about
preposition
uk/əˈbaʊt/us/əˈbaʊt/aboutpreposition(CONNECTED WITH)
A1
on thesubjectof, orconnectedwith:
在…方面；有关，关于，涉及What's thatbookabout?这本书是关于什么的？
afilmabout theSpanishCivil War一部反映西班牙内战的电影
We weretalking/laughingabout Sophie.我们正谈论／笑话索苏菲呢。
He's always(going) onabout what agreatjobhe's got.他总是喋喋不休地炫耀他的工作有多么好。
I'mworriedaboutDavid.我真为戴维担心。
I really don'tknowwhat all thefussis about.我真不知道这么大惊小怪到底是怎么回事。
Iwishyou'ddo somethingabout(= takeactiontosolvetheproblemof)yourbedroom- it's arealmess.我希望你能收拾一下你的卧室——里面乱七八糟。
UKinformalCould you make me acoffeetoowhileyou're aboutit(= while you are making one for yourself)?你做咖啡的时候能不能给我也来一杯？
What didn't you like about theplay?这部剧哪些地方你不喜欢？
There's somethingabout herattitudethatworriesme.她态度中表现出的一些问题让我担心。
There's somethingspecialabout him(= in hischaracter).他性格中有种与众不同的东西。
"Is thatyourcar?" "Yes,whatabout it?"(= Why are youaskingme?)“那是你的车吗？”“是的，怎么啦？”（有时这种说话方式带有一种愤怒或威胁的口气）
about
- aboutWe always seem to talk about money.
- regardingI wrote to them regarding the new contract.
- concerningWhat is your letter concerning?
- in/with regard toComplaints have been made with regard to your behaviour in the office.
- in connection withShe is wanted for questioning in connection with the disappearance of their child.
- onShe’s writing a book on feminism in the 21st century.
to be about something
- be aboutWhat is the story about?
- have (got) to do withWhat's that got to do with it?
- relate toThat relates to what I was saying earlier about the need for reform.
- concernThe film concerns the complicated nature of marriage.
- coverWe will cover the passive voice later in the course.
- deal withWe will deal with the use of antidepressants in chapter three.
- He is alwaystalkingabout howcleverhischildrenare.
- Iwishyou'dstopmakingjokesabout myfriends.
- Lots ofpeoplehavecomplainedabout thenoise.
- Thefilmwas aboutcreaturesfromouterspace.
- I was verynervousaboutdrivingagain after theaccident.
- Stopjumpingabout, Billy, and juststandstill for amoment!
Regarding and concerning
- apropos
- around
- as toidiom
- be/have something to do withsomethingidiom
- concerned
- connection
- cover
- hereof
- in respect ofsomethingidiom
- in the brain/looks departmentidiom
- into
- range
- re
- regarding
- relate
- say
- thereof
- towards
- vis-à-vis
- wise
aboutpreposition(NO ORDER)
mainlyUK(USusuallyaround)
positionedaround aplace, often without aclearpurposeororder:
Theirbelongingswereflungabout theroom.他们的东西被凌乱地丢在房间里。
General location and orientation
- -oriented
- along
- anterior
- around
- back ontosomething
- bearing
- direction
- every
- far
- front
- frontal
- hind
- left-hand
- nearside
- noncentral
- offside
- on-site
- orientated
- point
- position
aboutpreposition(POSITION)
UKformal
in aparticularplace:
在一个特定的地方Do you have such a thing as apenaboutyou/yourperson?(= Do you have apen?)你身上碰巧带笔了吗？
General location and orientation
- -oriented
- along
- anterior
- around
- back ontosomething
- bearing
- direction
- every
- far
- front
- frontal
- hind
- left-hand
- nearside
- noncentral
- offside
- on-site
- orientated
- point
- position
Grammar
About
About is a preposition or an adverb.…Aboutas a preposition
The most common meaning of about as a preposition is ‘on the subject of’ or ‘connected with’:…Aboutas an adverb
We use about as an adverb when we talk about time, number and quantity. About makes the time, number or quantity less specific and more approximate:…Be about to
We use the modal expression be about to as an adjective in the modal expression be about to to refer to something that will happen very soon in the future:…Idiom
how/what about...?
about
adverb
uk/əˈbaʊt/us/əˈbaʊt/aboutadverb(APPROXIMATELY)
A1
a little more or less than thestatednumberoramount:
大约，大概，左右about sixfeettall高约6英尺
about twomonthsago大约两个月前
"Whattimeare youleavingworktoday?" "About five."“你今天什么时候下班？”“5点左右。”
approximately
- approximatelyHe makes approximately $60,000 a year.
