1
practice sorcery
sorcery 通常作不可数名词，不加冠词。
People once believed that witches practiced sorcery at night.
人们曾经相信女巫在夜里施展巫术。
巫术；魔法
sorceries — plural of sorcery
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
巫术；魔法
The use of magic or supernatural powers, especially evil magic or witchcraft.
People once believed that witches practiced sorcery at night.
人们曾经相信女巫在夜里施展巫术。
魔力；巫术或法术的使用。
Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
巫术
the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world
黑魔法。
Black magic.
The old woman was accused of sorcery by the villagers.
那位老妇人被村民们指控使用巫术。
The wizard studied sorcery for many years before he could cast powerful spells.
那位巫师研究了多年巫术，才学会施放强大的咒语。
The villagers believed that the strange illness was caused by sorcery.
村民们认为这种奇怪的疾病是由巫术引起的。
sorcery 通常作不可数名词，不加冠词。
People once believed that witches practiced sorcery at night.
人们曾经相信女巫在夜里施展巫术。
to 后接动词原形，表示使用巫术的目的。
The villain used sorcery to control the king's mind.
那个反派用巫术控制国王的心智。
accuse sb of sth 结构中 of 后接名词。
Neighbors accused the old woman of sorcery after her crops failed.
庄稼歉收后，邻居们指控老妇人施巫术。
by sorcery 表示方式，名词前不加冠词。
The hero defeated the monster by sorcery rather than by strength.
英雄靠巫术而不是靠力气打败了怪物。
Not this
He used a sorcery to open the lock.
Use this
He used sorcery to open the lock.
sorcery 是不可数名词，指“巫术、魔法”的整体概念时不能用不定冠词 a/an；若想强调一次具体的巫术行为，应说 an act of sorcery。
Not this
She cast sorcery on her enemy.
Use this
She used sorcery on her enemy.
cast 的固定搭配是 cast a spell（施咒），不能直接接 sorcery。表达“使用巫术/对某人施巫术”时，常用 use 或 practice 与 sorcery 搭配，所以应把 cast 改为 used。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
施行巫术；施魔法
In the story, the hero refuses to practice sorcery even to save his kingdom.
在故事中，主人公即使为了拯救王国也不肯施行巫术。
黑魔法；邪恶巫术
The dark lord used black sorcery to turn the river into poison.
黑魔王用黑魔法把河水变成了毒药。
被指控使用巫术
Anyone accused of sorcery was brought to the high priest for judgment.
任何被指控使用巫术的人都会被带到祭司长那里接受审判。
巫术行为；施巫术之举
Lighting a candle over the grave was considered an act of sorcery.
在坟墓上点蜡烛被视为一种巫术行为。
巫术与魔法
The museum has a collection of objects linked to sorcery and witchcraft.
这家博物馆收藏了一批与巫术和魔法有关的物品。
Use sorceries naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：sorcery 以 sore（酸痛）开头，想象中了巫术后浑身酸痛，记住它就是巫术、魔法。
语域：formal 常见场景：fantasy literature、historical accounts of witchcraft、occult-themed media sorcery 通常用于正式或文学性语境，多出现在奇幻小说、历史叙述或神秘题材作品中；日常会话里更常用 magic 或 witchcraft。
Sorcery /ˈsɔrsɝi/ shares the suffix spellings -cery/-ery with grocery and nursery, both ending in the same /səri/ sound, but the stressed vowels differ, so they are not perfect rhymes. Surgery, mystery, slippery, and bakery also end in -ery yet pronounce that syllable differently (/dʒəri/, /təri/, /pəri/, /kəri/); do not rely on spelling for the sound.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.