alternative
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++al·ter·na·tive1 /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv $ ɒːlˈtɜːr-, æl-/ ●●○ S3 W2 AWL adjective 1 [only before noun]CHOOSE an alternative idea, plan etc is different from the one you have and can be used instead 可替代的；另外的；两者择一的alternative ways/approach/methods etc alternative approaches to learning 其他的学习方法 Have you any alternative suggestions? 你有没有别的建议？ An alternative route is along the Via Unione. 另一条路线是沿着联合路走。2 CONVENTIONALdeliberately different from what is usual, expected, or traditional 非传统的，另类的alternative music/theatre etc Tucson’s alternative radio station 图森的非传统广播电台 sources of alternative energy (=energy produced by the sun, wind etc rather than by gas, coal etc) 替代能源 tolerance of alternative lifestyles 对另类生活方式的包容alternative medicine/therapies (=medical treatment that is not based on the usual western methods) 非西方传统医学/疗法 Acupuncture is widely used by practitioners of alternative medicine. 针灸疗法被非西方传统医学从业者广泛利用。5 —alternativelyadv You can relax on the beach or alternatively try the bustling town centre.你可以在沙滩上休息，或者也可以逛逛热闹的镇中心。Examples from the Corpus
alternative• Certificate of appropriate alternative development for reside purposes.• The last thing Letterman wants from me is an alternative, goy, version of the human dilemma.• an alternative lifestyle• San Francisco has a long history of accepting the city's many alternative lifestyles.• Alternative medicine can cure many problems but not diseases like cancer.• For vegetarian guests there is an alternative menu.• This study will also take into account choices between alternative methods and the selection of topics and sites for investigation.• alternative music• The downside of such excellent economic performance is that virtually any alternative scenario will represent a deterioration.• alternative sources of energy• Do you have any alternative suggestions to make?• Jones' book details alternative ways of coping with stress.• One of many interesting alternative ways of measuring mutual inductance uses any bridge that measures self inductance together with the following technique.• Even with space and equipment limitations there are alternative ways to organize a room.alternative route• Councillors decided to press for alternative routes by sea, to get the weapons to Faslane and Coulport.• The alternative route down the locks became virtually impassable as the locks were allowed to deteriorate.• At the quantum level the individual alternative routes have only amplitudes, not probabilities.• Fortunately, a federal rule was introduced that allowed California eye banks an alternative route to get the required tissue.• This means finding alternative routes to success, and it means measuring and treasuring success in small amounts.• This was an alternative route we had considered in planning so we were dismayed by fresh news.• How can it be that by allowing the photon an alternative route, we have actually stopped it from traversing either route?alternative medicine/therapies• Clinical ecology is one of the more controversial forms of alternative medicine.• It must be stressed that there are important differences between stage hypnotism and the techniques used in alternative medicine.• Needle Works Acupuncture is widely used in human alternative medicine.• Tony Smith claims that the purpose of our newsletter is to support alternative medicine.• There are so many forms of alternative medicine and there's no doubt it's getting more popular.• She says a range of alternative therapies have helped her improve.• We can not dismiss claims about, say, alternative medicine or acupuncture a priori.• In Homoeopathy and many other types of alternative medicine the patient's illness is placed in a much larger context.alternative2 ●●○ S3 W3 AWL noun [countable] CHOOSEsomething you can choose to do or use instead of something else 可供选择的事物alternative to Is there a viable alternative to the present system? 有没有切实可行的制度能够替代现行体制？ If payment is not received, legal action will be our only alternative. 如果收不到付款，我们只能采取法律行动。 I had no alternative but to report him to the police. 除了向警方举报他，我别无选择。 He quickly assessed the alternatives open to him. 他迅速估计了一下还有哪些办法可以采用。n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good/attractive alternativeIf you don’t want curtains, blinds are a good alternative.a possible/acceptable/satisfactory alternativeI’m busy tomorrow but Wednesday is a possible alternative.a real/serious alternativeCo-operation offers the only real alternative.a viable alternative (=that can work as successfully)Hydrogen offers a viable alternative to petrol and diesel.a practical alternativeThis treatment represents a practical alternative to surgery.a cheap alternativeA take-away is a cheap alternative to eating out.a safe alternativeWill there ever be a safe alternative to nuclear power?a healthy alternativeLow-fat biscuits are a healthy alternative to cake.verbshave an alternativeYou have a few alternatives to choose from.offer/provide an alternativeIf your first choice is not available, we always have alternatives to offer.suggest an alternativeDo you have an alternative you can suggest?seek an alternativePeople are seeking alternatives to meat-based dishes.find an alternativeThe program is directed to finding alternatives to oil and natural gas.phraseshave no/little alternative (but to do something)He had no alternative but to resign.leave somebody with no alternative (but to do something)I was left with no alternative but to seek legal advice.Examples from the Corpus
alternative• The emergence of the team as an alternative to the classic working group of individuals offers a powerful choice.• Their acquisition takes time, problems arise, children become puzzled, and they have to consider possibilities and alternatives.• Glass shelves, fitted across the window, also make an excellent alternative to curtains or blinds.• He says he doesn't want to see a doctor, but I'm afraid he has no alternative.• In the new battle against inflation, the old claim that there is no alternative has started to sound out of date.• Did you consider other alternatives before you moved in with Lucy?• There is no practical alternative to our current policy.• Then, as they explored various strategic alternatives, they began to coalesce around one direction for the company.• Consideration should be given to the provision of health authority transport where no suitable alternatives are available.• You have three alternatives for directly influencing me to do so: 1.• Which alternatives are likely to reduce traffic?had no alternative• He decided that he had no alternative but to flee abroad.• My daughters and I had no alternative but to get out.• The District Court believed that it had no alternative to imposing a tax increase.• Because their environment had been reduced the pandas had no alternative but to remain where there was no food.• If he was right she had no alternative but to stay put.• They had no alternative but to take the cause of all the drama to hospital, forty miles away in Bulawayo.al·ter·na·tive1 adjectivealternative2 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
different idea, plan from Corpus etc the an one is alternative
alternative
al‧ter‧na‧tive1 S2 W2 AC /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv $ ɒːlˈtɜːr-, æl-/ 
adjective1. [only before noun] an alternative idea, plan etc is different from the one you have and can be used instead
alternative ways/approach/methods etc
alternative approaches to learning
Have you any alternative suggestions?
