1
a ramshackle + noun
ramshackle 常用来形容建筑物或物件破旧、快要散架，作定语时放在名词前。
They bought a ramshackle cottage and repaired it.
他们买了一栋摇摇欲坠的小屋，然后把它修好了。
破旧不堪的；摇摇欲坠的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
破旧不堪的；摇摇欲坠的
in deplorable condition
They bought a ramshackle cottage and repaired it.
他们买了一栋摇摇欲坠的小屋，然后把它修好了。
破旧不堪的；失修的；缺乏维护的(通常指建筑物或车辆)。
In disrepair or disorder; poorly maintained; lacking upkeep, usually of buildings or vehicles.
组织混乱的；草率安排的。
Badly or carelessly organized.
The old seaside hotel was ramshackle, with broken windows and a tilted roof.
那家海边的老旅馆破旧不堪，窗户破了，屋顶也歪了。
They lived in a ramshackle wooden house at the edge of the forest.
他们住在森林边缘一栋摇摇欲坠的木屋里。
After years of neglect, the garden shed had become ramshackle and unsafe.
经过多年的忽视，花园棚屋变得破旧不堪，很不安全。
ramshackle 常用来形容建筑物或物件破旧、快要散架，作定语时放在名词前。
They bought a ramshackle cottage and repaired it.
他们买了一栋摇摇欲坠的小屋，然后把它修好了。
The staircase is ramshackle and should be replaced.
这个楼梯摇摇晃晃，应该换掉了。
也可用 look、seem 等系动词后作表语，表示“看起来破旧不堪”。
The wooden stands look ramshackle but are actually sturdy.
那些木看台看起来很破旧，但实际上很结实。
Not this
That old house looks very ramshackled.
Use this
That old house looks very ramshackle.
ramshackle 是形容词，表示“破败的、摇摇欲坠的”，没有以 -ed 结尾的形容词形式。虽然词典中有一个动词 ramshackle，过去分词为 ramshackled，但描述建筑、家具等状态时，正确用法是直接用形容词 ramshackle，而不是 ramshackled。
Not this
The city is full of old ramshackles.
Use this
The city is full of old ramshackle buildings.
ramshackle 是形容词，不能直接作名词使用。中文可以说“破旧不堪”，但英语中形容词必须修饰名词，如 ramshackle buildings/houses。直接使用 ramshackles 作名词不表示“破败建筑”，这是词性误用。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
摇摇欲坠的建筑物
They lived in a ramshackle building on the edge of town.
他们住在城镇边缘一座摇摇欲坠的楼里。
破旧不堪的老房子
The ramshackle old house had been empty for years.
那座破旧不堪的老房子已经空置多年。
摇摇晃晃的木棚
He kept his tools in a ramshackle wooden shed behind the garden.
他把工具存放在花园后面一个摇摇晃晃的木棚里。
破破烂烂的车辆
The villagers drove a ramshackle vehicle along the mountain road.
村民们开着一辆破破烂烂的车沿山路行驶。
摇摇欲坠的结构
The ramshackle structure collapsed in the storm.
那个摇摇欲坠的结构在暴风雨中倒塌了。
Use ramshackle naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象公羊(ram)戴着镣铐(shackle)撞进破屋，屋子摇摇欲坠——记ramshackle为破旧不堪。
语域：neutral 常见场景：破旧建筑、旧车辆、比喻不稳固的组织或体制 该词为中性语域，口语和书面语中均可用；多用于形容建筑物、车辆等陈旧破败、快要倒塌的样子，也可比喻制度或体系不稳固。
These words rhyme with the final -shackle of ramshackle: shackle, crackle, tackle, and cackle all end in a stressed /ækəl/ sound. Ramble is a lookalike — it shares the initial ram- spelling but ends in /bəl/, so it does not rhyme.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.