a kind of, kind of, of a kind
a kind of放在名词之前作定语,意思是“一种,某种”;kind of只作状语,放在被修饰的动词、形容词或副词之前,表示“有点,多少”的意思;of a kind只用作后置定语,有两个意思:①同类的,②徒有其名的,不怎么样的。如:
Although bamboo is really a kind of grass, it looks more like a tree. 虽然竹子的确是一种草,但它的样子更象一棵树。
I kind of thought this would happen. 我还以为这会发生的。
She looks kind of pale after her illness. 她病后脸色有点苍白。
The sisters are two of a kind. They like the same things. 这姊妹俩性格完全一样,她们的爱好也相同。
She gave me tea of a kind; but we couldn’t drink it. 她给我的美其名曰是茶,但简直不能喝。
alike, like, likely
三者形似,但意思与用法不同。alike用作形容词时,常作表语,意思是“相同的,想象的”;用作副词时,意思是“同样地,相似地”。如:
The two sisters are very much alike.这姐妹两个很相像。
Our teacher treats all the students alike.我们的老师对所有的学生都一样。
like作“相似的,类似的”讲时,是形容词;还可用作介词,此时意思是“象,跟……一样”。如:
He climbs the tree like a monkey.他爬起树来象猴子一样。
It is more like a spear than anything else.与其说它象别的东西,倒不如说它象一支梭镖。
likely用作形容词时,意思是“很可能的,可期待的”;作副词时,主要用在most和very后 ,意思是“很可能”。如:
It is likely to rain.天很可能要下雨。
It is likely that he will win the match.很可能他会赢得这场比赛。
They will very likely come by car.他们很可能开车来。
a little , a bit
二者用法的相同点:
都可用在形容词、副词原级和比较级前。如:
a little(a bit)cold 有点冷
a little(a bit)smaller 有些小
在下列情况下用法不同:
1)a bit后接名词时需加of,而a little则不必。如:
I have a bit of headache. 我有点头痛。
Don’t worry. You still have a little time. 别担心,你还有点时间。
2)与not连用时,二者意思都变了。not a bit意思是“毫不”,“一点也不”,not a little是“许多,很多,非常,很”的意思。试比较:
I am not a bit tired. 我一点也不累。
I am not a little tired. 我非常累。
alive, living, live, lively
四个词都可作形容词,但意义用法不同。alive的意思是“活着的”,“精神抖擞的”,只作表语,也可以作定语,但应放在所修饰的名词之后。如:
Her parents are still alive. 她的父母依然健在。
No man alive will believe what he says. 谁也不会相信他的话。
living的意思是“活着的”,“有生命的”,“现存的”,作定语或表语均可。如:
He is still living. 他还活着。
Living men can err. 活人都会有错误。
a living language 活的语言
live意思是“活的”,“没有死的”,发音为[laiv]。只作定语,一般用来修饰动物。如:
It seemed that all were dead; However, there were three live men on the board. 好象所有的人都死了;然而,在船上还有三个活着的人。
lively意思是“活泼的”,“精神旺盛的”。如:
lively conversation热烈愉快的谈话
a lively person愉快的人
lively youth活泼的青年人
He is a lively man. 他是个精神旺盛的人。
all along, all the time
这两个短语都有“一直,自始至终”的意思。
all along是个习语,表示“从头到尾,一直”。如:
I knew that all along. 我从一开始就知道此事。
I saw trees all along the road. 我一路上都看见有树。
all the time是个普通短语,表示“始终”。如:
Conditions are changing all the time. 情况在不断地变化。
all one’s life , in life
all one’s life 意思是“一生,终生,一辈子”。如:
My mother taught English in the village school all her life.我母亲在那所乡村学校教了一辈子英语。
in life的意思是“生前,活着的时候”。如:
The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and the determination to attain it. 人生最重要的事情是有一个伟大的目标和实现这个目标的决心。
All right, That’s all right
这是两句口语中常用的答语,意思不同。All right是“行的”,“好的”“可以”的意思,一般用于“赞同”意见。如:
—Let’s go for a walk, shall we? 我们去散步好吗?
—All right. 好。
—Shall we meet at seven? 我们七点碰头好吗?
—All right. 行。
All right还可以表示:
1)健康状况良好。如:
Are you feeling all right? 你身体觉得好吗?
2)圆满、顺利。如:
Can you speak English all right now? 你现在英语说得很好了吗?