An alternative route is along the Via Unione.
2. deliberately different from what is usual, expected, or traditional
alternative music/theatre etc
Tucson’s alternative radio station
sources of alternative energy (=energy produced by the sun, wind etc rather than by gas, coal etc)
tolerance of alternative lifestyles
alternative medicine/therapies (=medical treatment that is not based on the usual western methods)
Acupuncture is widely used by practitioners of alternative medicine.
—alternatively adverb:
You can relax on the beach or alternatively try the bustling town centre.
alternative2 S2 W3 AC noun [countable]something you can choose to do or use instead of something else
alternative to
Is there a viable alternative to the present system?
If payment is not received legal action will be our only alternative.
I had no alternative but to report him to the police.
He quickly assessed what alternatives were open to him.
■ adjectives
▪a good/attractive alternative If you don’t want curtains, blinds are a good alternative.
▪a possible/acceptable/satisfactory alternative I’m busy tomorrow but Wednesday is a possible alternative.
▪a real/serious alternative Co-operation offers the only real alternative.
▪a viable alternative (=that can work as successfully) Hydrogen offers a viable alternative to petrol and diesel.
▪a practical alternative This treatment represents a practical alternative to surgery.
▪a cheap alternative A take-away is a cheap alternative to eating out.
▪a safe alternative Will there ever be a safe alternative to nuclear power?
▪a healthy alternative Low-fat biscuits are a healthy alternative to cake.
■ verbs
▪have an alternative You have a few alternatives to choose from.
▪offer/provide an alternative If your first choice is not available, we always have alternatives to offer.
▪suggest an alternative Do you have an alternative you can suggest?
▪seek an alternative People are seeking alternatives to meat-based dishes.
▪find an alternative The program is directed to finding alternatives to oil and natural gas.
■ phrases
▪have no/little alternative (but to do something) He had no alternative but to resign.
▪leave somebody with no alternative (but to do something) I was left with no alternative but to seek legal advice.
▪ choice : choice of : The school seems OK, but there isn’t a great choice of courses. | have a choice (=be able to choose from several things): With her high grades and athletic skill, Celeste had her choice of colleges. | have no choice but to do something (=to be forced to do something because there is nothing else you can choose): Spooner says he had no choice but to file for bankruptcy. | wide choice (=a lot of things to choose from): There is a wide choice of hotels and hostels in the town.
▪option one of the things that you can choose to do in a particular situation: He basically has two options: he can have the surgery, or he can give up playing football. | keep/leave your options open (=delay choosing so that you continue to have several things to choose from): I haven’t signed any contracts yet – I want to keep my options open.
▪alternative one of two or more ways of doing something: Did you consider other alternatives before you moved in with Lucy? | alternative to : There is no practical alternative to our current policy. | have no alternative (=to not have a choice): He says he doesn’t want to see a doctor, but I’m afraid he has no alternative.
| I |
adjective1. [only before noun] an alternative idea, plan etc is different from the one you have and can be used insteadalternative ways/approach/methods etc
2. deliberately different from what is usual, expected, or traditional
alternative music/theatre etc
alternative medicine/therapies (=medical treatment that is not based on the usual western methods)
—alternatively adverb:
| II |
noun [countable]something you can choose to do or use instead of something elsealternative to
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option something that you can choose to have or do; the freedom to choose what you do 指可选择的事物、选择、选择权、选择的自由 ：◆ As I see it, we have two options… 据我看，我们有两种选择… ◆ Students have the option of studying abroad in their second year. 学生在二年级时可以选择出国学习。 NOTE Option is also the word used in computing for one of the choices you can make when using a computer program.* option 亦指计算机程序里的选项、选择 ：◆ Choose the 'Cut' option from the Edit menu. 从编辑选单上选择 “剪切” 项。 choice the freedom to choose what you do; something that you can choose to have or do 指选择权、选择的自由、选择、可选择的事物 ：◆ If I had the choice, I would stop working tomorrow. 如果让我选择，我明天就停止工作。 ◆ There is a wide range of choices open to you. 你有很多选择。 alternative something that you can choose to have or do out of two or more possibilities 指可供选择的事物、其中一种选择 ：◆ You can be paid in cash weekly or by cheque monthly: those are the two alternatives. 你的工资可以按周以现金支取，或按月以支票支取。二者可选其一。
option, choice or alternative? 用 option、choice 还是 alternative？
possibility one of the different things that you can do in a particular situation 指某种情况下可选择的事物 ：◆ We need to explore a wide range of possibilities. 我们需要探究各种可能的情况。 ◆ The possibilities are endless. 可想的办法是无穷的。 NOTE Possibility can be used in a similar way tooption ,choice andalternative , but the emphasis here is less on the need to make a choice, and more on what is available.* possibility 的用法与 option、choice 和 alternative 相似，不过其重点主要在于可选择的事物而非需要作出选择。
Patterns
with/without the option/choice/possibilityof stha(n) good/acceptable/reasonable/possible option/choice/alternativethe only option/choice/alternative/possibilityopen to sbto have a/an/the option/choiceof doing sth to have no option/choice/alternativebut to do stha number/range of options/choices/alternatives/possibilities
especially in