whale

whale — 名詞

1. One of the largest creatures on Earth, this ocean-dwelling animal takes in air t

1.名詞A1
釋義

鯨魚

海洋中的大型哺乳動物

One of the largest creatures on Earth, this ocean-dwelling animal takes in air through a blowhole and nurses its young with milk.

例句

Hiro saw a whale jump out of the water during his trip to the coast.

Hiro 到海邊旅遊時，看到一頭鯨魚從水中躍起。

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth.

藍鯨是地球上曾經存在過的最大動物。

species name: blue whale; superlative construction

同義詞
  • cetacean

    scientific term for the group that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises; very formal, not used in everyday speech

文法句型

a/the whale

whales (plural)

常見錯誤

❌Whales are fish because they live in water.
✅Whales are mammals
💡they breathe air, have warm blood, and feed milk to their babies.' — Whales belong to the mammal group, not the fish group.
❌A baby whale is called a pup.
✅A baby whale is called a calf.
💡The young of whales, dolphins, and many large land mammals are called calves.

2. A person or thing that is extremely large, impressive, or important in a noticea

2.名詞B2
釋義

龐然大物

體積或影響力極大的人事物

A person or thing that is extremely large, impressive, or important in a noticeable way.

例句

The new stadium is a whale of a building that can be seen from across the city.

那座新體育館是棟龐然大物，從市區各處都看得見。

pattern: a whale of a [noun] — emphasising size

In the world of technology, their company is a whale that smaller businesses hope to compete with.

在科技界，他們公司是個巨擘，小企業都希望能跟它競爭。

同義詞
  • giant

    more general; can refer to any very large person, company, or object; slightly more common than 'whale'

  • titan

    formal or literary; suggests great power or influence rather than physical size

  • behemoth

    suggests something massive, clumsy, or threatening; more dramatic than 'whale'

反義詞
  • minnow

    informal; describes a very small person or organization, often contrasted with 'whale' in business contexts

文法句型

a whale of a [noun]

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the phrase 'a whale of a [noun]', which adds emphasis to the size or quality of the following noun. This structure is informal and often used for emphasis in spoken English.

常見錯誤

❌That exam was a whale of hard.
✅That exam was a whale of a challenge.
💡After 'a whale of', you need a noun, not an adjective.

whale — 動詞