keep 系常用詞, 指“使繼續(xù)下去”“使較長時(shí)期地置于不脫離控制、掌握、照料或變化之下”, 如:
keep the room clean.
保持室內(nèi)清潔。
retain 較正式, 強(qiáng)調(diào)“繼續(xù)保持”, 特指“保持使不失去或被奪走”, 如:
He has managed to retain most of his fortune.
他設(shè)法保存了他的大部分財(cái)產(chǎn)。
withhold 強(qiáng)調(diào)“保留”、“隱匿”, 指“阻止其離去或泄漏”, 如:
Fear made him withhold the truth.
恐懼使他不敢說實(shí)話。
reserve 指“為一目的保持, 或保存一段時(shí)間”, 如:
A great future is reserved for you.
光明的前程在等待著你。
remain stay
都指“繼續(xù)停留”或“繼續(xù)保持某種狀態(tài)、關(guān)系或行動(dòng)!
remain ?膳cstay 互換, 但它強(qiáng)調(diào)“繼續(xù)停留于一處或保持原狀態(tài)、情況性質(zhì)而不改變”, 如:
This place remains cool all summer.
這個(gè)地方整個(gè)夏天都涼爽。
stay強(qiáng)調(diào)“某人[物]繼續(xù)留在原地而不離開”, 如:
He stayed to see the end of the game.
他一直呆到比賽結(jié)束
ability, capacity, faculty, talent, skill, competence, aptitude
These nouns denote the qualities in a person that permit or facilitate achievement or accomplishment.
這些名詞都表示某人具有取得進(jìn)步或成功的素質(zhì)。
Ability is the power, mental or physical, to do something:
Ability 是指智力或體力上具有做某事的能力:
“To make a fortune some assistance from fate is essential. Ability alone is insufficient” (Ihara Saikaku)。
“要致富,光靠能力是不夠的,還得看機(jī)遇” (伊哈拉。塞科古)。
Capacity refers to an innate potential for growth, development, or accomplishment:
Capacity 指天賦的,如生長、發(fā)展或成功的潛力:
“Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired” (Plautus)。
“智慧的獲得是依靠才能而不是年齡” (普洛提斯)。
Faculty denotes an inherent power or ability:
Faculty 指內(nèi)在的力量或能力:
An unerring faculty for detecting hypocrisy is one of her most useful attributes.
能無誤地看出偽善的能力是她身上最有用的特征之一。
Talent emphasizes inborn ability, especially in the arts:
Talent 強(qiáng)調(diào)天生的才能,尤其是在藝術(shù)方面:
“There is no substitute for talent. Industry and all the virtues are of no avail” (Aldous Huxley)。
“勤奮及其他的品質(zhì)都不能彌補(bǔ)天分的不足” (阿爾多斯。赫胥黎)。
Skill stresses ability that is acquired or developed through experience:
Skill 強(qiáng)調(diào)由經(jīng)驗(yàn)而獲得或發(fā)展的能力:
“The intellect, character and skill possessed by any man are the product of certain original tendencies and the training which they have received” (Edward L. Thorndike)。
“任何人的知識(shí)、性格和能力都是由起初的興趣加上后來接受的訓(xùn)練而得到的! (愛德華L.桑戴克)。
Competence suggests the ability to do something satisfactorily but not necessarily outstandingly well:
Competence 指能做到使人滿意但并不一定特別出眾的能力:
The concerto was performed by a violinist of unquestioned competence but limited imagination.
小提琴家所演奏的協(xié)奏曲毫無疑問是出色的,但是缺乏想像力。
Aptitude implies inherent capacity for learning, understanding, or performing:
Aptitude 暗指內(nèi)在的學(xué)習(xí)、理解和表演的才能:
Even as a child he showed an unusual aptitude for mathematics.
甚至孩童時(shí)他就顯露出非同一般的數(shù)學(xué)才能
形容詞 complete 和 perfect 雖然都有“完全的”含義,但并非同義詞,在許多情況下它們只是詞義相近而已。
complete 的含義是“完整無缺的”、“圓滿的”
He is a complete stranger to me.
我一點(diǎn)也不認(rèn)識(shí)他。(可以和 perfect 換用)
Before long, the noise dropped completely
不久,那轟鳴聲就完全消失了。
perfect 不僅可表示“完整無缺”、“完全”或“純粹”,而且含有“完美無缺”、“勻稱”或“健全”的含義,總之它可以表示“盡善盡美”。由上可見, perfect 可以表示 complete 的含義,而 complete 只能表示 perfect 的一部分含義。 但是, a complete stranger 和 a perfect stranger 沒有什么差異,complete happiness 和 perfect happiness 都表示了“美滿的幸!。
But as they soon discovered, disguises can sometimes be too per fect.
正象他們不久就發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣,化裝效果有時(shí)可能太完美無缺了。
It is a perfect alibi.
這完全是在開脫罪責(zé)。
It's a perfect stranger here.
我在這里完全是個(gè)陌生人。(可以換用 complete)
注:perfect 的同義詞有 whole, entire; complete 的同義詞有 full, plenary.
complete, close, end, finish, conclude, terminate
These verbs mean to bring or to come to a natural or proper stopping point.
這些動(dòng)詞都是指達(dá)到一個(gè)自然或適當(dāng)?shù)慕K點(diǎn)。
Complete suggests the final stage in bringing an undertaking to fruition:
Complete 暗指取得成功的最后一步:
“Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime” (Reinhold Niebuhr)。
“我們這輩子連一件有意義的事也沒完成” (萊因霍爾德。尼泊赫)。
Close applies to the ending of something ongoing or continuing:
Close 指正在進(jìn)行的事件接近終點(diǎn):
The orchestra closed the concert with an encore.
交響樂團(tuán)在再來一次的歡呼聲中結(jié)束了音樂會(huì)。
If there is a further falloff in ticket sales, the play will close.
如果門票銷售進(jìn)一步下跌,這個(gè)劇目就會(huì)停演。
End emphasizes finality:
End 強(qiáng)調(diào)結(jié)果:
We ended the meal with fruit and cheese.
我們最后吃的是水果和奶酪。