英文用法之a篇

讀音:

aural

-aural與oral讀音一樣

vocab:

afraid vs frightened

-afraid只是表語形容詞，frightened既是表語也是定語，即是可以說：I am frightened或I am afraid，但只能He is a frightened boy，而不能說He is a afraid boy.

-afraid也可以表示擔心、憂慮。I am afraid that my exam result is not good.

-afraid也可以解sorry: I am afraid so/ I am afraid not.

agree

-agree可以是agree with somebody，亦可以agree with an idea

all day

-有一個意思與every相似，例如every day與all day, 只是every day指每一天, 而all day是一整天

all right

-all right是令人滿意、可接受的,拼法上可以是alright

anytime

-任何時候at any time即any time，也可寫anytime.例如You can visit me any time=You can visit me at any time=You can visit me anytime. 

-Any time也可當連詞:Any time you need my help, call me.

-Any time當然也解一些時間,那就不能寫anytime,例如I can't waste any time in waiting for her.

anyway

-anyway有兩個解釋,一個是無論如何,另一個則用於改變話題、或表示想結束談話.例如: Anyway, I have to go. 

apart from vs aside from

-我們都知apart from表示除...之外,但美式英文說aside from

appeal for/to/against// appeal to

-appeal這個字的基本意思是懇求,是不及物動詞.例如appeal for money是懇求金錢,appeal to the government是懇求政府

-appeal另一個意思是上訴,通常用against,如appeal against the sentence.或appeal to the court against the sentence

-appeal第三個意思是吸引,跟to, 例如the shoes appeal to the young people,即鞋吸引年輕人.

apply for/to

-apply跟for是apply for something,用名詞,但apply也可跟動詞,如apply to have the benefits. 

-apply另一意思是塗抹,日常生活用rub on, put on, spread on等,例如: rub the ointment on the leg

appreciate it

-appreciate是及物動詞,所以說I will appreciate it if you reply to me early.不要漏了appreciate後的it

approve vs approve of

-approve加of與否的分別很遠.如果不加of,approve是批准, 若approve加of,解贊同.

twice as many money as 

-as...as有一個多幾多倍的用法,就是加一個倍數的字,再用as...as,例如: He is half as old as me. I got twice as much salary as he did. 

-留意as...as接著的可以是主語加動詞,或是受詞.例如: He is as fat as him, He is as fat as he is. 

-如比較的物件很清楚,可以省略第二個as及後面的名詞詞組或分句,如:I did not go to my favorite restaurant. I went to another. It is as good (as my favorite one). 

attendent  vs shop assistant 

-店務助理英文是shop assistant,但在某些地方的服務人員叫attendent.

-美國叫shop assistant作sales clerk

await vs wait for

-await即wait for的正式語,如I await her return.

awake vs wake

-awake除了是形容詞,也是動詞, 與wake同義,例如:I awoke from a deep sleep.

文法:

already

-already除了指動作是已完成外，也可以是情況。而情況不一定要用現在完成式,例如: I 日already know the answer.

although

-although與though有個好重要分別,就是兩者都是連詞,但though也可以作副詞,解不過:He, though, is also gay.

and

-用and連接動詞不一定是表示兩個動作,例如I will go and see what happened. go與see不是去與看兩個動作,而是go to see:去看.Come and stay with us是come to stay with us的意思.

-and可以用於句首嗎?可以的,只是較口語.

-and很少用於否定句,例如I don't like Tom and Paul.應該說I don't like Tom or Paul.(除非兩個名詞是一個idiom,例如bread and butter).另外一個例子: I am not rich or handsome. 

anywhere

-anywhere與anyone或anything一樣,基本上有兩個意思.一個是任何X, 例如: You can go anywhere.另一個是用於疑問句及否定句.例如: I don't go anywhere today.

walk about/walk around/get around/come around

-很多人知道round, around可作介詞或副詞,解作多方向移動.如He walked round the shopping mall, He wandered round. 但很多人不知道about也是同樣意思.(美式英語多用around)

-但如果解作在四周圍繞的介詞,about無這個意思.如: He put a scarf around his neck.

-另外around或about有「在附近」的意思,如There are not many new jobs around. 

-get around及round可及物或不及物,作「解決問題」,如She got around the problem cleverly.而come around/round解作出現,如She finally came around. (美式英語多用around)

-作「大約」解時, 可說about, around, 但不是round, 而是round about, 例如: She is round about 40 years old.

another

-another不要放在眾數可數名詞或不可數名詞前面,如不可以: I spent another money.或He needs another apples, 但可以在數詞或few之前: I need another 10 minutes. 

I asked her age

-ask可以跟someone及their name or age,例如: He asked me my age/He asked her her name.這其實是He asked me what my age/name is的簡寫.

-也可以跟someone及their opinion, 例如: He asked me my opinion. 這其實是He asked me what my opinion is的簡寫.

assure me that vs ensure that vs insure the car 

-assure是向某人保證,例: He assured me that he will finish the homework.

-ensure似assure, 但ensure通常跟that clause, 如: He ensures that he will finish the homework. 這個意思上,美國用insure.

-當然insure有另一意思,是為...投保,如: He insured the mobile phone before he went to travel.

as well as

-用as well as連接分句時,第二個分句要用gerund!例如: She teaches the senior form students English as well as applying for funding for the school. (這點很多人都搞錯)

autumn vs the autumn

-autumn或the autumn都可用,例如: I travel in autumn/the autumn.

avoid vs prevent 

-avoid與prevent的分別在於,不能說avoid someone doing something, 只能說prevent someone from doing something,例如: The policy prevents him from being lazy.