able

Word family

a·ble /ˈeɪbəl/ S1 W1 adjectiveadj

1 be able to do something

a) CANto have the skill, strength, knowledge etc needed to do something 有能力做某事，会做某事

I’ve always wanted to be able to speak Japanese.

我一直想学会讲日语。

b) CANto be in a situation in which it is possible for you to do something 可以去做某事

I’d like to do more gardening, but I never seem able to find the time.

我想多干点园艺活，可似乎总是抽不出时间。

I haven’t been able to read that report yet.

我还没能看那份报告。

Examples from the Corpus

be able to do something• My grandpa's getting old now and he can't do all the things he used to be able to.• Thomas is expected to be able to play again next weekend.• However, further studies are required to be able to reach significant conclusions on the economics of such an attempt.• Consumers are now able to buy the drug without a prescription.• Those bags look really heavy - are you sure you'll be able to carry them on your own?• Once he was able to communicate his feelings, he and his wife were able to resolve the situation.• Because of the drop in stock prices, investors were able to find some bargains this week.• You might be able to get a temporary passport.• She was able to get her watch repaired the same day.• The men most likely to be able to give the news, she said, were Nestor and Menelaus.• Do you really think the uneducated people they leave behind will be able to keep the artificial environments stable?• Ammiano still isn't able to make a living from acting.• For example, ants are able to memorize the path through a maze and are capable of applying this learning to other mazes.• Table 16-2 shows that the first Thatcher government was able to reduce marginal tax rates substantially, especially for the very rich.• The taxi driver was a friend of ours so we were able to relax driving to the Airport.• In 1944, we were able to return to Hawaii.• Working without advisers and with a poor slate of generals, Lincoln was able to reunite the country and end slavery.• To take the class, you have to be able to use a computer.• After the accident it was a long time before she was able to walk again.

2 GOOD ATclever or good at doing something 聪明能干的，能力出众的

one of my more able students

我班上能力比较强的学生之一

Examples from the Corpus

able• an able assistant• She was widely regarded as one of the most able members of the president's staff.• Mrs Thomas is a very able teacher.• Currently, such creatures are not able to converse, creating instead relationships closer to the family pet.• It was being moved, placed where she wanted him, and there was nothing he was able to do about it.• Apart from that, if you're able to get about then clearly it's helpful if there's no traffic.• Most preschool children are well able to issue instructions.• They should be able to offer you the support you need at an academic and personal level.• He would not have been able to put a precise age on the skeleton.• She needs to be able to reflect on her own behavior, feelings, and tendencies more than the average child.• Jasper had said he would be able to spot me in a crowd, to pick me out at once.

-able /əbəl/ (also -ible) suffix [in adjectives]

1 XXthat you can do something to 可以…的

washable (=it can be washed)

可洗的

unbreakable (=it cannot be broken)

不会破的，不碎的

loveable (=easy to love)

可爱的

2 XXhaving a particular quality or condition 具有…性质的；处于…状态的

knowledgeable (=knowing a lot)

博学的

comfortable

舒适的

—-ably /əbli/, -ibly suffix [in adverbs]

unbelievably

令人难以置信地

Examples from the Corpus

-able• lovable

Origin able

(1300-1400) Old French Latin habilis “skillful”, from habere “to have”

-able

Old French Latin -abilis, from -bilis “capable or worthy of”

a·ble adjectiveadj-able suffix

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus

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