由"at"引导的介词短语
在英语里,介词短语(prepositional phrases)数量之多,可以和片语动词(phrasal verbs)互相比拟,不与它们亲近也难。
下面是些由"at"引导的介词短语,你都见过吗?
1. At bay:(经常和keep或hold连用)使......不能接近
One of the gangsters kept the police at bay until the rest escaped.
2. At bottom:实际上
Judy said she was not jealous of her friends' success, but at bottom, she was.
3. At close quarters:逼近地
The two rivals grappled at close quarters.
4. At cross purposes:互相误解
I think we are at cross purposes. When I said "J.C.", I meant "Jason Chen", not "John Chen".
5. At daggers drawn:势不两立
Dan and Bob have been at daggers drawn for years. There is no evidence that they will make up.
6. At every turn:处处
When you go
downtown, you will see shops, big and small, at every turn.
7. At one fell swoop:一举
Which country can invade another country and conquer it at one fell swoop?
8. At issue:在讨论中的
The question asked was not
relevant to the matter at issue .
9. At large:一般的;逍遥法外的。
a. The people at large support the government's various policies.
b. Some
illegal immigrants were caught, but some others are still at large.
10. At length:详细地
Time did not allow the speaker to talk about the financial
turmoil at length.
11. At loggerheads with...:经常和......争吵
Mr and Mrs Thang are often at loggerheads with each other. Why can't they get along well?
12. At a loss for words:不知说什么好
The news came so
surprisingly that she was at a loss for words.
13. At a low ebb:处于低潮
Henry's mood seems to be at a low ebb now; let's cheer him up a bit.
14. At a price:付高代价
Some people became successful at a price; their health and family life were adversely affected.
15. At
random:随意地
One may choose things at
random, but not the
prospective life partner.
16. At the ready:处在准备状态中
At the news conference, news reporters gathered around, pens and notebooks at the ready.
17. At sea:茫然
Those not interested in politics will be at sea when people discuss political issues.
18. At a stretch:连续地
In order to earn money, some workers do overtime works for a few days at a stretch.
19. At will:任意地
In a society like ours, one has to be law-abiding and not to do things at will.
20. At one's wits end:不知所措
Chased by the enemy to an abyss, the man could not advance any more, nor could he retreat; he was at his wits end.
21. At heart:在内心里;本质上
a. A good leader often has the people's interests at heart.
b. Though Xiao Gan works in a city, he is a country boy at heart.
22. At sixes and sevens:乱七八糟
When the maid returned to work after three days' leave, she found all the rooms at sixes and sevens.
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