表示“致力于做某事;全身心投入/专注于做某事;倾注精力于做某事”,强调主语对某件事的长期专注、投入或奉献状态。
该短语是系表结构("be动词 + 形容词devoted + 介词短语to..."),关键要点如下:
be动词:根据时态(一般现在时/过去时/完成时等)和主语人称变化(am/is/are/was/were/has been等);
devoted:形容词,意为“忠诚的;献身的;专注的”;
to:介词(≠ 不定式符号),因此后面必须接动名词(doing)或名词,不能接动词原形;
主语:通常是人(强调“某人”对某事的投入)。
一般现在时(描述当前持续的状态):
Our teacher is devoted to improving our writing skills.(我们老师致力于提高我们的写作能力。)
They are devoted to protecting endangered animals.(他们专注于保护濒危动物。)
现在完成时(强调从过去持续到现在的状态):
She has been devoted to her research for over a decade.(她十年来一直全身心投入研究。)
He has been devoted to learning French since he was 10.(他从10岁起就专注于学法语。)
一般过去时(描述过去的状态):
My grandfather was devoted to farming all his life.(我祖父一生都致力于务农。)
若"to"后接人,则表示“深爱/忠诚于某人”(情感上的投入):
She is devoted to her husband.(她深爱着她的丈夫。)
The dog is devoted to its owner.(这只狗忠诚于它的主人。)
错误:She is devoted to teach English.(误将"to"当不定式,接动词原形)
正确:She is devoted to teaching English.("to"是介词,接动名词"teaching")
devote oneself to doing sth.(主动形式,意为“某人致力于做某事”,与"be devoted to doing"同义):
He devotes himself to writing novels. = He is devoted to writing novels.(他致力于写小说。)
commit oneself to doing sth.(致力于;承诺做某事)
dedicate oneself to doing sth.(献身于;致力于)
综上,"be devoted to doing sth."是描述长期、持续投入状态的高频短语,核心是“介词to + 动名词/名词”的搭配,需注意避免语法错误。