a ne'er-do-well + noun
该形容词主要作前置定语，位于名词之前，且须保留连字符；日常表达中语气偏贬义。
She married a ne'er-do-well artist who never paid the rent.
她嫁给了一个游手好闲、从不付房租的艺术家。
表现出懒惰、无用或无赖特征的。；无用的；无价值的
Indolent, worthless, or roguish, like a ne'er-do-well.
表现出懒惰、无用或无赖特征的。
Showing the characteristics of a ne'er-do-well: indolent, worthless, or roguish.
His ne'er-do-well cousin spent all his money on gambling and never kept a job.
他那游手好闲的表弟把钱都花在赌博上，从不正经工作。
用法提示：ne'er-do-well 作形容词修饰 cousin，表示游手好闲、不务正业的样子。
The old man warned his daughter against marrying that ne'er-do-well young man who drifted from one town to another.
老人警告女儿不要嫁给那个四处流浪、不务正业的年轻人。
用法提示：ne'er-do-well 作定语修饰 young man，体现其无赖、不务正业的特征。
After years of ne'er-do-well behavior, he finally decided to settle down and find honest work.
经过多年游手好闲的行为，他终于决定安定下来，找一份正经工作。
用法提示：ne'er-do-well 作形容词修饰 behavior，强调的是懒惰、不务正业的性质。
该形容词主要作前置定语，位于名词之前，且须保留连字符；日常表达中语气偏贬义。
She married a ne'er-do-well artist who never paid the rent.
她嫁给了一个游手好闲、从不付房租的艺术家。
前有物主代词时，仍保留连字符，不用比较级或最高级形式。
His ne'er-do-well brother turned up again asking for money.
他那不务正业的弟弟又出现来要钱了。
泛指一类人时可用不带冠词的复数名词，形容词形式不变。
Ne'er-do-well youths loitered outside the station all day.
不务正业的年轻人在车站外整天闲荡。
grammar · medium
易错句子He is a neer-do-well young man who never helps around the house.
正确表达He is a ne'er-do-well young man who never helps around the house.
ne'er 是 never 的缩约形式，省字符（'）是这个词固定拼写的一部分，不能省略；写成 neer-do-well 属于拼写错误，词典只收录 ne'er-do-well 这一形式。
grammar · medium
易错句子His younger brother is very ne'er-do-well and never looks for work.
正确表达His younger brother is a ne'er-do-well young man and never looks for work.
ne'er-do-well 作形容词时只作定语，须放在名词前（如 a ne'er-do-well young man），不能像 lazy 那样放在系动词后作表语，也不能用 very 等程度副词修饰；要修正这个错误，就把形容词移到名词前作定语。
两者都可作形容词表示懒惰无用，但 good-for-nothing 更直白地强调“毫无价值、不顶用”，常作定语；ne'er-do-well 更书面、略带老式色彩，还常暗示品行不端。
layabout 只作名词，指不肯工作的懒人；ne'er-do-well 可作形容词也可作名词，且可带“无赖、品行差”的意味。若句中需要形容词修饰名词，不能用 layabout。
roguish 侧重调皮、狡黠或带点流氓气，常含戏谑意味，不强调懒惰无用；ne'er-do-well 作形容词时核心是游手好闲、不务正业。
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