- aboutThe job will take about three months.
- aroundI will be there around four o'clock.
- roughlyThere were roughly 200 people at the meeting.
- or soThey raised £200 or so for charity.
- Thetownis about 100milesnorthwestof Las Vegas.
- Fry theonionandgarlicfor about twominutes.
- Theaveragetemperatureworldwidehasrisenby about onedegreeFahrenheitin the past 100years.
- "We'll be atyourhouseat about nine o'clock,okay?"
- Wesentout theweddinginvitationsabout threeweeksago.
Approximate
- -ish
- approx.
- approximate
- approximately
- around
- be in the (right) ballparkidiom
- loose
- loosely
- more
- more or lessidiom
- nonspecifically
- rough
- round
- rule
- sense
- some
- something
- something like 96 percent, half, etc.idiom
- somewhere
- sort
aboutadverb(ALMOST)
almost:
几乎，差不多We're aboutreadytoleave.我们差不多准备好要走了。
Well, Ithinkthat'saboutitfor now(= we havealmostfinishedwhat we are doing for thepresent).好啦，我想现在已经干得差不多了。
not completely
- almostWe need to hurry up - it's almost time to go.
- nearlyIt's nearly midnight.
- nearHe was near tears(= almost crying).
- aboutAre you about ready to leave?
- all butThe concert was all but over by the time we arrived.
- well-nighIt was well-nigh impossible to get a person on the phone these days.
Almost
- a hop, skip, and a jumpidiom
- almost
- as good asidiom
- as much asidiom
- be on the way tosomethingidiom
- intent
- more
- more or lessidiom
- much
- near
- part
- sub
- that was close!idiom
- the best/better part ofidiom
- to/for all intents and purposesidiom
- up to(doing) somethingidiom
- verge
- verge onsomething
- virtual
- way
aboutadverb(ALL DIRECTIONS)
B2mainlyUK(USusuallyaround)
in many differentdirections:
四面八方Theyheardsomeonemovingaboutoutside.他们听到外面有人到处走动。
I've beenrunningabout allmorningtryingtofindyou.我跑了一上午到处找你。
General location and orientation
- -oriented
- along
- anterior
- around
- back ontosomething
- bearing
- direction
- every
- far
- front
- frontal
- hind
- left-hand
- nearside
- noncentral
- offside
- on-site
- orientated
- point
- position
aboutadverb(NO ORDER)
B2mainlyUK(USusuallyaround)
positionedaround aplace, often without aclearpurposeororder:
无序地，凌乱地She alwaysleavesherclotheslyingabout on thefloor.她的衣服总是东一件西一件乱丢在地板上。
General location and orientation
- -oriented
- along
- anterior
- around
- back ontosomething
- bearing
- direction
- every
- far
- front
- frontal
- hind
- left-hand
- nearside
- noncentral
- offside
- on-site
- orientated
- point
- position
aboutadverb(PLACE)
mainlyUK(USusuallyaround)
in or near aplace:
在…里或附近IsJohnabout(=somewherenear)?约翰在附近吗？
There's a lot offluabout(= manypeoplehave it)at themoment.目前这一带很多人患流感。
General location and orientation
- -oriented
- along
- anterior
- around
- back ontosomething
- bearing
- direction
- every
- far
- front
- frontal
- hind
- left-hand
- nearside
- noncentral
- offside
- on-site
- orientated
- point
- position
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Closeness in distance and time
Grammar
About
About is a preposition or an adverb.…Aboutas a preposition
The most common meaning of about as a preposition is ‘on the subject of’ or ‘connected with’:…Aboutas an adverb
We use about as an adverb when we talk about time, number and quantity. About makes the time, number or quantity less specific and more approximate:…Be about to
We use the modal expression be about to as an adjective in the modal expression be about to to refer to something that will happen very soon in the future:…about
adjective
uk/əˈbaʊt/us/əˈbaʊt/aboutadjective(INTENDING)
be about to dosomething
B1
to be going to do something verysoon:
刚要…；行将…I was about toleavewhenMarkarrived.马克到的时候我刚要走。
Grammar
Be about to
We use the modal expression be about to as an adjective in the modal expression be about to to refer to something that will happen very soon in the future:…Be able to
Be able to is like can. We use it to talk about abilities. We often use it in places where it is not possible to use can. For example, it isn’t possible to use can after another modal verb:…Be about to
We use be about to + base form of the verb to refer to things that we expect to happen very soon. We often use it with just, for emphasis:…