核心畫面

An institution is a big, long-lasting organization — a hospital, a prison, a court, a company. The -ed ending on this word says that something has been taken inside one of those and has settled there, so that it is now part of how the place works rather than a one-off. Two very different things can be taken inside: a practice, which then becomes simply the way things are done, and a person, whose days are then arranged by the place. Read the noun next to the word and you will know which one you are looking at.

institution 可以想成一個又大又長久的組織:醫院、監獄、法院、公司。這個字尾的 -ed 表示有東西被收進那更多收起institution 可以想成一個又大又長久的組織:醫院、監獄、法院、公司。這個字尾的 -ed 表示有東西被收進那樣的組織裡,而且住下來了。它不再是偶爾發生的一件事,而是這個地方運作方式的一部分。被收進去的東西有兩種。一種是做法,收進去之後就變成「本來就這樣」。一種是人,進去之後日子由這個地方安排。看它旁邊的名詞是什麼,就知道現在講的是哪一種。

Two branches

做法被收進制度裡

這一支的主詞是「做法」。一件事做久了、被寫進規則或計畫裡,就不再需要誰特別同意,它自己會運轉下去。這一支裡中性和批評兩種語氣都有,差別完全在後面接什麼名詞。

adjective · C1

Forming a settled, accepted part of a society or a system, with rules and arrangements that keep it running whoever happens to be in charge.

已成制度的

人被收進機構裡

這一支的主詞換成人,畫面卻是同一個:被收進一個長期運作的機構裡。先有「被送進去」這件事,再有「住久了之後變成什麼樣子」,兩個意思剛好是同一條路的前後兩段。

adjective · C1

Placed in a hospital, a care home, or a prison and kept there, usually for a long stay and usually by an official decision rather than by choice.

被送進機構安置的