prone adj.
释义:likely to do something or be affected by something, especially something bad
“prone”是个形容词,表示“易于…的” “很可能…的”,也就是说它经常可以用来替换 likely, inclined 等表示“有…可能/倾向”的词,是个在口语和写作中都高频实用的表达。 prone 最常见的用法是 be prone to,后面常接有负向意义的名词或者动词。
例① 日本地形独特,是一个经常遭受地震或台风的国家
Japan is prone to earthquakes and typhoons.(be prone to 后接名词)
或者:
Japan is prone to suffer earthquakes and typhoons. (be prone to 后接动词原形)
例② 许多人在接受测试的时候都很容易紧张不安
Most people are prone to anxiety during a test.
例③《经济学人》中就出现过许多这种用法,比如:
But in China and India, young women have been unusually prone to suicide.
prone 的另一个常见用法是与名词连用构成形容词,表示“易受…影响的”,和 be prone to 可以替换。
例④ 像美式橄榄球、冰球等对抗性运动的球员往往很容易受伤。
American football and ice hockey players are prone to injury.
或者:
American football and ice hockey players are injury-prone.
这样 -prone 的用法可以让表达简洁、灵活,比如上面的第一个例句也可以写成:
Japan is earthquake- and typhoon-prone. (注意这里连字符的用法:earthquake- and typhoon-prone 等于 earthquake-prone and typhoon-prone)
我们在阅读中要注意收集这样的表达。
1. 使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查“prone”,了解它的常用搭配。
seem prone 好像易于…
leave sb/sth, make sb/sth prone 使…易于…: Sun removes the oil and wax, leaving the leather prone to cracking. 阳光晒掉了皮革上的油和蜡,使皮革容易破裂。
especially, highly, particularly prone 特别易于…
increasingly 越来越倾向于…
rather, slightly 相当易于…;有点倾向于…
notoriously 因易于…而声名狼藉: The M40 through Oxfordshire is notoriously prone to fog. 穿越牛津郡的40 号公路以雾蒙蒙出名。
accident-prone 易出事故的
2. 翻译:超重人群容易患高血压和高血糖。
The overweight are prone to high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
(参考翻译:Overweight people are prone to high blood pressure and high blood sugar. 或 People with excess weight are prone to develop high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar.)
3. 造句练习
场景: 长期过度使用电子产品容易导致视力问题。
造句: The long-term overuse of electronic products is prone to vision problems.