n.少數(shù)；少數(shù)民族；未成年

Only a minority of British households do not have a car. 英國只有少數(shù)家庭沒有汽車。

A small minority voted against the motion. 投票反對該提議的人占少數(shù)。

The question of which state the minority group should belong to was decided by (a) plebiscite. 該少數(shù)民族應(yīng)歸屬哪一州的問題已由公民投票表決。

There are 56 minorities in our country. 我國有56個少數(shù)民族。

He is in his minority. 他尚未成年。

minority作“少數(shù),小部分”解時,是集合名詞,常用于單數(shù)形式。minority在句中作主語時,其謂語動詞可用單數(shù)形式,也可用復(fù)數(shù)形式。

minority作“少數(shù)民族”解時是可數(shù)集合名詞,不能用來指少數(shù)民族中的某一個人,而指的是整個民族,因此minorities表示的是“幾種少數(shù)民族”,而不是某一少數(shù)民族中的幾個人。

minority在句中可用作定語。