ebs 美樂顧問 - 打造全球移動力！

只看單字的中文翻譯就可以選出正確的英文用字？其實很多組英文單字的中文雖然一樣，但是卻含有不同的細節意義或是不同的用法。所以常提醒學員，不能只用中英字典，有時間一定要查閱英英字典並多看例句，才能體會哪一個單字是最合適的用法。以下的例句分析，希望能讓大家更清楚英文選字的重要性。

關係：relation 和 relationship

***Relation: official connections between countries, companies, organizations etc.

例句：Relations between the two countries have improved recently. 

***Relationship: the way in which two people or two groups feel about each other and behave towards each other

例句：She has a close relationship with her daughter

Relation是兩個群體或國家之間的關係，例如 [勞資關係] 是industrial relations；relationship 比較講人與人之間或是情感上的關係，例如in a relationship 就是指正和某人交往中。

合作: collaborate 和 cooperate

***Collaborate: to work together with a person or group in order to achieve something, especially in science or art

例句：My friends collaborated with me in writing this book. 

***Cooperate: to work with someone else to achieve something that you both want

例句: The two universities are to cooperate in the development of a new industrial process.

Collaborate 的合作比較像是朋友或者和有相同興趣的人合作，而 cooperate 的合作則是以利益為主。EBS 有位老師說明這兩個字的不同:[ Friends collaborate. They are happy to work with each other. Cooperate is to work together. Even enemies can cooperate with each other].

許可: allow 和 permit

***Allow: to let someone do or have something, or let something happen

例句：Passengers are allowed one item of hand luggage each. 

***Permit:  to allow something to happen, especially by an official decision, rule, or law:

例句：Smoking is only permitted in the public lounge.

Allow 是非正式的許可或允許，permit 是依據正式規則或法律給予的許可。

問題: problem 和 question

***Problem: a situation that causes difficulties

例句: She was older than me, but that wasn't a problem. 

***Question: a sentence or phrase that is used to ask for information or to test someone's knowledge

例句: Does anyone have any questions?

Problem 是需要有明確解決方式的問題；question 是單純對事物有疑問而提出的問題。所以解決問題是solve the problem，回答問題是answer the question 。

地上:　floor 和ground

*** floor:  the flat surface that you stand on inside a building

例句：It's on the floor under the kitchen table.

*** ground: an area of land without buildings, fences, woods etc.

例句：The landscape is a mixture of open ground and woodland.

Floor 是指室內的地上或地板，ground 是指室外的地上或地面。那大家知道 ground floor 是什麼意思嗎?  在英式英文，ground floor 是指the floor of a building that is at ground level，就是一樓的意思! 二樓則是first floor ! 不過美式英文的first floor 是一樓，second floor 才是二樓喔！

休息: break 和 rest

***Break : a period of time when you stop working in order to rest, eat etc.

例句：I'll go shopping during my lunch break. 

*** Rest: a period of time when you are not doing anything tiring and you can relax or sleep:

例句：You look exhausted! Why don't you take a rest?

break 是活動中斷或暫停的休息，例如上班午休；而rest 是藉由完全不做事或睡覺的方式來休息。

學習: learn 和study

***Learn: to gain knowledge of a subject or skill, by experience, by studying it, or by being taught

例句：I learned a lot from my father.

*** study: to spend time reading, going to classes etc. in order to learn about a subject:

例句：I've been studying English for 6 years.

learn 是透過教導或自我練習而得到某種知識或技術，而study是為了某目的而深入學習或攻讀，並不強調是否學到了沒有。多年前有一位韓國學者就強調，對於語言　"Not Study，But Learn"，意思則為別「研讀」語言，而是要「熟練」語言。

參考字典：Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

（圖片來源：網路）