1
a layer of shale
shale 通常作不可数名词；需要说明厚度或层次时可用 a layer of shale。
The cliffs are made of alternating layers of sandstone and shale.
这些悬崖由砂岩和页岩交替层构成。
页岩
shales — plural of shale
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
页岩
a sedimentary rock formed from layers of clay deposited over time
The cliffs are made of alternating layers of sandstone and shale.
这些悬崖由砂岩和页岩交替层构成。
壳、鳞片或外壳；荚或豆荚。
A shell, scale or husk; a cod or pod.
由粘土逐层沉积形成的沉积岩。
a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay
细粒沉积岩,薄层状、片状且常易碎。
A fine-grained sedimentary rock of a thin, laminated, and often friable, structure.
The cliffs are made of soft shale that breaks into thin layers.
这些悬崖由柔软的页岩构成，它会裂成薄层。
Geologists found ancient fossils preserved in the dark shale.
地质学家在深色页岩中发现了保存完好的古代化石。
These shales contain enough natural gas to supply the region for years.
这些页岩含有足够的天然气，可供该地区使用多年。
shale 通常作不可数名词；需要说明厚度或层次时可用 a layer of shale。
The cliffs are made of alternating layers of sandstone and shale.
这些悬崖由砂岩和页岩交替层构成。
be made of 强调原材料可见，常用来说明岩石材质。
This hillside is made of soft shale.
这个山坡由松软的页岩构成。
shale 与 from 搭配常出现在能源开采语境中。
Engineers have developed new ways to extract oil from shale.
工程师们开发了从页岩中提取石油的新方法。
Not this
I found a shale near the river.
Use this
I found some shale near the river.
shale（页岩）作岩石材料讲时是不可数名词，不能说 a shale；若特指一块，可用 a piece of shale，或用 some shale 表示泛指。
Not this
She collected beautiful shales on the beach.
Use this
She collected beautiful shells on the beach.
shale（页岩）和 shell（贝壳/壳）拼写相近但意思不同；海滩上捡到的应是 shells，而不是 shales。注意 shale /ʃeɪl/ 与 shell /ʃel/ 发音也不同。
Not this
The roof is made of shale.
Use this
The roof is made of slate.
shale（页岩）和 slate（板岩）是不同岩石：shale 是沉积岩，slate 是变质岩，屋顶常用 slate（板岩）而不是 shale。这一区分属于地质词汇辨析。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
油页岩
Oil shale contains kerogen that can be heated to release oil.
油页岩含有干酪根，加热后可释放石油。
页岩气
The company invested heavily in shale gas extraction.
该公司在页岩气开采上投入巨资。
页岩油
Advances in technology have made shale oil production cheaper.
技术进步使页岩油生产成本降低。
页岩地层
The drilling crew studied the shale formation before starting.
钻井队在开工前研究了页岩地层。
页岩沉积层
Geologists mapped the shale deposits across the region.
地质学家绘制了整个地区的页岩沉积层分布图。
页岩层
The shale layer lies just beneath the sandstone.
页岩层就在砂岩下面。
Use shales naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：shale 即页岩，像书页（页）一样可一层层掀开，页理分明。
语域：neutral 常见场景：geology textbooks、energy industry reports、popular science articles 该词通常用于地质、能源和科普等语境，属于中性的正式用法；在描述岩石类型或页岩气开采时比较常见，日常口语中不算高频。
These all rhyme with shale /ʃeɪl/: sale, male, pale, tale, whale, hail. Beware lookalikes: 'shall' /ʃæl/ and 'shallow' /ˈʃæloʊ/ do not rhyme, despite the shal- spelling.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.