Everything is all right. 一切顺利。
3)的确。如:
She is pretty, all right, but I don’t like her. 她是漂亮,但我不喜欢她。
That’s all right. 是“没有关系”的意思,是对别人抱歉的安慰语。如:
—I am sorry I was not able to come yesterday evening. I had a bad cold. 对不起,昨晚我没有来,我感冒了。
—That’s all right. 没关系。
allow, let, permit, promise, admit
let, allow和permit,意思都是允许,但词意依次增强,许多情况下可以互换,permit比allow更正式些。如:
I’ll let you know as soon as he comes back. 他一回来我就通知你。
The teacher allowed me to enter the office. 教师让我进办公室。
The guard permitted him to pass. 守卫让他通过。(含有“批准”的意思)
The nurse allowed him to remain there, though it isn’t permitted. 护士让他留在那里,虽然这是(规定)不允许的。
permit, allow的基本用法如下:
permit(allow)sth. 允许某事
permit(allow)sb. to do sth. 允许某人做某事
permit(allow)doing sth.(不跟to do)允许做某事
promise的意思是“允诺”,“答应”。如:
I promised him to go to the cinema. 我答应他去看电影。
promise后接复合宾语时,动词不定式to go的逻辑主语不是him,而是句子的主语I。比较:
I permit him to go to the cinema. 我允许他去看电影。(to go的逻辑主语是him)
permit的主语如果是物(事)时,其后可接动名词,如果是人,一般不接动名词。如:
His work does not permit his going.(正)他的工作不允许他走。
He does not permit my going.(误)他不让我去。
permit后不接从句,而promise后可接从句。如:
She has promised that she will come.(正)
She has permitted that she will come.(误)
admit指允许某人进入某地或加入某组织。如:
You have to pass the examination to be admitted to the college. 你必须参加考试,及格后,方能获准入校。
The teacher opened the door and admitted me into the classroom. 老师打开门让我进教室去。
almost, nearly
二者的意思都是“几乎”,“差不多”,但用法略有不同。
1)在肯定句中可以互换。如:
It’s almost(nearly)five o’clock. 差不多五点了。
He has almost(nearly)finished his homework. 他差不多做完作业了。
2)两个词都可以修饰all, very, always。如:
Almost(Nearly)all the boys went. 几乎全部男孩都去了。
He almost(nearly)always gets up at six. 他几乎总是六点钟起床。
3)almost不和not单独连用,而nearly可以。如:
I am not nearly ready. 我还没全准备好。(正)
I am not almost ready.(误)
但是,在行为动词的否定式前二者都可用。如:
I almost(nearly)didn’t hear what he said. 我几乎听不见他说的话。
4)almost可以修饰any, no, none, nothing, never而nearly则不可以。如:
I almost never see him.(正)
I nearly never see him.(误)我几乎从未见过他。
alone, lonely, lone
alone可用作形容词或副词,意思是“独自的”,只作表语,不作定语。如:
She is alone. 她独自生活。(表)
She went out alone . 她一个人出去的。(副)
lonely可作表语和定语,作表语时意思是“寂寞的,孤独的”;作定语时意思是“荒凉的”。如:
Though I was alone at home last night,I didn’t feel lonely. 昨晚虽然我一人在家,但我并不感觉寂寞。
This is a lonely house. 这是一所很少有人到的房子。
a lonely mountain village 荒凉的山村
lone可作定语和表语,意思是“孤独的,无伴的”。如:
I never felt so lone. 我从来没有感到如此孤独过。
She could see a lone person on the deserted beach. 她看见在荒凉的海滩上有一个孤独的人。
a lot of, lots of, a lot
三者都有“许多,很多”的意思;a lot of, lots of一般用于肯定句(否定句或疑问句一般用many或much),后接可数名词复数或不可数名词,它们完全可以互换。如:
A lot of(lots of)students went swimming yesterday. 昨天许多学生去游泳了。
Lots of(A lot of)work is to be done this week. 本周将有许多工作要做。
a lot可作名词,相当于a lot of things;它也可作副词,修饰动词或形容词、副词比较级。如:
We have learned a lot from Lei Feng. 我们从雷锋那里学到了很多。
Mary is a lot older than Alice. 玛丽比爱丽丝年龄大得多。
aloud, loud, loudly
aloud是副词,意思侧重于“出声”,一般不表示“大声”,aloud没有比较级,与动词read, think连用,反义词是silently. 如:
It’s good to read aloud often. 经常朗读很有好处。
Please read the text aloud. 请朗读课文。
当aloud修饰cry, shout时有“大声”的意思。如:
He shouted aloud. 他大声喊。
loud可作形容词或副词(作副词时=loudly),表示“大声的、响亮的”意思,loud有比较级,常与动词talk, speak, shout等连用。如:
She has a loud voice. 她的嗓音很大。
Please speak louder. I can’t hear you. 请大点声,我听不见。
Don’t speak so loud(loudly). 不要这样大声讲话。
It’s bad manners to talk loudly or laugh loudly in public. 在公共场所大声谈笑是不礼貌的。
already, yet, still
already通常用于肯定句,意思是“已经”;yet一般用于疑问句和否定句,意思是“已经,还” 。如:
I have seen the film already. 我已经看过这部电影了。
Have you seen the film yet? 你已经看这部电影了吗?
