slow
slow — 形容詞
1. not quick in movement, action, or operation — for example, a runner who finishes
慢的
移動或做事速度不快的
not quick in movement, action, or operation — for example, a runner who finishes last, internet pages that load gradually, or work that advances only a little each day
The slow traffic made Lotte late for her dentist appointment.
塞車讓 Lotte 趕不上牙醫的預約。
collocation: slow traffic
Gabriel walked at a slow pace because his ankle still hurt from the fall.
Gabriel 慢慢走，因為他的腳踝跌倒後還在痛。
Jin could not finish his homework because the internet connection was very slow.
Jin 沒辦法完成作業，因為網路連線非常慢。
Progress on the new hospital building has been slow this winter.
新醫院的工程進度今年冬天一直很慢。
A slow cooker uses low heat to prepare food over several hours.
慢燉鍋用低溫在幾個小時內慢慢煮熟食物。
文法句型
slow + noun
be + slow
用法筆記
Used for speed in all contexts — physical movement, work progress, internet connection, and machines.
常見錯誤
2. lacking the energy, fast pace, or action that makes a film, book, or performance
沉悶的
缺乏刺激或娛樂性的
lacking the energy, fast pace, or action that makes a film, book, or performance entertaining to watch or read
Jenna found the nature documentary far too slow and turned it off after twenty minutes.
Jenna 覺得那部自然紀錄片太沉悶，看了二十分鐘就關掉了。
Critics said the movie was slow and boring, though audiences loved the acting.
影評人說那部電影沉悶又無聊，但觀眾很喜歡演員的表現。
collocation: slow movie
The play's first act felt slow to Yasmin, who preferred fast-paced theatre.
Yasmin 覺得那齣戲的第一幕很沉悶，因為她偏好節奏快的劇場。
Eleni rarely reads novels because she finds the slower chapters too dull to finish.
Eleni 很少讀小說，因為她覺得節奏較慢的章節太無聊，讀不完。
- exciting
the direct opposite in terms of entertainment value
- fast-paced
describes something with quick action and frequent changes
文法句型
slow + noun (film/book)
用法筆記
Common in reviews and criticism. Often paired with boring or dull to express a negative opinion about entertainment.
3. not quick to understand ideas, learn new skills, or notice what is happening aro
遲鈍的
理解或學習速度慢的
not quick to understand ideas, learn new skills, or notice what is happening around you
The teacher was patient with the slow learners and gave them extra help after lessons.
那位老師對學習速度慢的學生很有耐心，課後還給他們額外輔導。
collocation: slow learner
Rodrigo felt slow during the test because he had not slept well.
Rodrigo 在考試時覺得自己反應很慢，因為沒睡好。
Shirin was slow to notice that her friends had changed the topic of conversation.
Shirin 過了很久才注意到朋友們已經換了話題。
Some classmates teased Theo for being slow, but he was just careful with his answers.
有幾個同學笑 Theo 反應慢，但他其實只是回答前會仔細思考。
文法句型
be + slow + to-infinitive
slow + noun (learner)
用法筆記
Potentially offensive when used to describe someone's general intelligence. Often softened with adverbs such as 'a bit' or 'rather'. Less harsh than 'stupid' but still sensitive.
常見錯誤
4. used of a timepiece whose displayed time is behind the correct current time — fo
偏慢的
時鐘顯示時間比實際早的
used of a timepiece whose displayed time is behind the correct current time — for example, showing 9:50 when it is actually 10:00
Christopher's watch is five minutes slow, so he arrived late.
Christopher 的手錶慢了五分鐘，所以他遲到了。
pattern: [quantity] minutes slow
The kitchen clock ran slow again, making us miss the start of the film.
廚房的時鐘又走慢了，害我們錯過了電影的開場。
Jisoo set her alarm ten minutes fast because her phone usually runs slow.
Jisoo 把鬧鐘調快十分鐘，因為她的手機常常走慢。
The old clock in the classroom is always a few minutes slow.
