1
a porpoise
porpoise 是可数名词，指单只动物时用 a/an。
A porpoise surfaced beside the boat.
一头鼠海豚在船边浮出水面。
鼠海豚
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
鼠海豚
a small gregarious cetacean with a blunt snout and many teeth
A porpoise surfaced beside the boat.
一头鼠海豚在船边浮出水面。
鼠海豚与海豚（dolphin）不同，吻部较钝，体型较小。
鼠海豚科的小型鲸类,与海豚和鲸鱼有亲缘关系。
A small cetacean of the family Phocoenidae, related to dolphins and whales.
几种小型群居的鲸类哺乳动物,具有钝鼻和许多牙齿
any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth
A porpoise surfaced next to our boat and then dived back down.
一只鼠海豚在我们船边浮出水面，然后又潜了下去。
We watched a group of porpoises jumping near the shore.
我们看到一群鼠海豚在岸边附近跳跃。
The child pointed at the porpoise and asked what it was.
孩子指着那只鼠海豚问那是什么。
porpoise 是可数名词，指单只动物时用 a/an。
A porpoise surfaced beside the boat.
一头鼠海豚在船边浮出水面。
用复数形式可泛指鼠海豚这一类动物。
Porpoises are often seen in coastal waters.
沿海水域经常能看到鼠海豚。
Not this
There are many porpoise in the ocean.
Use this
There are many porpoises in the ocean.
porpoise 是可数名词，复数形式为 porpoises。汉语名词没有复数变化，学习者容易漏掉 -es；在 there are 后必须用复数。
Not this
Porpoise is a marine mammal.
Use this
A porpoise is a marine mammal.
porpoise 是单数可数名词，不能光杆作主语；泛指某类动物时需加不定冠词 a/an，所以改为 A porpoise。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
港湾鼠海豚
The harbor porpoise is one of the smallest marine mammals.
港湾鼠海豚是最小的海洋哺乳动物之一。
一群鼠海豚
A school of porpoises swam alongside the boat.
一群鼠海豚在船旁游动。
达尔鼠海豚
Dall's porpoise is known for its striking black-and-white coloring.
达尔鼠海豚以其醒目的黑白相间体色而闻名。
鼠海豚保护
Many marine parks support porpoise conservation programs.
许多海洋公园支持鼠海豚保护项目。
鼠海豚种群
The local porpoise population has been stable for years.
当地的鼠海豚种群多年来一直保持稳定。
哎呀，鼠海豚是很有爱心的生物；哎呀，鼠海豚是很有善心的生灵。
From The Monkees' 1968 psychedelic song 'Porpoise Song' on the soundtrack of the film Head.
出自 The Monkees 乐队 1968 年的迷幻歌曲《Porpoise Song》，收录于电影《Head》的原声带。
Use porpoise naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：porpoise 读音近“poor pose（可怜的姿势）”，鼠海豚跃出海面时短吻圆胖、姿态憨厚，记住这种短吻小海豚。
语域：neutral 常见场景：动物科普、新闻报道、日常交谈 该词为普通中性词，多用于日常谈论海洋动物、科普文章或新闻中，没有明显的正式或非正式限制。
真正押韵的是 corpus /ˈkɔːrpəs/，与 porpoise /ˈpɔrpəs/ 的 rpəs 部分一致。拼写相似但读音不同的词包括 purpose /ˈpɜːrpəs/、porous /ˈpɔːrəs/、tortoise /ˈtɔːrtəs/、poise /pɔɪz/ 和 turquoise /ˈtɜːrkwɔɪz/：purpose 重读元音是 /ɜː/ 而非 /ɔ/，porous 缺少元音后的 /p/，tortoise 以 /təs/ 结尾而非 /pəs/，poise 与 turquoise 以 /ɔɪz/ 结尾。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.