He hasn’t come yet. 他还没来。
但要注意以下几点:
1)already有时用于疑问句,表示期待一个肯定回答或表示惊奇。如:
—Have you seen the film already? 你已经看过这部电影了吗?
—Yes, I have. 是的,我已看过了。
2)already一般用在完成时的句子里。有时也可用于过去时的句子里,但要求动词是延续性的。
He has already seen the film. 她已经看了这个电影。
He already knew about it. 关于此事,他那时就知道了。(know是延续性动词)
3)already不能用在否定的陈述句中,但可用在肯定或否定的由if引导的条件从句中。如:
If he hasn’t seen the film already, he may get the ticket. 如果他从未看过这部电影,他可以得到这张票。
still则表示某事或某种状态持续得比预期的要长,而感到惊讶,主要用于否定句中。如:
I have still not heard the story. 那个故事我还没有听过。
still和(not)yet常用来形成对比。如:
He’s still busy; he has not finished his work yet. 他虽然很忙,但还没有做完工作。
在将来时态中,yet有“迟早”的意思,still则表示表“仍然”。如:
He will still win. 他仍然会取胜。(他以前曾经胜过)
He will win yet. 他迟早会取胜的。(虽然他以前不曾取胜)
also, too, either, as well
四者都可作副词用,意思都是“也”,但用法不同。also的位置放在行为动词之前,系动词、助动词或情态动词之后。如:
She also went to the theatre. 她也去看戏了。
She was also wrong. 她也错了。
She can also do it. 她也能做那件事。
但too常用于句末,前面可用逗号,也可不用。如:
He is a worker, too.(=He is a worker too.)还可以说:He, too, is a worker. 他是一位工人。
too用于形容词或副词之前,意为“太,过于”。如:
The scenery is too beautiful for words. 风景美得无法言传。
He drives too fast. 他开车太快了。
also, too一般用于肯定句中,但too有时可用于否定句中,且必须放在否定词前。如:
I didn’t know him and she too didn’t know him. 我不认识他,她也不认识他。
either只用于否定句中,必须放在句末。如:
You didn’t go there. I didn’t go there, either.(=Neither did I.)你没去那儿,我也没去。
as well等于too,但总是位于句末。如:
I’m going to London and my sister’s going as well. 我打算去伦敦,我妹妹也去。
I bought a book as well.(=too, also)我也买了一本书。
但是下面句子中的also不能直接用too, as well替代。
I also bought a book. =I, too, bought a book.
although, though, as
although和though用法基本相同,作连词常可以通用。
though常用于口语和非正式文体中,在句中位置较灵活;而although大多出现在正式文体中,语气较though强烈,常用于句首。如:
Though he is weak, he works just as hard as others. 他虽然体弱,但工作得和其他人一样努力。
The enemy, though strong, does not have enough soldiers. 敌人虽强,但兵力不足。
Although I haven’t much ability, I have a good neighbor to rely on. 我能力虽不强,但有个好邻居可依靠。
though可以作副词,放句末;although则不能,在even though, as though等短语中的though不可改作although。 如:
He didn’t tell me what he had done, but I knew it though. 他没有告诉我他干了些什么,可是我还是知道了。
That wasn’t all, though. 还不仅仅是这样呢。
He acted as though he were mad. 他表现得象疯了似的。
as和though可引导发生倒装的让步状语从句,将作表语的形容词、名词等提前,此时不能用although。 如:
Difficult as/though the task may be, there is great hope. 事情尽管困难,却大有希望。
Child as he is, he knows a lot. 虽是个孩子,但他知道很多。
汉语中“虽然……但是(然而)……”常用在一个句子中,但英语的though却不能和but连用,因为though是从属连词,but是并列连词,两者在句法上是相矛盾的;如果强调对比,可用yet或still。如:
Though the factory is small, yet(still)its products are of good quality. 这家工厂虽小,产品质量却很好。
altogether, all together, together
以上三个词很容易混淆。
altogether的意思是①完全地,全部地(entirely, wholly);总而言之,总之(on the whole);②总共,常同数词连用,这时all together也有这个意思,二者可以换用。如:
I don’t altogether agree with you. 我并不完全同意你。
We are fifty altogether. 我们总共五十人。
Altogether, the students have done very well. 总的来说,学生们做得相当好。
