rather than，other than，would rather(...than)

rather than是连词，前后两端所连的词性是一致的，通常译为“而不是”或“与其说是……不如说是”，有时可用短语介词instead of替代。例如：He was engaged in writing a letter rather than(= instead of) reading the newspaper.他那时是在写信而不是看报纸。John ought to go rather than(= instead of) Jean.应该去的是约翰，而不是吉恩。These shoes are comfortable rather than pretty.这些鞋子谈不上漂亮，但穿起来倒很舒服。Evans is a historian rather than a writer.埃文斯与其说是个作家，不如说是个史学家。

other than有两种意思：一是用来表示否定意义，即“不同于（= different from)，非（= not)";二是用来表示排除意义，即“除了”，相当于except。例如：The truth is quite other than what you think.事实真相和你们想的完全不一样。They are patriotic and support socialism, although many of them come from other than working class families.他们是爱国的，是拥护社会主义的，尽管他们当中有许多人并非出身于工人阶级家庭。She can hardly be other than grateful.她除了感激之外还能怎么样呢。He has visited every country in Asia other than Japan.除了日本之外，他访问了所有的亚洲国家。

would rather表示选择或主观上的愿望，其中的would亦可解作had。它表示“宁愿，宁可”的意思。如果要把取舍的双方都表达出来，则应该用would (or: had) rather … than,表示“宁愿……也不……”的意思。例如：My aunt invited me to the movies, but I said I had rather go on a picnic with the girls.我的姑妈邀请我去看电影，可是我说我倒愿意跟女孩子们一起去野餐。I am sure they would (or: had) rather die than give up.我深信他们一定会宁死不屈。He would rather resign than take part in such a dishonest transaction.他宁愿辞职，也不愿参与那样不诚实的交易。

注意：would rather 后亦可接that从句，that通常省略，从句中用动词用过去时形式表示虚拟。 would rather...than的连词than后亦可接that从句。例如：I would (or: had) rather he came on Monday.我宁愿他星期一来。I would rather lose a dozen cherry trees than that you should tell one lie.我宁愿丢失一打樱桃树也不愿听你说一句谎话。 　

reach at与reach for

这两个词组都有“伸手去拿（取）”的意思，但涵义有所不同。

reach at的意思是“伸手企图去触摸或达到（try to touch or attain by reaching)"。例如：He reached at the flowers in my hand.他伸手想触摸我手中的花。She reached at the glass, but it had dropped.她想把那个玻璃杯子抓住，但还是掉下去了。

reach for没有“企图”的含义，它指一般意义上的“伸手去拿（取）某种具体的实物”。例如：The boy stood on tiptoe and reached for the map on the wall.男孩踮着脚，伸出手去拿墙上的地图。Then, reaching for a pencil, he wrote down his telephone number.然后，他伸手拿了支铅笔，写下了他的电话号码。 　

refer to与refer...to

refer to中的refer是不及物动词，与介词to一起构成及物动词词组。它主要有三种意思：1.查阅，参考书 2. 指...而言，适用于 3.提到，提及。例如：In this connection, please refer to our letter of May 6.关于这个问题，请参阅我们五月六日的来信。Here he was referring to two different world outlooks.这里他所说的是两种不同的宇宙观。The author referred to his teacher twice in his essay.作者在文章中两次提及他的老师。

refer … to 中的refer是及物动词，to为介词，它主要有两种意思：1.“把……提交给”，to后接组织，团体等名词 2.“把……归功于”，相当于owe … to。例如：The Local Court decided to refer the case to the High Court.地方法院决定把这案件提交高级法院处理。They referred their success to the correct leadership of the Party.他们把取得的成就归功于党的正确领导。 　

regret doing与regret to do

regret doing是指“做了某事而感到遗憾或后悔”的意思，即v-ing 的动作发生在regret的动作之前。有时v-ing用完成形式。例如：She regretted missing the train.她为没有赶上火车而感到懊恼。I regretted having left the work unfinished.我为没有完成这件工作而感到有些遗憾。

