Talc is the soft white powder people put on skin to keep it dry and stop it rubbing — on a baby after a bath, in shoes, under a sports shirt on a hot day. The fuller name is talcum powder, and talc is the short everyday form.

Talc Talc is指的是 the soft white powder柔軟的白色粉末 people put on skin to keep it dry and stop it rubbing —人們擦在皮膚上、用來保持乾爽、避免摩擦的— on a baby after a bath, in shoes, under a sports shirt on a hot day像是嬰兒洗完澡後擦的、放進鞋子裡的、大熱天穿運動衣前先擦在身上的那種。The fuller name is talcum powder,完整的名稱是 talcum powder（爽身粉） and talc is the short everyday formtalc 則是日常的簡稱。

Behind the powder is a mineral, also called talc, and it is famous in science class for being the softest mineral there is — number one on the Mohs hardness scale, so soft you can scratch it with a fingernail. That softness is exactly why it works: ground up, it slides. So the word does double duty, the rock and the powder, and the sentence tells you which.

Behind the powder is a mineral, also called talc,這種粉末背後其實是一種也叫 talc（滑石）的礦物 and it is famous in science class它在自然課上很有名 for being the softest mineral there is —因為它是硬度最低的礦物— number one on the Mohs hardness scale,在摩氏硬度表上排第一 so soft you can scratch it with a fingernail軟到你可以用指甲刮出痕跡。That softness is exactly why it works:這種軟正是它有用的原因: ground up,磨成粉之後 it slides它會滑動。So the word does double duty,所以這個詞身兼兩職 the rock and the powder,既指礦石也指粉末 and the sentence tells you which要看句子才知道是哪一個。

One thing an honest teacher should add: talc has become a careful word in the last twenty years. Talc is dug out of the ground near asbestos, and lawsuits and health worries about contaminated talcum powder have pushed many parents and companies toward cornstarch powder instead. Some big brands stopped selling talc-based baby powder altogether. So if you read 'talc-free' on a label, that is what it is answering.

One thing an honest teacher should add:有件事誠實的老師應該補充: talc has become a careful wordtalc 變成一個要小心使用的詞 in the last twenty years過去二十年來。Talc is dug out of the ground near asbestos,Talc 是從靠近石綿的地層挖出來的 and lawsuits and health worries about contaminated talcum powder而關於受污染爽身粉的官司和健康疑慮 have pushed many parents and companies toward cornstarch powder instead已經讓許多家長和公司轉向使用玉米澱粉粉末。Some big brands有些大品牌 stopped selling talc-based baby powder altogether乾脆完全停售以 talc 為原料的嬰兒爽身粉。So if you read 'talc-free' on a label,所以如果你在標籤上看到 'talc-free' that is what it is answering回應的就是這件事。

It is uncountable — some talc, a little talc, never 'a talc'.

It is uncountable —它是不可數名詞— some talc, a little talc,some talc、a little talc never 'a talc'絕不會說 'a talc'。