| 词组 | old |
| 释义 | old Old is most commonly used to state the age of a person or thing. For example, you say that someone 'is forty years old'. The Law required witnesses to be at least fourteen years old. ...bone fragments which are three-and-a-half million years old. You can also describe someone as, for example, 'a forty-year-old man'. Note that you do not say 'a forty-years-old man'. ...a sixty-year-old man. Sue lives with her five-year-old son John in the West Country. You can also say that someone is 'a man of forty'. However, you do not say 'a man of forty years old'. Mary is a tall, strong woman of thirty. A man of 82, who has already graduated there, hopes to achieve a doctorate in philosophy. For a discussion of the different ways of expressing age, see entry at ↑ ◊ asking about age You use old after 'how' when you are asking about the age of a person or thing. 'How old's your daughter Dorothy?' ---'She's eighteen.' 'How old are you?' ---'I'll be eight next year.' 'How old is the Taj Mahal?' ---'It was built about 1640, I think.' ◊ 'older' and 'oldest' The usual comparative and superlative forms of 'old' are older and oldest. Harriet was ten years older than I was. It claims to be the oldest insurance company in the world. However, the forms elder and eldest are sometimes used. For a full explanation, see entry at ↑ ◊ another meaning of 'old' You can also use old to describe someone who has lived a very long time. ...a little old lady. He was emaciated and he looked really old. ◊ 'elderly' and 'aged' This use of old can sometimes sound impolite. Elderly is a more polite word. I keep house for my elderly mother. Like many elderly people, Mrs Carstairs could remember voices better than she did faces. Old people are often referred to as the elderly or the aged. ...organizations which help the elderly. Hospital food seldom caters for the special needs of the aged. Note that aged is pronounced when it is used like this. Its usual pronunciation, for example when talking about 'children aged five', is . ◊ old friends and enemies An old friend or old enemy is someone who has been your friend or enemy for a long time. He or she is not necessarily an old person. Some of the lads had taken the opportunity to visit old friends. He realized that the leader was an old enemy of his. ◊ 'old' used to describe objects An old building or other object was built or made a long time ago. ...a massive old building of crumbling red brick. ...wardrobes full of old clothes. We got into his battered old car. ◊ 'ancient' You can describe a very old building or object as ancient. ...the restoration of their ancient halls and manors. They discovered an ancient manuscript hidden in a chimney. Ancient is also used to describe people who lived a very long time ago. The number zero was unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans. ◊ 'old' used to mean 'former' Old is sometimes used to mean 'former'. ...his old job at the publishing company. Miss McDonald, our old maths teacher, was there. |
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