regret to do是指当时或现在“遗憾地做某事”。尽管regret在这儿是动词，但常译为副词的意思,相当于regretfully。例如：The comrade regretted to inform us that Xiao Lin had been severely injured.那位同志遗憾地通知我们，小林受了重伤。I regret to tell you that we cannot stay here any longer.我遗憾地告诉你，我们不能再在这儿多呆了。 　

reply，answer，respond

reply：“回答，答复”，正式用语，指以书面形式答复，也指用行动回击，在辩论中回敬。除了后面带直接引语和that引导的宾语从句外，一般只作不及物动词。常用作拟人化，常用词组：in reply to回答，答复。I answered your letter by sending a postcard last Sunday and have been waiting for time to reply to it.上周我寄了一张明信片来回复你的信，此后一直等时间复信。Do you intend to reply to this attack on your character?对这种对你品行的攻击你打算回敬吗？

answer：“回答，答复”，普通用词，常指口头回答问题，答复争论或指责，或要求给予辩护，in answer to回答，响应。Usually you use words to answer a question but not always. You might answer by shaking your head or shrugging your shoulder.通常你用言语回答问题，但并不是总这样，你可以摇头或耸肩以示回答。These figures were given in answer to the question from the opposition spokesman.列举这些数字是为了答复反对党发言人的质问。

respond：“反应，响应”，指通过口头或行动做出相关反应，并且常常是即刻地或毫不犹豫地做出反应。I should like to respond to my opponent's remarks about the government's actions.对于我的对手就政府所采取的行动所说的那番话，我愿意做出答复。Is it true that antiquated legal ideas prevent the government from respondingeffectively to the demands which modern society makes up to it?过时的法律观点真的会妨碍政府对当代社会向其提出的要求做出积极的反应吗？When Martin insulted the referee， he responded by ordering him off the field.马丁辱骂裁判时，裁判以令其退出比赛场地作为答复。 　

responsibility，duty，obligation

responsibility：“责任“，一般由于法律，职业或道德等要求而必须尽的责任，而且含有要对后果负责任的意思。常用短语有：accept/ assume/ take the responsibility 任但责任、负责任；decline all responsibility about拒绝对……负任何责任。例如：I will lend you my camera if you will assume full responsibility for it.如果你能负完全责任，我愿把照相机借给你。The manufactures disclaim all responsibility for damage caused by misuse.使用不当而造成的损坏，生产厂家不负任何责任。

duty：“义务，责任，职责”，通常强调由于道德、伦理、法律规定等而产生对自己及他人乃至社会的义务或责任，还指在工作中应尽的责任（常用复数）。例如：The delivery on confidential letters was a duty that he never relegated to anybody else.他从未把投递机密信件的责任推给任何其他人。The first thing to do is to acquaint yourself with your new duties and colleagues.第一件要做的事情就是熟悉你的新职务和同事。

obligation：“必须履行的义务、负担、责任”，强调由于现实的压力如诺言、誓言、契约、法律及社会习惯的约束而对他人应尽的义务或应当承担的责任。常用短语有：fulfill an obligation 履行义务；express sb's deep obligation to 向...表示深切谢意；a matter of obligation 义不容辞的责任。例如：I'm under obligation to Professor Hawkins for some useful criticisms upon the first edition of this book.我感激霍金斯教授对于本书初次出版的若干有益的批评。It was plain that Green was carrying out what he regarded as a fixed obligation.很明显，格林当时正在尽一种他认为是不可推卸的义务。 　

reserve，conserve，preserve

reserve：“保留，保存”，指储藏或保留座位，物品，问题，意见，权利等留待以后需要时再用或指限制目前或他人使用。例如：reserve (one's strength) oneself for the next battle 养精蓄锐以利再战；all rights reserved 版权所有，不得翻印。This is the force of will which had enabled her to reserve the fund intact.正是这种意志力使她能够不动用专款。It's well known to all of us that the runners should reserve some of their energy for the final sprint. 众所周知，运动员应为最后的冲刺保留一些体力。

conserve：“保存，保重”，指为了避免不必要的或过多的变化、损失、损耗而采取措施加以保护，而且通常表示保存得完好无损。例如：In my opinion, our constitutional can be conserved only by an intelligent electorates.依我看，宪法权威只能由有才智的选民来维护。John slipped his coffee, made from his carefully conserved supply brought with him from England.约翰慢慢地品尝他从英国带来的并保存得很好的咖啡。

