metre

metre — 名詞

1. a unit used for measuring how long something is, equal to 100 centimetres (about

1.名詞A1
釋義

公尺

長度單位，等於一百公分

a unit used for measuring how long something is, equal to 100 centimetres (about 1.1 yards).

例句

The swimming pool at the local leisure centre is twenty-five metres long.

當地休閒中心的游泳池長二十五公尺。

collocation: [number] + metres + long/wide/deep

Romi bought two metres of blue fabric from the market stall.

Romi 在市場攤位買了兩公尺的藍色布料。

同義詞
  • unit

    much more general; metre is a specific type of unit

  • yard

    imperial unit close in length (0.91 m), used mainly in the US and UK for certain contexts

文法句型

[number] + metre(s) + long/wide/deep/high

[number] + metre(s) + of + [noun]

用法筆記

In British English the spelling 'metre' is used for the unit of length; 'meter' (same pronunciation) refers to a measuring device such as a gas meter or parking meter. American English uses 'meter' for both.

常見錯誤

❌The table is 2 meter wide.
✅The table is 2 metres wide.
💡Metre is a countable noun; add -s in the plural after numbers greater than one.
❌The gas metre shows how much energy we used.
✅The gas meter shows how much energy we used.
💡A 'meter' is a device that reads a quantity; 'metre' is a unit of length.

2. the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables arranged in regular groups with

2.名詞B2
釋義

韻律；格律

詩歌中音節輕重的規律排列

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables arranged in regular groups within a line of poetry, creating a steady rhythm.

例句

Shanti studied the metre of Shakespeare's sonnets in her English literature class.

Shanti 在她的英國文學課上研究了莎士比亞十四行詩的韻律。

the metre of + [text]

Traditional Chinese poetry follows strict rules of metre and rhyme.

傳統中國詩歌遵循嚴格的格律與押韻規則。

strict rules of metre and rhyme

同義詞
  • rhythm

    broader term; metre is the structured, measurable form of rhythm in poetry

  • beat

    informal, used for the underlying pulse; less precise than metre

  • verse form

    includes metre plus other structural features like line length and rhyme scheme

反義詞
  • prose

    written language without metrical structure

文法句型

the metre of + [text]

[adjective] + metre

in + [adjective] + metre

用法筆記

Frequently used with adjectives that name a specific pattern (iambic metre, trochaic metre). When referring to the concept in general, metre is uncountable ('this poem lacks metre'). A particular instance is countable ('Latin poets used several metres').

常見錯誤

❌The poet wrote in a strict meter.
✅The poet wrote in a strict metre.
💡In British English, the poetic sense is always spelled 'metre', not 'meter'.
❌Rhyme and meter are both important.
✅Rhyme and metre are both important.
💡Same spelling rule applies.

3. the way beats are grouped into regular units called bars within a musical work,

3.名詞B2
釋義

拍子

音樂中小節與節拍的組織方式

the way beats are grouped into regular units called bars within a musical work, usually shown by a time signature at the start of each bar.

例句

The conductor explained how the metre changes from 4/4 time to 3/4 time.

指揮解釋了拍子如何從四四拍轉變為四三拍。

metre changes from [time signature] to [time signature]

Jin tapped his foot to keep the metre while practising the piano piece.

Jin 在練習這首鋼琴曲時用腳打拍子來保持節拍。

keep the metre

同義詞
  • time

    interchangeable in music (e.g. '3/4 time' = '3/4 metre'); time is more common in everyday music talk

  • beat

    a single pulse; metre is the larger organising structure that groups beats

  • rhythm

    broader term that includes metre but also note lengths and accent patterns

文法句型

[time signature] + metre

in + [time signature] + metre

the metre of + [piece]

用法筆記

Musical metre is usually described by its time signature (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8). Duple metre has two beats per bar, triple metre has three, and quadruple metre has four. The plural 'metres' can refer to different types of metre within a single composition.

常見錯誤

❌This waltz has a 3/4 meter.
✅This waltz has a 3/4 metre.
💡British spelling 'metre' applies to the musical sense as well.