1.age的基本意思是在不长的时间内“长大,老化,变老”“使苍老”。
2.age还可指“(酒等)变陈”或“存一段时间再用”,往往表示因历时长久而变好,尤其指味道变醇厚。
3.age可用作及物动词,也可用作不及物动词。用作及物动词时,接名词或代词作宾语。
4.age的现在分词有两种形式：ageing和aging,前者更常见些。
5.age的过去分词可用作前置形容词,表示“…岁的”“年老的”。

用作不及物动词
▲S+～(+A)
He is againg rapidly.他老得很快。
The wine aged well.这酒陈得很好。
The wine is put into oak casks to age.酒被放在橡木桶中让其变陈。
用作及物动词
▲S+～+n./pron.
Fear and anxiety aged him overnight.恐惧和忧虑使他一夜之间变老了。
The fear of what might happen aged him.对可能发生的事情的担忧使他变得苍老了。
其他
▲v-ed as Attrib.
He is a boy aged ten.他是个10岁的孩子。
He is an aged man.他是一个老年男子。

age, develop, mature, mellow, ripen
参见mature条。

［同义词］ n.  era, epoch, grown-up, mature, period, time v.   decline, develop, get on, grow old, mature
［词源］＜古法语aage(年龄)

1.age的基本意思是“年龄”“年纪”,引申还可指“长时间”, age还可指具有某种显著特征,或以杰出人物命名的历史时代,也指地质学、考古学中的“时代”。
2.age表示“年龄”,可用作可数名词或不可数名词,表示“时代”,是可数名词,多用作单数形式,且以大写字母开头。
3.age笼统指个人或多人的年龄时常用单数。但如果分别指各人的年龄,或age后面跟各个具体的年龄,这时常用复数。
4.age表示“年龄”“年纪”时,与介词at连用,当表示“时代”“时期”时,与介词in连用,表示“长时间”时,要用介词for,表示“同龄”时,要用介词of, of可省略。

be〔come〕 of age
到了成年 reach the age at which one has an adult's legal rights and obligations
The boy has been of age.这男孩已经长大成人了。
He will come of age a week from today.他再过一个星期就达到成年年龄了。

under age
未成年 not yet adult
You shouldn't sell cigarettes to teenagers who are under age.你不应该把香烟卖给未成年的青少年。
He was rejected by the conscription office because he was under age.征兵办公室没有接受他,因为他还未成年。

It was difficult to tell his exact age.很难说出他的确切年龄。
At your age you should know better.你这个年龄,应该懂点事了。
They married at a late age.他们年龄很大时才结婚。
He became a doctor at the age of 27.他27岁时成了一名医生。
He looks young for his age.他看上去比他的实际岁数小。
Age was telling on him.他显得衰老了。
I am more than sixty.but I don't feel my age.我已经60多岁了,但我并未觉得自己这么老。
I haven't seen you for ages.我好久没见到你了。
The two boys are (of) the same age.这两个男孩同龄。
It's been ages since we met.我们好久不见了。
They took ages to mend the bike.他们花了很长时间才把自行车修好。
You are quite behind the age.你远远地落后时代了。
We are living in the computer age.我们正生活在计算机时代。
Those animals lived in the Middle Ages.那些动物生活在中世纪。

old age, advanced age
这两个短语都可表示“老年”,但前面使用的介词不同。例如:
Her father died in his old age.
她的父亲在他老年时去世。
Her father died at an advanced age.
她的父亲在高龄时去世。

of age, of an age, of the age
这三个短语的意思并不相同。of age的意思是“成年的”; of an age的意思是“同年的”; of the age的意思是“当代的”。例如:
The girl has been of age.
这姑娘已经成年了。
They are of an age.
他们同龄。
He is one of the great poets of the age.
他是当代伟大诗人之一。

for age, in age
这两个短语都表示“长时间”。区别是：后者主要用于美式英语。

age, generation, period
参见period条。

1.我们不知不觉进入中年。
［误］  We reach the middle age before we know it.
［正］  We reach middle age before we know it.
［析］  old age(老年)和middle age(中年)之前均不用冠词。
2.我在那个年龄经常放学后去打乒乓球。
［误］  I used to play table tennis after school when I was in that age.
［正］  I used to play table tennis after school when I was that age.
［析］  that age作“那个年龄”讲,可以直接作表语或定语,不必加任何介词。
3.他年老背驼。
［误］  His back is bent with ages.
［正］  His back is bent with age.
［析］  age在作“年老”解时是抽象名词,即是不可数名词,因此不能用复数形式。
4.我十六岁。
［误］  I am at the age of sixteen.
［误］  I am sixteen of age.
［正］  My age is sixteen years.
［析］  at the age of在句中一般不可用作表语。
5.我们的老师是个年轻人。
［误］  Our teacher is a young-aged man.
［正］  Our teacher is a young man.
［析］  “年轻人”和“老年人”应说a young〔old〕 man,只有“中年人”才可说a middle-aged man.
6.我儿子5岁。
［误］  My son's age is five years old.
［正］  My son is five years old.
［析］  age与old是同义词,不可在一个句子中同时出现。

1.当复数物主代词修饰“年龄”时,可用ages,也可用age。后者着眼于个体。例如:
Our ages range from 18 to 20.
我们的年龄在18岁到20岁之间。
There is twenty years difference in our age.
我们之间年龄相差20岁。
2.“他18岁。”的说法:
可说
He is eighteen.
He is eighteen years.
He is eighteen years old.
He is eighteen years of age.
He is aged eighteen.
His age is eighteen.
不宜说
He is eighteen of age.
He is of eighteen years old.
He is at the age of eighteen.
His age is eighteen years old.
近年来美国报刊上常有用“age+数词”表示年龄。例如:
John Smith, age 17, was arrested for drug-pushing.约翰·史密斯,17岁,因贩毒而被捕。
3.一般问“你多大年纪?”是How old are you?但也可说What is your age?只是后者是相当正式的语体。