I have put the books all together in the drawer. 我把这些书一起放在这抽屉里。
together主要表示“在一起(in company),同时(at the same time)”的意思,可以与with连用,引起附加部分。如:
Let’s go to school together. 咱们一起上学吧。
He sold the house, together with the furniture. 他把房子连同家具都卖了。
Tom, together with his parents, goes to church every Sunday. 每周日汤姆和他父母一起去做礼拜。
always, ever, frequently, often, usually
以上几个词都是频度副词,表示“经常,通常,总是”。
always表示“总是,永远”,着重说明行为在不断延续中的反复性,与进行时连用,带有强烈的感情色彩。如:
We have always bought the best coffee. 我们一直都是买最好的咖啡。
The sun always rises in the east. 太阳总是从东方升起。
That boy is always asking whys. 那个男孩总是问这问那个没完。
ever作“永远,始终”(at all times)解,与always相连,侧重于“始终不变,千篇一律”。如:
Natural law is ever to be reckoned with. 自然法则是永远不可忽视的。
often表示“经常,多次地”(many times),着重一件事发生的次数,含有频频重复的意味,而不考虑其发生间隔多少时间。如:
—How often have you been there a month?
—Twice.
——一个月你到那里去几次?
——两次。
I met him quite often when I was in that firm. 我在那家公司时常见到他。
frequently也有“经常”的含义,着重行为的经常反复、频繁发生,尤指每次行为间隔的时间非常短。如:
If you don’t write me more frequently, I shall feel out of touch with you. 如果你不常给我写信,我会和你有疏远的感觉。
usually表示“通常”,含有惯常的意味,指已形成习惯并很少有例外的行为,常表间时间的经常性程度。如:
Mr. White usually helps me with my English at weekends. 怀特先生通常在周末帮我学英语。
Tom usually gets up early. 汤姆通常早起。
a most, the most
a most后可接形容词修饰的单数名词。most相当于very“十分,很”,不是构成最高级的修饰语。如:
Children in China lead a most happy life. 中国的儿童过着非常幸福的生活。
the most是形容词最高级构成的成分之一,表示“最……”。如:
This book is the most interesting of the three. 这本书是这三本中最有趣的。
注:如果most前无定冠词the,可以表示“最”或“很,十分”的意思;表示第二个意思时,被修饰的形容词必须是表示人的看法的主观形容词。如:
The present world situation is most favourable for the people. 当前世界形势对人民十分有利。
This lesson is most difficult. 这一课最(很)难。
among, between
among的意思是“在……当中”,指在三者或三者以上的人或物当中;between的意思是“在……之间”,指在两者之间。如:
He sat among the children. 他坐在孩于们中间。
He sat between you and me. 他坐在你我之间。
between也可表示在三者以上之间,但这时指三者以上的两两之间。如:
The village lies between the three mountains. 这个村庄位于三座山中间。
He is sitting between Wang Ling,Liu Ming and Li Hua. 他坐在王玲、刘明和李华之间。
and, or
二者都是连词,and连接两个或两个以上的人或物的单数名词作主语时,谓语动词用复数。如:
Jim and Jack are good friends. 吉姆和杰克是好朋友。
She and her sister are to come here. 她和她妹妹就要到这儿来。
如果用or连接两个或两个以上的人或物的名词时,谓语动词取决于最靠近的那个名词和代词的单复数。如:
Two boys or a girt is coming. 两个男孩或是一个女孩要来。
She or I am going to see him. 她或是我将去看他。
They or she is certain to go there. 他们或者她一定去那儿。
Jack or Jim is to help us. 杰克或者吉姆将帮肋我们。
and和or在祈使句后都可以引导一个句子,但表示的意思不同。如:
Study hard, and you will make progress.(=If you study hard,you will make progress.)努力学习,你就会取得进步。
Study hard, or you will fail in the exam.(=If you don’t study hard, you will fail in the exam.)努力学习,否则,你考试将不及格。
angry at, angry with
这两个词组都表示“发怒,生气”,但用法有所不同。angry at后面通常接表示事物的名词、代词或wh—从句。如:
The teacher was very angry at what he had done. 老师对他的所作所为感到很生气。
angry with后只接表示人的名词或代词。如:
Don’t be angry with me; I haven’t done it. 别对我发火,这可不是我干的。