该短语的主动形式是 leave sth/sb unattended(让某物/某人无人看管),被动形式则是 sth/sb be left unattended(某物/某人被留下无人看管)。
人:尤其是儿童、老人、病人等需要照顾的群体(如 The toddler was left unattended in the park. 蹒跚学步的孩子被单独留在公园里。)
物品:贵重物品、危险物品(如 Her laptop was left unattended on the café table. 她的笔记本电脑被留在咖啡馆桌上无人看管。)
设备/工具:运行中的电器、机械(如 The oven was left unattended and started a fire. 烤箱无人看管,引发了火灾。)
动物:需要照顾的宠物或 livestock(如 The dog was left unattended for two days. 狗被单独留了两天。)
Please do not leave your luggage unattended at the airport.(机场请勿让行李无人看管。)(公共场合提示语)
Never leave a burning candle unattended.(点燃的蜡烛绝不能无人照看。)(安全警示)
The baby was left unattended for 20 minutes while the parents watched TV.(父母看电视时,婴儿被单独留了20分钟。)
The construction site was left unattended overnight, so some materials were stolen.(建筑工地夜间无人值守,导致部分材料被盗。)
Employees must not leave the machine unattended during operation.(员工操作机器时不得擅离职守。)(工作规范)
与“be left alone”的区别:两者都有“被单独留下”的意思,但 be left unattended 更强调“需要照料却未被照料”(隐含危险),而“be left alone”仅表示“独处”(中性,无风险暗示)。例如:
The teenager was left alone at home.(青少年被单独留在家中。)(中性,可能他能自理)
The toddler was left unattended at home.(蹒跚学步的孩子被单独留在家中。)(危险,因为无法自理)
总结:be left unattended 是一个强调“疏忽监管”的被动短语,常用在需要警示或描述风险的场景中,核心是“本应被照看的对象处于无监管状态”。