prep
prep — 名詞
1. the work of getting ingredients ready for cooking, such as washing, chopping, an
備料
烹飪前洗、切、量等準備工作
the work of getting ingredients ready for cooking, such as washing, chopping, and measuring, or the time this work takes.
Marcus does all the prep on Sunday so weekday dinners are quick.
Marcus 週日把所有備料做完，平日晚餐就能很快上桌。
do + the prep collocation
The recipe takes only ten minutes of prep but an hour to bake.
這道食譜只要十分鐘的備料時間，但要烤一個小時。
prep as time measure: minutes of prep
Lina chopped onions and peppers as part of the dinner prep.
Lina 切了洋蔥和甜椒，當作晚餐的備料。
Most of the prep for the soup can be done a day ahead.
這鍋湯大部分的備料可以前一天先做好。
Prep time on the package said twenty minutes, but it took longer.
包裝上寫備料時間二十分鐘，但實際上花更久。
- preparation
the full, more formal noun; 'prep' is the casual short form
- groundwork
broader; refers to early stages of any task, not specifically cooking
文法句型
food prep
prep time
用法筆記
Frequently appears in compounds like 'prep time' and 'food prep', and after measure phrases ('ten minutes of prep'). Distinguish from sense 2: this one centres on cooking, not on getting people ready.
常見錯誤
2. the things a person does to get themselves or someone else ready before an event
事前準備
考試、面試或比賽前所做的準備工作
the things a person does to get themselves or someone else ready before an event, test, or activity.
Sarah spent two weeks on prep for her driving test.
Sarah 花了兩週做駕照考試的事前準備。
prep for + event
Coach Diaz drilled the swimmers on race-day prep at the Tuesday team meeting.
週二的隊員會議上，Coach Diaz 反覆叮嚀游泳選手關於比賽當天的事前準備。
Without two months of prep, Hannah would have frozen during her police academy interview.
若沒有兩個月的事前準備，Hannah 在警校面試時應該會嚇到僵住。
Carlos did all his exam prep at the local library.
Carlos 所有的考前準備都在當地圖書館完成。
Her trial prep included reading hundreds of pages of notes.
她的庭審準備工作包括讀好幾百頁的筆記。
- preparation
the longer, neutral form; 'prep' suits casual speech
- training
implies repeated practice; prep can be just one session
文法句型
prep for + event
用法筆記
Often used in compounds naming the event being prepared for: 'exam prep', 'interview prep', 'trial prep', 'race prep'. Distinguish from sense 1: this is about readying a person or team, not ingredients.
常見錯誤
3. a smaller race that a horse runs in to get fit and sharp before a big, important
熱身賽
賽馬大賽前的小型練習賽
a smaller race that a horse runs in to get fit and sharp before a big, important race.
The brown colt won his prep at Belmont by three lengths.
那匹棕色小公馬在 Belmont 的熱身賽以三個馬身領先奪冠。
Most Derby horses run at least one prep in March.
大多數參加 Derby 的賽馬會在三月跑至少一場熱身賽。
run + a prep collocation
Her trainer chose a short prep over a long one to save the horse's legs.
她的訓練師選了短熱身賽而不是長的，以保護馬的腿。
The filly looked tired in her last prep, so the team rested her for a week.
那匹母馬在上一場熱身賽看起來累了，團隊讓牠休息了一週。
- warm-up race
plainer everyday phrase for the same idea
- trial
broader sporting term; not limited to horses
- main race
the important race the prep is leading up to
用法筆記
Specialist horse-racing term; expect a horse subject and verbs like 'run', 'win', 'enter'. Often the noun appears with a possessive ('his prep', 'her last prep') showing which horse it belongs to.
4. study or written tasks that pupils, mostly at British private schools, finish at
課後作業
英國私校放學後完成的功課
study or written tasks that pupils, mostly at British private schools, finish at home or after the school day ends.
Lucy had two hours of prep every evening at her boarding school.
Lucy 在寄宿學校時，每晚都有兩小時的課後作業。
hours of prep collocation
The boys finished their prep before going down to dinner.
男孩們在下樓吃晚飯前先把課後作業寫完。
Maths prep was due first thing on Monday morning.
數學課後作業要在週一早上一上課就交。
Mr. Khan supervised prep in the quiet study room each night.
Mr. Khan 每晚在安靜的自習室裡監督課後作業。
- homework
everyday word, used in most schools and countries
- assignment
more formal; emphasises a specific task with a deadline
用法筆記
British boarding-school usage; in state schools and most American schools, the word is 'homework'. Often paired with a subject ('history prep', 'maths prep') or a time ('evening prep', 'two hours of prep').
常見錯誤
5. a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books for the word class 'preposi
介系詞縮寫
字典裡 preposition 的縮寫
a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books for the word class 'preposition' (words like 'in', 'on', 'at').
In the dictionary, 'between' is marked 'prep' to show its word class.
在字典裡，between 標示為 prep，表明它的詞類。
prep as label after a quoted word
Her grammar notes used 'prep' next to every word like 'on' or 'under'.
