tense
tense — 形容詞
1. feeling worried or nervous, with your mind unable to calm down, often because so
緊張的
形容人感到擔憂無法放鬆
feeling worried or nervous, with your mind unable to calm down, often because something uncertain or stressful is about to happen.
Andrés always feels tense before a big exam, even if he studied well.
Andrés 在大考前總是感到緊張，即使他準備得很充分。
feel tense + about + event
Rania was so tense during the job interview that her voice kept shaking.
Rania 在工作面試時緊張到聲音不斷發抖。
Min could tell her brother was tense from the way he paced the room.
Min 從她弟弟在房間裡走來走去的樣子，看出他很緊張。
The bride's mother grew so tense on the wedding day that she forgot the bouquet.
新娘的母親在婚禮當天緊張到忘了拿捧花。
Before his surgery, the young athlete tried to hide how tense he felt from his teammates.
手術前，那位年輕運動員試圖不讓隊友看出他有多緊張。
文法句型
be/get/feel tense
tense + about + noun phrase
用法筆記
Tense describes a temporary emotional state, not a long-term personality trait. For someone who worries often or has a worried personality, use 'anxious' instead.
常見錯誤
2. describes a situation, atmosphere, or relationship in which people feel worry, a
緊繃的
形容氣氛或情況令人不安
describes a situation, atmosphere, or relationship in which people feel worry, anger, or nervousness that is not openly expressed.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense after the manager announced the layoffs.
經理宣布裁員後，會議室的氣氛變得很緊繃。
tense + atmosphere / situation
Asher tried to lighten the tense mood with a joke, but nobody laughed.
Asher 想開個玩笑來緩和緊繃的氣氛，但沒有人笑得出來。
Imani avoided the kitchen because the silence between her parents felt too tense.
Imani 避開廚房，因為爸媽之間的沉默讓人覺得太緊繃了。
The courtroom fell into a tense silence when the witness began to speak.
證人開始發言時，法庭陷入了一片緊繃的沉默。
A tense negotiation between the two companies lasted late into the night.
兩家公司之間的緊繃談判一直持續到深夜。
文法句型
tense + noun (atmosphere/moment/silence)
be/become tense
用法筆記
A situation is tense, not nervous. 'Nervous' describes a person's feelings; 'tense' describes the mood of the situation itself.
常見錯誤
3. when a muscle or other body part is pulled firm and not relaxed, often from fear
繃緊的
指身體部位僵硬不柔軟
when a muscle or other body part is pulled firm and not relaxed, often from fear, nervousness, or physical effort.
Anna's shoulders felt tense after sitting at her desk for eight hours straight.
Anna 在辦公桌前一連坐了八個小時，肩膀感到非常繃緊。
tense + body part (shoulders/neck/jaw)
Élise noticed the cat's tense body and knew it was getting ready to pounce.
Élise 注意到貓咪繃緊的身體，知道牠準備要撲過去了。
Aarav massaged his tense neck muscles before starting his weightlifting routine.
Aarav 在開始舉重訓練前，按摩了繃緊的頸部肌肉。
The hiker's leg muscles stayed tense throughout the steep climb up the mountain.
那位登山客在陡峭的山路上雙腿肌肉一直保持繃緊。
After the long bike ride, the cyclist's back muscles felt tense and sore.
長途騎車之後，那名自行車手的背部肌肉感到又繃緊又痠痛。
文法句型
tense + body part (neck/shoulder/jaw/muscle)
be/feel tense
用法筆記
Commonly describes the neck, shoulders, jaw, and back after long periods of stress or physical activity. 'Tense' in this sense focuses on the physical feeling of tightness, not the emotional cause.
常見錯誤
4. in phonetics, describes a vowel or consonant produced with greater muscular effo
緊的
發音時用力較多的語音
in phonetics, describes a vowel or consonant produced with greater muscular effort in the vocal tract, compared to other sounds of the same type.
Sivan learned that the vowel in 'beat' is tense, while the one in 'bit' is lax.
Sivan 學到 'beat' 裡面的母音是緊母音，而 'bit' 裡面的則是鬆母音。
tense vowel vs. lax vowel in English
Piotr practised making his tongue muscles tense when he pronounced the long vowels in class.