preserve：“保护、防护、维护、维持、保存”，强调防御破坏的含义，指采用某些方法以保持某物的存在不受损毁，破坏，还指用各种方法防止食物腐烂。如：There is nothing like routine and regularity for preserving one's peace of mind.日常事物和规律性活动最能保持人的心境平衡。We have done our best to make repairs and preserve these cultural relics and historical sites.我们已尽了最大努力来修理和保护这些文物古迹。 　

respective，respectful，respectable

这三个形容词都是由动词respect分别加后缀派生而来的，在含义和用法上是有区别的。

respective是“各自的，个别的，分别的”的意思，只用作定语，而且几乎总是修饰复数可数名词。例如：Go to your respective places.各就各位。My husband and I are each going to visit our respective mothers.我丈夫和我都分别准备去看望我们各自的母亲。He and I contributed the respective sums of six dollars and four dollars.他和我分别捐了六美元和四美元。

respectful是表示：“尊敬（或尊重）的（showing respect)”的含义，可作定语或表语。作定语时，所修饰的名词一般是非生物名词，句中的主语只能是人。例如：When he raised the problem, she kept a respectful silence.当他提出那个问题时，她恭敬地保持着沉默。The boy were well mannered and respectful toward grown-ups.那些男孩们彬彬有礼，尊敬长辈。

respectable：“值得尊敬；受敬重的”意思，含被动的意味，可用作定语或表语，其所修饰的名词或句中的主语应该是人。它还可形容人“名声好的；正派的”，或指某种东西是“尚可的，质量还不错的”等意思。例如：He is a respectable old cadre.他是一位可敬的老干部。How dare you talk to a respectable woman like that?你怎么可以对一个受人尊敬的妇女说那样的话？What he did is not quite respectable.他做的事不很正派。His work is respectable but not outstanding.他的工作干得不错，但还不算突出。 　

responsible for与responsible to

这两个词组中responsible是形容词，一般多用在连系动词be后面作表语。两个词组均表示“对……负责”的意思，但用法有别。

responsible for后接表示事物的名词或动名词，表示“对某事负责”的意思。此外，在主语与介词宾语都是事物名词时，其主语和宾语常含有因果关系，翻译时则要灵活对待。例如：The pilot of the plane is responsible for the passenger's safety.飞机驾驶员应对旅客的安全负责。The bad weather is responsible for the small attendance.由于天气恶劣，所以出席人数不多。The gale was responsible for the ship being 36 hours late.大风使该船晚点三十六小时。

responsible to后接表示人的名词或代词，表示“对某人负责”的意思。例如：We must be responsible to the people.我们应该对人民负责。Their duty is to hold themselves responsible to the children.他们的责任是对孩子们负责。 这两个词组可合并在一起，构成responsible to sb. for (doing) sth.结构，表示“为所做的事或受托的事向某人或某团体负责”。例如：I am responsible to the parents for the child's safety.我要为这个孩子的安全对他的父母负责。 　

result from与result in

这两个词组均为动介型短语，均表示主语和介词宾语之间的一种因果关系，但其在用法上是不同的。

result from意指“是……的结果，由于……而发生”，即主语表示结果，介词from的宾语则表示原因，即主语的结果是由宾语的原因引起的。

result in意指“结果是，导致；结果造成”，其主语表示原因，介词in的宾语则表示结果，即主语的原因导致或造成了宾语的结果。试比较以下两句的转换： His death resulted from an overdose of drugs.他的死是由于服用药物过量引起的。These measures resulted in a great victory.由于采取了这些措施，结果打了一个大胜仗。 　

run out, run out of

这两个词组都有“用完”的意思，但用法不同。 run out是动副型短语动词，作不及物动词，表示“被用完了（become used up)”的被动含义，其主语通常是时间、金钱、食物等无生命名词。例如：His money soon ran out.他的钱很快就花完了。

