以下复制自牛津高阶词典,纸质版为英汉双解词典,但网页版仅英文,建议查看纸质版对照
tableland n.
a large area of high flat land
highland adj. [only before noun]
1 connected with an area of land that has hills or mountains
eg. highland regions, highland roads
2 Highland connected with the Highlands of Scotland
upland
n. [usually plural] an area of high land that is not near the coast
adj. [only before noun] upland agriculture
参考词典给出的解释, tableland 侧重表示的是高原、高地的空旷;
highland 可作形容词也可作名词,表达的是高地上的山脉绵延之感,尤其表示与苏格兰高地有关;
upland 可作名词也可作形容词,强调的是离海岸很远。
由此看来,三者虽然都是 “高原” ,但其词性和侧重点并不完全相同,表达的意思有区别。
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附加说明:
1、牛津高阶词典上仅说 highland 可作形容词,不过根据百度显示, highland 也可作名词,但意思一致;
2、 highland 与 upland 作形容词时仅可作定语,不可单独作表语。