternoon / late spring / late 19th century
Ritu's grandfather learned to paint landscapes in his late seventies.
Ritu 的祖父在將近八十歲時學畫風景畫。
The cherry trees along the river bloom in late March every year.
河邊的櫻花樹每年三月下旬盛開。
This old railway bridge was built in the late eighteen hundreds.
這座舊鐵路橋建於十九世紀晚期。
Élise signed up for a pottery class in late August before the fall term started.
Élise 在八月下旬報名了陶藝課，準備在秋季學期開始前上課。
- early
the opposite end of a time period
文法句型
late + [time period noun]
2. arriving or taking place after the moment that was agreed, scheduled, or conside
遲到；延誤
超過預定或一般時間
arriving or taking place after the moment that was agreed, scheduled, or considered normal.
The train arrived twenty minutes late because of the heavy snow.
因為大雪，火車晚了二十分鐘抵達。
pattern: [time quantity] + late
Naoko sent a quick apology for being late to the team meeting.
Naoko 因為團隊會議遲到而快速道了歉。
collocation: late to + [event] / late for + [event]
The landlord charged Kabir a fee for his late rent payment last month.
房東因為 Kabir 上個月租金遲繳而向他收取了一筆費用。
Several students were late to class because the school bus broke down.
因為校車拋錨，有好幾名學生上課遲到了。
Christopher's late arrival at the airport meant he missed his flight to Osaka.
Christopher 抵達機場時已經晚了，因此錯過了他飛往大阪的班機。
文法句型
[quantity] + late
late for + [event]
用法筆記
Time measurements come immediately before 'late' — 'ten minutes late,' 'an hour late.' Do not insert 'for' between the time and 'late': ❌ 'I was late for ten minutes' ✅ 'I was ten minutes late.'
常見錯誤
3. relating to a football tackle that reaches the opponent once the ball is already
遲來的鏟球
球已傳出才做的鏟球
relating to a football tackle that reaches the opponent once the ball is already gone, making contact with the player instead of the ball.
The referee showed a yellow card for the late tackle on Lucía.
裁判因為對 Lucía 的遲來鏟球而出示了黃牌。
football term: late tackle
Tendai's late tackle on the striker earned him a warning from the coach.
Tendai 對前鋒的遲來的鏟球讓他被教練訓誡了一頓。
Samir's late tackle on the winger in the last minute earned him a yellow card.
Samir 在最後一分鐘對邊鋒的遲來鏟球讓他領到一張黃牌。
The defender's late tackle inside the box gave the other team a penalty kick.
後衛在禁區內的遲來鏟球送給對方一個十二碼罰球。
文法句型
late + tackle
用法筆記
This sense is used only in football (soccer), always before the noun 'tackle.' Common in British sports commentary but rare in everyday conversation.
4. placed before a person's name or title to show that they are no longer alive, of
已故的
用來指稱已過世的人
placed before a person's name or title to show that they are no longer alive, often used when speaking with respect.
The late Mr. Chen taught history at our school for over thirty years.
已故的陳老師在我們學校教了三十多年的歷史。
pattern: the late + [name] for a deceased person
A scholarship fund was created in honor of the late Dr. Okafor.
為了紀念已故的 Okafor 博士，人們設立了一筆獎學金。
Lakshmi still uses the spice blend that her late grandmother taught her to make.
Lakshmi 仍然使用她已故祖母教她做的香料配方。
The town library was renamed after the late mayor who served for four decades.
這間鎮立圖書館以已故的市長命名，他服務了四十年之久。
Hoa visits the grave of her late husband every Sunday before breakfast.
Hoa 每個星期天早餐前都會去已故丈夫的墳前探望。
- living
alive; still alive
文法句型
the late + [name/title]
用法筆記
Always used before a noun or name (attributive position). Never used after a linking verb — ❌ 'My uncle is late' ✅ 'My late uncle was a doctor.' Typically respectful; use with people only, not animals or objects.
常見錯誤
late — 副詞
1. at a time later than the one that was agreed, expected, or usual.
遲；晚於預定
超過約定或平常的時間
at a time later than the one that was agreed, expected, or usual.
The mail normally comes before lunch, but today it arrived late.
郵件通常會在中午前送達，但今天送晚了。
adverb modifying arrive: arrived late
Allison handed in her history report three days late, so the teacher deducted five points.
Allison 的歷史報告遲交了三天，所以老師扣了她五分。
Megan opened her birthday gifts late because she was waiting for her cousin.
Megan 因為在等表妹，所以晚了一點才拆生日禮物。
The conference started late because the keynote speaker was stuck in traffic.
會議延遲開始，因為主講人被塞在車陣中。
Sahil's plane landed late, so he took a taxi instead of the airport bus.
Sahil 的飛機晚降落了，所以他搭計程車而不是機場巴士。
- behind schedule
slightly more formal; often used for events or transport
- belatedly
formal; used for actions that should have happened earlier
文法句型
arrive late
start late
finish late
常見錯誤
2. at a point that is far into the night or far along within a particular period, s
深夜；晚期
進入一段時間的後段
at a point that is far into the night or far along within a particular period, such as a person's life.
The children stayed up late watching movies on New Year's Eve.
孩子們除夕夜看電影看到很晚。
pattern: stay up late
Joaquín often works late at the office when a deadline is approaching.
Joaquín 在截止日前常常在辦公室工作到很晚。
pattern: work late
The party went on quite late, and the neighbors complained about the noise.
派對持續到很晚，鄰居抱怨太吵了。
Chidi did not get married until late in life, at the age of forty-eight.
Chidi 一直到晚年才結婚，那時他已經四十八歲了。
Mayumi liked to go for a run late in the evening when the streets were empty.
Mayumi 喜歡在深夜街上無人的時候去跑步。
- deep into the night
more emphatic; conveys a stronger sense of very far along
- early
near the beginning of a period, especially the night
文法句型
stay up late
work late
late at night
late in + [period]
用法筆記
This sense is common in phrases like 'stay up late,' 'work late,' 'late at night,' and 'late in life.' It describes how far into a time period something happens, not whether it is past a deadline.
常見錯誤
3. used with 'as' to show that something was still happening at a surprisingly rece
最近；近來
不久之前
used with 'as' to show that something was still happening at a surprisingly recent point in time.
Village farmers still harvested rice by hand as late as the nineteen eighties.
鄉村農民一直到一九八〇年代都還用手工收割稻米。
pattern: as late as [time] meaning recently
Tamar saw Professor Yamada at the supermarket as late as last Wednesday.
Tamar 上週三還在超市見過山田教授。
The old factory was still producing furniture as late as 2010.
這間老工廠一直到2010年都還在生產家具。
Mira visited the public library as late as last month before it closed for renovation.
Mira 上個月還去過那間公共圖書館，之後它就關閉整修了。
- recently
more general and widely used; does not emphasize a cutoff point
- not long ago
more informal; used in everyday speech
文法句型
as late as + [time reference]
用法筆記
Most common in the fixed pattern 'as late as [time or event].' Not interchangeable with the adverb 'lately,' which means 'in recent times generally' — compare 'I saw her as late as yesterday' (a specific recent moment) with 'I have not seen her lately' (a general recent period).