promise
promise — 動詞
1. When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will car
答應；保證
向某人保證一定會做某事
When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will carry out a certain action or ensure a particular result, which allows them to trust you.
Shirin promised her little brother she would take him to the aquarium on Saturday morning.
Shirin 向弟弟保證，星期六早上會帶他去水族館。
promise + (that) + clause
The manager promised the team that bonuses would arrive before Christmas.
經理向團隊保證，聖誕節前一定會發獎金。
promise + someone + that-clause
Sofie promised to help her elderly neighbour with the weekly grocery shopping.
Sofie 答應幫年長的鄰居每週採買雜貨。
"I will be there on time," Aiko promised, looking her friend in the eye.
「我一定準時到，」Aiko 看著朋友的眼睛保證道。
My father promised me a new bicycle if I passed all my final exams.
爸爸向我保證，如果我期末考試全部及格，就給我買一輛新腳踏車。
- vow
stronger and more formal; often used in religious or ceremonial contexts
- pledge
more formal and public than 'promise'; often used in political or fundraising contexts
- swear
emphasises solemnity; often implies a formal declaration or oath
- assure
focuses on removing someone's doubt rather than making a commitment to act
- break a promise
to fail to do what you promised
文法句型
promise + to-infinitive
promise + (that) + clause
promise + someone + something
promise + speech
用法筆記
Common with a that-clause (often omitting 'that' in informal speech), a to-infinitive, or two objects. The direct-speech construction places 'promised' after the quoted words. This sense is very frequent in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
2. to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way
預示
顯示某事很可能會發生或有好結果
to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way or reach a certain state — for example, a project that promises to be difficult, or a young athlete who promises to be a star.
This summer promises to be one of the hottest on record, according to weather forecasters.
根據氣象預報，今年夏天可望成為有史以來最熱的夏天之一。
promise + to be + adjective
The new restaurant near the park promises to become a popular meeting place for locals.
公園附近那家新餐廳可望成為當地人喜愛的聚會場所。
promise + to-infinitive (become)
The clear sky and gentle breeze promised a perfect day for sailing on the lake.
晴朗的天空和微風預示著這是到湖上揚帆的好天氣。
Ayana's early sketches promised to be far better than typical beginner work, surprising her art teacher.
Ayana 早期的素描作品可望遠勝一般初學者的水準，連美術老師都大吃一驚。
The negotiations promised to be lengthy, so the teams prepared for a long session.
談判預料將曠日費時，雙方團隊都做好了長期抗戰的準備。
文法句型
promise + to be + adjective
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to be' or another to-infinitive that indicates a likely result. Rarely used in continuous tenses — you would not say 'it is promising to be hot'. The subject is typically a situation, event, trend, or creative work rather than a person making a deliberate statement.
常見錯誤
promise — 名詞
1. a spoken or written statement in which you say that you will definitely do somet
承諾；保證
口頭或書面說一定會做某事的聲明
a spoken or written statement in which you say that you will definitely do something for someone, so that they can count on your word.
Mayumi made a promise to visit her grandmother every weekend without fail.
Mayumi 向奶奶承諾，每個週末一定去探望她。
collocation: make a promise
The candidate's promises sounded good, but voters were not sure she could keep them all.
那位候選人的承諾聽起來很不錯，但選民不確定她能否全部兌現。
Charlotte kept her promise to help her colleague finish the project on time.
Charlotte 信守承諾，幫同事按時完成了專案。
Kofi made a promise to help his friend move, though he knew it would take all day.
Kofi 承諾幫朋友搬家，即使知道會花上一整天的時間。
Heather made a promise to bake a chocolate cake from scratch for her daughter's party.
Heather 為了女兒的生日派對，許下要親手烤一個巧克力蛋糕的承諾。
- pledge
more formal and often public; used in political and fundraising contexts
- commitment
broader than 'promise'; can refer to any duty or obligation
- oath
a very formal, often legal or religious promise
- guarantee
emphasises certainty of outcome, often with a formal assurance
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with the verbs 'make', 'keep', 'break', 'fulfil', or 'honour'. 'Make a promise' creates the commitment; 'keep/honour/fulfil a promise' carries it out; 'break a promise' fails to carry it out.
常見錯誤
2. what happens after someone makes a promise — whether they do what they said they
履行；背棄
說到做到或失信的行為
what happens after someone makes a promise — whether they do what they said they would do, or fail to do it.
Eleni's brother kept his promise to meet her at the airport gate when she landed.
Eleni 的哥哥信守承諾到機場接她，她抵達時他已經在登機門等了。
collocation: keep a promise
Sahil broke his promise to stop eating junk food, which upset his nutritionist.
Sahil 背棄了不吃垃圾食物的承諾，讓營養師很失望。
collocation: break a promise
The government failed to honour its promise to raise the minimum wage this year.
政府今年未能兌現調漲基本工資的承諾。
Maja reminded her teammate about his promise to split the travel costs, and he transferred the money the next morning.
Maja 提醒隊友他曾承諾分攤旅費，隔天早上他就把錢轉了過來。
Despite the freezing rain, Ishaan kept his promise to walk his neighbour's dog every morning.
儘管下著冰冷的雨，Ishaan 仍然信守承諾，每天早上遛鄰居的狗。
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 1 (SAY CERTAINLY): sense 1 refers to the act of making the promise itself ('she made a promise'), while sense 2 refers to what happens afterwards — keeping it, breaking it, or fulfilling it. This sense appears primarily in the fixed collocations 'keep a promise', 'break a promise', 'fulfil a promise', and 'honour a promise'. It is not used with the verb 'make' — 'make a promise' belongs to sense 1.
3. the quality that makes a person, a thing, or a situation seem likely to turn out
潛力；前途
未來會表現出色或成功的跡象
the quality that makes a person, a thing, or a situation seem likely to turn out especially well or achieve great results in the future — for instance, a young musician who clearly has talent, or a new technology that seems full of possibility.
The young pianist shows great promise and is expected to win the national competition.
那位年輕的鋼琴家展現出極大的潛力，預計能贏得全國比賽。
collocation: show promise
Despite its early promise, the research project failed to attract enough funding to continue.
儘管起初備受看好，那項研究計畫仍未能募到足夠的資金繼續進行。
collocation: early promise
Eri's first novel is full of promise, though the later chapters need more work.
Eri 的第一本小說潛力十足，不過後面幾章的內容還需要再加強。
Teachers saw a lot of promise in Sivan's writing from a very early age.
老師們很早就看出 Sivan 在寫作方面很有天賦。
The new vaccine held great promise for preventing the disease in older adults.
這種新疫苗在預防老年人罹患該疾病方面極具前景。
- hopelessness
complete lack of potential for improvement or success
用法筆記
Uncountable noun; never 'a promise' in this sense. Common verb partners: 'show', 'have', 'hold', 'demonstrate', 'fulfil'. Useful adjective partners: 'early', 'great', 'real', 'enormous'. This sense describes potential for future success, not a verbal commitment.