proper
proper — 形容詞
1. of the quality or type that is expected for something, as opposed to a poor or f
真正的
真正的、夠水準的
of the quality or type that is expected for something, as opposed to a poor or fake version of it.
After years of part-time work, Indra finally found a proper job with a steady income.
做了多年的兼職工作後，Indra 終於找到一份收入穩定的正職工作。
attributive: proper + job/meal/shoes
The restaurant served a proper meal with soup, main course, and dessert.
這家餐廳供應了完整的一餐，有湯品、主菜和甜點。
Owen's bicycle is old but still a proper machine that can handle long rides.
Owen 的腳踏車雖然舊了，但仍然是台能應付長途騎乘的好車。
You need proper shoes for hiking, not just old trainers from the gym.
你需要一雙真正的登山鞋，而不是穿去健身房的舊運動鞋。
The children's museum has proper exhibits, not just toys on a shelf.
這間兒童博物館有真正的展品，不只是在架子上放些玩具而已。
- inadequate
proper implies good enough standard; inadequate means below that standard
文法句型
proper + noun
用法筆記
Often used in positive contexts about quality or authenticity. Common with nouns such as 'job', 'meal', 'shoes', 'education', and 'training'.
常見錯誤
2. behaving or acting in a way that people in a community agree is morally and soci
得體的
符合社會道德標準的
behaving or acting in a way that people in a community agree is morally and socially right.
In many cultures, it is not proper to speak loudly at the dinner table.
在許多文化中，在餐桌上大聲說話是不得體的。
negative pattern: it is not proper to...
Brooke's parents expected proper behaviour from all their guests.
Brooke 的父母要求所有客人都要有得體的舉止。
Shirin wondered whether her casual outfit was proper for the ceremony.
Shirin 不確定她的休閒服裝是否適合出席典禮。
The school taught students how to write a proper thank-you letter.
學校教導學生如何撰寫得體的感謝信。
- appropriate
broader; can apply to any situation, not just moral/social conduct
- correct
stronger; implies a clear right-or-wrong standard
- acceptable
weaker; suggests the minimum standard rather than ideal behaviour
- improper
direct opposite; failing to meet social or moral standards
- inappropriate
broader; not suitable for the situation
文法句型
it is proper (for someone) to do something
proper + noun
it is not proper to...
用法筆記
Common in negative constructions and questions about appropriate conduct. 'It is not proper to...' is a frequent pattern. Distinguished from sense 1 by focusing on social/moral norms rather than quality or genuineness.
常見錯誤
3. placed after a noun to refer to the main or central part of something, not inclu
本身的
最重要的、核心的（置於名詞後）
placed after a noun to refer to the main or central part of something, not including its edges, suburbs, or extensions.
The town proper has only five thousand residents, but the suburbs are huge.
鎮區本身只有五千名居民，但郊區卻很大。
postpositive position: [noun] + proper
The discussion focused on the policy proper, not on side issues.
討論的焦點是政策本身，而不是周邊的問題。
Minho argued that the novel proper begins after the long introduction.
Minho 認為小說本身是在漫長的序言之後才開始的。
The building proper is two hundred years old, though the extension is newer.
建築物本身已有兩百年歷史，但加蓋的部分比較新。
文法句型
noun + proper
用法筆記
Unlike most English adjectives, proper in this sense comes AFTER the noun it modifies (postpositive position). Common with nouns like 'town', 'city', 'novel', 'policy', 'text'.
常見錯誤
4. used informally before a noun to emphasise that something is complete, total, or
十足的
完全的、徹底的
used informally before a noun to emphasise that something is complete, total, or extreme — for example, a proper mess or a proper disaster.
Kofi made a proper mess of the kitchen while baking a cake.
Kofi 烤蛋糕時把廚房搞得一團糟。
informal intensifier: proper + [negative noun]
After losing the match, Tamás was in a proper bad mood for hours.
輸掉比賽後，Tamás 好幾個小時都心情極差。
The storm caused a proper disaster, flooding dozens of homes.
這場風暴造成了一場大災難，淹沒了幾十戶人家。
Tunde got himself into a proper fix when he forgot the tickets.
Tunde 忘了帶票，讓自己陷入了一個大麻煩。
文法句型
proper + noun (usually negative)
用法筆記
British informal usage. Always placed before the noun it modifies. Most frequently used with nouns expressing something undesirable (a mess, a disaster, a fool, a shock).
常見錯誤
5. being a natural part or feature of a specific person, thing, or situation and no
特有的
特定事物自然具有的
being a natural part or feature of a specific person, thing, or situation and no other.
A love of spicy food is proper to the region's culinary tradition.
喜愛辛辣食物是該地區烹飪傳統的特色。
prepositional pattern: proper to + [noun]
The shyness proper to adolescence gradually faded as Heloísa grew older.
青春期特有的羞澀隨著 Heloísa 長大而逐漸消失。
Each species has behaviours proper to its environment and lifestyle.
每個物種都有其生活環境與習性特有的行為模式。
The formal language proper to legal documents can be hard to understand.
法律文件特有的正式語言可能很難理解。
- characteristic of
common alternative; 'proper to' is more formal
- peculiar to
stronger emphasis on uniqueness; slightly more formal
- unique to
implies no other example has this feature; stronger than proper to
- alien to
opposite meaning — foreign or unnatural to something
文法句型
proper to + noun
用法筆記
Followed by the preposition 'to'. More formal than the other adjective senses. Common in academic, technical, and descriptive writing. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 5 means 'naturally belonging to' and is followed by 'to', while sense 3 means 'main part of' and follows the noun directly.
常見錯誤
proper — 副詞
1. used in informal British English instead of 'properly', especially to mean speak
好好地
好好地、正確地（非正式英式用法）
used in informal British English instead of 'properly', especially to mean speaking or doing something in the correct way.
The old man could not speak proper after his stroke affected his speech.
那位老人中風後講話就不太清楚了。
British colloquial: verb + proper (instead of properly)
Brandon told his son to sit up proper and pay attention in class.
Brandon 叫兒子坐好，在課堂上專心聽講。
Élise was trying hard to learn how to pronounce the French word proper.
Élise 很努力地學習如何正確發音這個法文字。
The teacher told the children to sit down and behave proper during the assembly.
老師叫孩子們坐好，在典禮期間保持規矩。
- properly
the standard adverb; use in formal and written English
文法句型
verb + proper
用法筆記
Non-standard adverb form used primarily in British speech, not in formal writing. Standard English uses 'properly' instead.
常見錯誤
2. used in informal British English before an adjective to add emphasis, meaning 'v
非常
非常、極其（非正式英式用法）
used in informal British English before an adjective to add emphasis, meaning 'very' or 'extremely'.
Niran was proper angry when he found out about the accounting mistake.
Niran 發現會計錯誤後氣炸了。
British colloquial intensifier: proper + adjective
That new horror film was proper scary — Sahil could not sleep all night.
那部新恐怖片超可怕——Sahil 整晚都睡不著。
Tamar was proper pleased when she received her university acceptance letter.
Tamar 收到大學錄取通知時高興極了。
Christopher was proper embarrassed when his phone rang during the meeting.
Christopher 在會議中手機響了，尷尬極了。
文法句型
proper + adjective
用法筆記
Non-standard intensifier common in British regional speech and informal conversation. Not used in formal writing. Can modify both positive and negative adjectives.