The upper class is the group of people at the top of a society — the ones with the most money, land, or inherited position. As a noun it usually comes with 'the': 'the upper class', or 'the upper classes' when you are thinking of it as several layers. As an adjective it takes a hyphen: an upper-class family, an upper-class accent, upper-class habits.

The upper class upper class是 at the top of a society在一個社會頂端的 the group of people那群人——the ones就是 with the most money, land, or inherited position錢最多、地最多、或繼承地位最高的那些人。As a noun當名詞時 it它 usually comes with 'the'通常帶著the：'the upper class'，or或 when you are thinking of it as several layers當你把它想成好幾層時，'the upper classes'。As an adjective當形容詞時 it takes a hyphen它帶連字號：an upper-class family上流家庭、an upper-class accent上流口音、upper-class habits上流習慣

In Britain, where this word is used most, it does not mean simply rich. It carries the old idea of family and birth — someone can be very wealthy and still not upper-class, because their grandparents were not, and someone can be short of money and still be upper-class because of the family they come from. That is why British people talk so much about an upper-class accent or upper-class schools: those are the signs the word is really tracking.

In Britain在英國——where this word is used most這個字用得最多的地方——it它 does not mean simply rich不是單純指有錢。It它 carries帶著 family and birth家世和出身 the old idea of的老觀念——someone一個人 can be very wealthy可以非常富有 and still卻仍然 not upper-class不算upper-class，because因為 their grandparents他們的祖父母 were not不是，and someone而一個人 can be short of money可以缺錢 and still be卻仍然是 upper-class，because of the family they come from因為他出身的家族。That is why這就是為什麼 British people英國人 so much老是 talk about在談 an upper-class accent上流口音 or upper-class schools或上流學校：those那些 are正是 the word這個字 really tracking真正在追蹤 the signs的記號

The usual set is working class, middle class, upper class, with 'upper-middle-class' sitting in between and doing a lot of work in real conversation.

The usual set is慣用的一組是 working class勞工階級、middle class中產階級、upper class上層階級，with 'upper-middle-class'而upper-middle-class sitting in between坐在中間，and in real conversation在真實對話裡 doing a lot of work做很多工

The word can sound neutral in a sociology book and slightly sharp in a conversation, depending on the speaker — used about someone, it can quietly mean 'and they look down on us'.

The word這個字 in a sociology book在社會學書裡 can sound neutral可以聽起來中性，in a conversation在對話裡 and slightly sharp則可能略帶刺，depending on the speaker要看說話的人——used about someone用在某人身上時，it can quietly mean它可以悄悄地意味著 'and they look down on us'「而且他們看不起我們」