damage，harm，hurt，injure，spoil

乍看这几个词，觉得意思都差不多。它们都有“损害，伤害，破坏”的意思。其实，它们之间还是有不同的。damage: “毁坏，损坏”，主要指造成价值，效用，完整性方面的损坏。例如：Mr. Smith, I wonder if we could arrange a talk about the damaged cargo sometime.史密斯先生，我们能不能安排个时间商谈破损货物的问题。The water they had thrown over everything to put out the fire damaged the books.为了灭火，他们把水往一切东西上泼，把书也损坏了。

harm: “损害，伤害”，词义具体，强调带来损失，病痛或痛苦。Though he knows clearly that smoking harms his health, he simply cannot give it up.虽然他很清楚吸烟对身体有害，但他就是戒不了。

hurt: “疼痛，伤害”，尤其指感情或身体遭受创伤。Nothing hurts more than a bad tooth, so he had to go to the dentist to have it pulled out.没有比牙齿坏了更疼痛的了，所以他不得不找牙医拔掉那颗坏牙。My little boy fell off a ladder and hurt himself.我的儿子从楼梯上摔了下来，把自己摔伤了。

injure: “伤害，损害”，一般常指不公正地对待或冤屈某人，即有意识地侵害别人的权利或毁坏别人的健康、成就等，也可以指外表、健康、安逸等遭受破坏。The gas polluted the surroundings and injured the health of workers and residents of the area.这种气体污染环境，损害工人和该地区居民的健康。

spoil: 有强烈的“毁坏，毁灭”之意。指不仅造成价值，精力，兴致的“损伤”，还意味着可能造成某种毁灭或彻底破坏，也有“宠坏”的意思。John joined the party and spoiled the pleasure of everyone by his impolite behavior.约翰参加了这个晚会，他的不礼貌行为破坏了大家的兴致。Quarreling completely spoiled the dinner, which broke up in discord.争吵完全破坏了了宴会的气氛，结果宴会不欢而散。I do hate to spoil your fun, but I've got something urgent to tell you.我真不愿扫了你的兴，但我有紧急的事必须告诉你。

dare not与don't dare

dare是“敢”的意思，它既可作情态动词，也可作实义动词。dare not中的dare是情态动词，后接动词原形。dare作为情态动词，其过去式为dared。 如：I dare not think of it.我不敢想这事。He dared not go near the woods in the daytime.白天，他不敢到灌木丛附近去。作为情态动词的dare除用于否定句外，还可用于疑问句和条件句，但不能用于肯定句。 如可以说 Dare you say so before your parents?和Jump now if you dare，但不可以说I dare touch it.

don't dare中的dare是实义动词，后面要接动词不定式。如：I did not dare to move.我不敢动。He had never dared to ask her to go anywhere with him.他从来不敢要求她跟他去任何地方。作为实义动词的dare与其它实义动词一样，可以用于肯定句，疑问句和条件句等。如：She dared to go there alone.她敢一个人去那里。Do you dare to come here?你敢一个人来这儿吗？

dare与普通实义动词的不同之处在于：在否定句和疑问句中，dare后的不定式往往可以省去 to。如：He didn't dare (to) say that to my face. 他不敢当面对我说这些。Do you dare (to) climb that high mountain? 你敢爬那座高山吗？

dangerous与in danger

dangerous是形容词，意为“危险的”， 指一切能或者可能引起危险的人或事物等，有对某人或某事物构成威胁的意味。例如：He is a dangerous person.他是一个危险的人物。It is dangerous to smoke.吸烟是危险的。

in danger是一个介词短语，意为“处于危险中”，在句中作表语，其后还可以跟of短语。在使用中，danger可由形容词great, real等修饰。其反义语是out of danger。如：The sick man's life had been in danger, but now he was out of danger.病人的生命曾处于危险之中，现在已脱离危险。He is in great danger of losing all his money if he continues to buy useless objects.如果他继续买这些无用的东西，他就有失去所有钱财的危险。

date与day

这两个词都表示“日，天”的意思，但它们之间是有区别的。date通常指具体的日期，一般以单数形式出现。它包括某年、某月、某日。因此，在回答 What's the date? 或What's the date today?的问句时，应该把年、月、日全部说出。What's the date today? 今天几号？It's June 4,1992. 今天是1992年6月4日。