她的文法筆記在 on、under 這類字旁邊都寫上 prep。
Students often confuse the 'prep' label with the 'adv' label in their textbook.
學生常把課本上的 prep 標記和 adv 標記弄混。
The teacher told the class that 'prep' in the glossary just means 'preposition'.
老師告訴全班，字彙表裡的 prep 就是 preposition 的意思。
- preposition
the full term, used in writing and speech
用法筆記
Only seen in printed reference materials, dictionary entries, and grammar exercises. Rarely spoken aloud; if you read it, you usually say 'preposition' in full.
6. a daily pill that someone without HIV can take to stop them from catching the vi
預防用藥
預防 HIV 感染的每日口服藥
a daily pill that someone without HIV can take to stop them from catching the virus; short for 'pre-exposure prophylaxis'.
Daniel has been on PrEP for three years and gets tested every six months.
Daniel 服用暴露前預防用藥三年了，每六個月做一次檢驗。
be on PrEP fixed phrase
The clinic offers free PrEP to anyone at higher risk of HIV.
這家診所提供免費的暴露前預防用藥給高風險族群。
Doctors say PrEP works best when the pill is taken every day.
醫師說暴露前預防用藥每天服用效果最好。
Many gay men in the city now use PrEP as part of their health routine.
城裡許多男同志現在把這種預防用藥當成日常保健的一部分。
- pre-exposure prophylaxis
the full medical term that 'PrEP' stands for
- PEP
post-exposure prophylaxis, taken after possible HIV exposure
用法筆記
Almost always written 'PrEP' in capitals, since it is an initialism. Very common in fixed phrases: 'be on PrEP', 'start PrEP', 'PrEP user', 'PrEP clinic'. Strictly a medical, public-health context.
常見錯誤
prep — 動詞
1. to make yourself, or to help another person, become ready before an event, test,
做準備
使自己或他人為活動做好準備的動作
to make yourself, or to help another person, become ready before an event, test, or task.
Carlos prepped for the marathon by running every morning at six.
Carlos 為了馬拉松，每天早上六點跑步做準備。
prep for + event
Ms. Tanaka prepped her students for the listening exam with weekly tests.
Ms. Tanaka 透過每週小考幫學生為聽力測驗做準備。
prep + person + for + event
The whole team prepped together in the locker room before kickoff.
全隊在開賽前一起在更衣室裡做準備。
Lina prepped hard all summer and got into her first-choice university.
Lina 整個夏天認真做準備，考上了第一志願大學。
I need an hour to prep before the job interview tomorrow.
我需要一小時為明天的工作面試做準備。
文法句型
prep for + event
prep someone for + event
用法筆記
Either intransitive ('I prepped for the test') or transitive with a person object ('She prepped me for the interview'). Distinguish from verb sense 2: that one takes a thing as the object, not a person preparing for something.
常見錯誤
2. to get a thing such as food, a room, or a piece of equipment into the state need
備妥
把食物、場地或器材準備好
to get a thing such as food, a room, or a piece of equipment into the state needed for use.
The chef prepped the vegetables while the oven warmed up.
主廚在烤箱預熱時把蔬菜備妥。
prep + ingredient (cooking)
Marcus prepped the spare room before his cousin arrived from Tokyo.
Marcus 在表弟從東京過來之前，把客房備妥。
prep + room
Volunteers prepped the church hall for Saturday's wedding party.
志工把教堂禮堂備妥，準備迎接週六的婚宴。
Sarah prepped the camera and tripod before sunrise at the lake.
Sarah 在湖邊日出前把相機和腳架都備妥。
Please prep the meeting room — coffee, chairs, and a clean board.
請把會議室備妥——咖啡、椅子，還有一塊乾淨的白板。
文法句型
prep + thing
用法筆記
Object is a thing, not a person. Common objects: ingredients, rooms, venues, equipment, vehicles. Distinguish from verb sense 1, where the object (or implied subject) is a person being readied.
常見錯誤
3. to clean, shave, and otherwise get a patient's body ready before a doctor perfor
術前處置
替病人做手術前的清潔備皮
to clean, shave, and otherwise get a patient's body ready before a doctor performs an operation.
The nurse prepped Mr. Allen for heart surgery early Monday morning.
週一一早，護理師為 Mr. Allen 進行心臟手術的術前處置。
prep + patient + for + surgery
Two staff prepped the patient while Dr. Chen scrubbed in.
兩名工作人員為病人進行術前處置，Dr. Chen 則在洗手消毒。
Mrs. Okafor was prepped quickly in the trauma bay because the bleeding would not stop.
因為出血止不住，Mrs. Okafor 在外傷區被迅速完成術前處置。
Junior doctors learn how to prep a patient on their first hospital rotation.
實習醫師在第一次醫院輪訓時就學會如何替病人做術前處置。
文法句型
prep + patient + for + procedure
用法筆記
Strictly medical use; subject is usually hospital staff (nurse, doctor, team), and the object is a named patient or 'the patient'. Frequently passive ('the patient was prepped'). Distinguish from verb sense 1: this is hands-on physical preparation of a body, not coaching a person for a test.