thousand可用作名词,有一千个,数千等含义;也可用作形容词,有成千的,许许多多等含义;用在复数的场合时,不与具体数字连用。
一.表示数量,数字时:基数词 + thousand,
one thousand 一千,five thousand 五千 fifty thousand 五万,three hundred thousand 三十万
二.作形容词
成千的;许许多多的,无数的。
I've warned him a thousand times.
我警告过他无数次了。
三.作名词
1.一千;一千个
The town has a population of ten thousand.
这个镇有一万人口。
Immediately a thousand bees flew out with a thousand stingers.
带着一千根尾针的一千只蜜蜂立刻飞了出来。
A thousand people signed the petition.
一千人在请愿书上签了名。
2.数千;许许多多,无数(+of)
The flood took away thousands of lives.
洪水夺走了成千上万人的生命。
四.用复数的场合
不与具体数字连用,而是表示不确定的泛指数时,则不仅要要用复数,而且要后接介词of,然后才能接名词。
The sun was shining. Thousands of people were lying on the beach.
阳光灿烂,数以千计的人躺在海滩上。