教室裡的老時鐘總是慢幾分鐘。
- behind
used in the phrase 'running behind' for both clocks and schedules
- fast
the opposite for timepieces — a fast clock shows a time later than the real time
文法句型
slow + by + quantity
quantity + minutes + slow
用法筆記
Almost always used with a quantity (five minutes slow, ten minutes slow) or the phrase 'running slow'. The opposite is fast.
常見錯誤
5. at a low temperature in a cooker or oven, either because the heat is set low or
微溫的
烤箱溫度不高的
at a low temperature in a cooker or oven, either because the heat is set low or because the appliance has cooled down after use
Bake the cake in a slow oven at a hundred and fifty degrees.
用微溫的烤箱以一百五十度烤蛋糕。
collocation: slow oven
The recipe says to cook the dish in a slow oven until golden.
食譜說要用微溫的烤箱烤到呈金黃色。
After turning off the grill, wait until the oven is slow before wiping the inside.
關掉烤架之後，等烤箱涼了再擦拭內部。
Grandma always baked her bread in a slow oven for the best crust.
奶奶總是用微溫的烤箱烤麵包，烤出來的皮最好吃。
- cool
more general; 'cool oven' is less common in recipes than 'slow oven'
文法句型
slow + noun (oven/cooker)
用法筆記
Primarily used in British cookbooks and recipes. In modern usage, specific temperature settings (gas mark or Celsius) have largely replaced 'slow oven' as a descriptive term.
slow — 動詞
1. to begin to move or operate at a lower rate than before, or to cause someone or
減慢
降低速度或使...放慢
to begin to move or operate at a lower rate than before, or to cause someone or something to do this — for example, a car slowing for a corner, or bad weather slowing construction work
The driver slowed the car as he approached the school crossing.
司機接近學校路口時減慢了車速。
transitive: slow + noun phrase
Economic growth has slowed in recent months due to rising costs of materials.
由於原物料成本上漲，近幾個月的經濟成長已經趨緩。
Theo slowed his pace when he reached the top of the steep hill.
Theo 爬上陡峭的山頂後放慢了腳步。
Heavy rain slowed work on the new bridge for several weeks.
大雨使新橋的工程延宕了好幾週。
- decelerate
more technical and formal, used especially in driving and physics contexts
- slacken
less common; suggests a gradual reduction in speed or effort
- brake
specific to vehicles; implies using the brake mechanism
- accelerate
the direct opposite — to increase speed
- speed up
the informal phrasal opposite of slow down
文法句型
slow + noun phrase
slow (down/up)
slow to + noun
用法筆記
Often used in phrasal form slow down (most common) or slow up (less common). Intransitive use (the car slowed) is very frequent; transitive use (he slowed the car) is more formal.
常見錯誤
❌ 'The rain slowed down the construction.' (redundant with 'down' for slow already used) — This is actually acceptable; 'slow down' is a standard phrasal verb, not redundant.
slow — 副詞
1. not quickly — used informally in place of 'slowly', especially in set phrases an
慢慢地
以緩慢的方式
not quickly — used informally in place of 'slowly', especially in set phrases and instructions
Please drive slow — children are playing near the road.
請開慢一點——附近有小孩在玩耍。
informal use: drive slow
The warning sign at the site said 'Go Slow' in yellow letters.
工地上的警示牌用黃色大字寫著「減速慢行」。
Lien asked the taxi driver to go slow because she felt carsick.
Lien 叫計程車司機開慢一點，因為她會暈車。
The old sign on the mountain road reads 'Slow — Sharp Turn Ahead'.
山路上的舊標誌寫著「慢行——前方急彎」。
- slowly
the standard adverb form; preferred in formal and written English
文法句型
go slow
drive slow
walk slow
用法筆記
In formal writing, 'slowly' is preferred. The adverb 'slow' appears mainly in road signs (Slow — Children at Play), commands (Go slow), and informal speech. It is not used before verbs (*'He slow walked home').