Ally

Untraceable

發佈時間: 2021/02/10

Untraceable

香港新增新冠肺炎的確診數字降至每日30宗左右,多為本地個案,當中難免有些個案是源頭不明(untraceable),實難期望於短期內清零。但只要疫情不惡化,便可望於年假後逐步恢復正常生活。

Trace本身可以用作名詞或動詞。用作名詞時,指「痕迹、微量」。例如,It is not possible to remove all traces of evidence at the crime scene with household detergents.(使用家用清潔劑無法去除犯罪現場的所有證據。)Since the product may contain a trace of peanuts, people allergic to peanuts should not consume it.(由於產品可能含有微量花生,因此對花生過敏的人不應食用。)

Trace用作動詞時,則指「查出、追蹤」,根據痕迹查出源頭。例句︰There is a need to trace the origins of the COVID-19 virus.(有需要追查新型冠狀病毒的起源。)It is not realistic to expect we can trace the source of every confirmed coronavirus case.(期望我們能夠追蹤每一個確診的新型冠狀病毒病例的來源是不現實的。)

形容詞untraceable是在字根trace的基礎上,加上字首un-(不)和字尾-able(能夠)組成,合起來解「難以追蹤的」。例如,Hong Kong reported 28 confirmed cases yesterday, including 6 untraceable cases.(香港昨天報告確診病例28宗,其中有6宗源頭不明。)

(本欄逢周三、五刊登)

撰文: Ally Dean's List級英文老師
欄名: WordDiscovery