Piotr 練習在課堂上發長母音時，讓舌頭肌肉保持緊繃。
In Mandarin, some vowels are produced with a more tense tongue position than others.
在中文裡，有些母音需要用較緊的舌位來發音。
The linguistics professor asked the class to identify which sounds are tense and which are lax.
語言學教授要求全班分辨哪些音是緊音，哪些是鬆音。
文法句型
tense + vowel/consonant
用法筆記
This is a technical term used mainly in linguistics and phonetics courses. It is the opposite of 'lax'. Tense vowels are typically longer and produced with more tongue-root advancement.
tense — 名詞
1. a set of verb forms that shows when an action or state happens — whether in the
時態
動詞表示時間變化的形式
a set of verb forms that shows when an action or state happens — whether in the past, present, or future.
Students often mix up the present perfect tense with the simple past tense.
學生經常搞混現在完成式和簡單過去式。
present perfect tense / simple past tense — naming tense forms
Linh is learning how to form the future tense in her grammar class this semester.
Linh 這學期在文法課上正在學如何構成未來式。
The teacher asked the class to write each sentence in the past tense.
老師要求全班用過去式寫每個句子。
The English test asked students to change each sentence from present to past tense.
英文測驗要求學生把每個句子從現在式改為過去式。
The grammar textbook has a whole chapter on choosing the correct verb tense.
那本文法課本有一整章在講如何選擇正確的動詞時態。
文法句型
in the + tense form
present/past/future + tense
verb + tense
用法筆記
English has three main tenses: past, present, and future. Each can be simple, continuous, perfect, or perfect continuous. Secondary-school grammar lessons frequently use 'tense' to also cover aspect, though technically these are separate concepts.
常見錯誤
tense — 動詞
1. to make a muscle or a group of muscles become firm and tight, usually as a react
繃緊
使肌肉變硬收緊
to make a muscle or a group of muscles become firm and tight, usually as a reaction to fear, nervousness, or preparation for physical effort.
The runner tensed her leg muscles just before the starting gun went off.
那位跑者在起跑槍響前繃緊了她的腿部肌肉。
transitive: tense + body part
The nurse saw the patient's jaw tense as the needle went into his arm.
護士看到病人的下巴在針刺入手臂時繃緊了。
intransitive: body part + tense
The driver tensed up when the car skidded on the wet road in the rain.
車子在濕滑的路上打滑時，駕駛全身都繃緊了。
The dancer tensed her core muscles before attempting the difficult lift.
舞者在嘗試困難的舉腿動作前繃緊了核心肌群。
The piano teacher's shoulders tensed with every wrong note the student played.
鋼琴老師每聽到學生彈錯一個音符，肩膀就繃緊一次。
文法句型
tense + body part (transitive)
tense up (intransitive)
muscles/body tense (intransitive)
用法筆記
Often used with 'up' in informal contexts: 'tense up'. When used transitively, do NOT add 'up': say 'tense your shoulders', not 'tense up your shoulders'. The intransitive 'tense up' means your body tightens in reaction to something stressful.
常見錯誤
2. to become more and more anxious as a stressful moment draws near, making it hard
緊張起來
因即將發生的事而緊張
to become more and more anxious as a stressful moment draws near, making it hard to stay calm.
The guitarist tensed up as he walked onto the stage in front of the crowd.
那位吉他手走上舞台面對觀眾時，整個人緊張了起來。
tense up + before event
The patient tensed up the moment the dentist picked up the metal drill.
那位病人一看到牙醫拿起金屬鑽頭，就緊張了起來。
The actor always tenses up before going on stage, no matter how many shows he has done.
那位演員不管演過多少場，上台前總是會緊張起來。
The students tensed up as soon as the principal walked into the classroom.
校長一走進教室，學生們全都緊張了起來。
The new hire tensed up when the manager asked her to give an impromptu speech.
那位新進員工在主管請她臨場發言時，立刻緊張了起來。
- panic
stronger, suggests loss of control
- fret
worry over small things, more long-term
- get nervous
more general, less specific to the moment
文法句型
tense up + before/at/about + event
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'up' in this sense. 'Tense up' focuses on emotional nervousness rather than physical tightening. If you want to describe the physical tightening of muscles, use verb sense 1 ('tense' without 'up', or 'tense up' for intransitive physical reactions).