day主要用来泛指日子，a day是“一天”的意思。days是“一些日子”的意思。在问“星期几”时，应该用它。如：What day is today? 今天星期几？It's Friday. 今天星期五。

deadly与deathly

deadly和deathly都可作形容词，表示“死一般地”，指死的表象。如：The deadly/deathly silence filled the meeting-room.会议室里一片沉默，没有一点声音。两者都可以充当形容词及副词，表示“非常，极度”，强调极端性。如：I have deadly/deathly fear of snakes.我非常害怕蛇。The man is deadly/deathly ill. 这人病得很重。

deadly另可表示：“致命的，势不两立的”，指导致死亡与毁灭的事物，表示死亡的可能性。 如deadly poison（致命的毒药），deadly illness(致命的疾病)，deadly weapon(致命的武器)。 又如：Fog is one of the sailor's deadliest enemies.雾是海员一个最大的敌人。The sad news was a deadly blow to the poor old lady.这条消息对这个可怜的老太太是致命一

deal in与deal with

deal in主要“做……买卖，经营（to buy and sell, trade in）"的意思，后接事物名词，表示经营，买卖的内容。如：This shop deals in textile good.这家商店经营纺织品。This import and export corporation deals in general merchandise, paper, building material, electrical appliances, light, etc.这家进出口公司经营日用百货，纸张，建筑材料，电器用品和灯具等。

deal with的主要意思有：1）“与……做生意（do business, esp. trade with...）, 后接集体名词或人物名词，表示做生意的对方；2）“对付，处理”；3）关于，论及（be about, be concerned with）"等。如：I've dealt with this store for 20 years.我与这家商店做了20年的生意。Children are tiring to deal with.带小孩最令人讨厌。Deal with a man as he deals with you.以其人之道还治其人之身。This article deals with an important subject.这篇文章谈论到一个重要的问题。

demand，request，require

demand为“要求，查问”，语气较重，是强硬、断然的口气。它可接名词，不定式及用虚拟语气表示的宾语从句，当以被要求的人作宾语时，要加介词of。如：She demanded that we give him an immediate answer.她要求我立即给他回复。All of us demand of him whether he had heard from her recently.我们大家都问他最近是否收到她的来信。

require为“请求，恳求”，语气较和缓，指非常礼貌地正式请求。它可接名词及不定式的复合结构，也可以后接用宾语从句，但宾语从句中要用虚拟语气。当以被要求的人作宾语时，要加介词of。如：We'll do all that is required of us.我们会把要求做的全部都做完。

与demand和request的用法不同，require另可接动名词作宾语，其主动形式表示被动意义。它也可接不定式作宾语，但仍要用被动形式来表示被动意义。如：The car requires repairing/to be repaired.这辆车需要修理。

display，exhibit，expose

这些词都指以展示的方式吸引注意，亦有“表现”之意。display：“展示，陈列”，指将物品最充分、有效地展示在人的视线或便于看清楚的位置。此外，此词还有体现、表现之意。If a child displays negative behavior by hitting someone, adults must try to persuade him to use reasoning to solve future conflicts.假如孩子有打人的不良习惯，成年人必须规劝他用讲道理的方式来解决今后发生的争执。She is so fascinated by the beautiful dress displayed in the shop window that she cannot help looking at it admirably whenever she passes there.她对橱窗里展示的那套漂亮衣服非常痴迷，每次经过，她都忍不住羡慕地看看它。

exhibit:“展出，表现出”，往往指出于某个特殊目的而公开地推出某些事物。Although the supervisor said he needn't be responsible for the result, John still exhibited signs of stress.尽管督查员说约翰不必为此事负责，他还是显现出承受压力的迹象。

expose:“显示出，展出，显露”，指让某物从藏匿、隐蔽状态中显示出来；也有使某些不妥当或被隐匿之事显露于众，即“揭露，暴露”之意。It's too bad that children are exposed to films and reports about crime and violence.让孩子耳濡目染电影与新闻报道中的暴力与犯罪行为是很糟糕的。It was my duty to leave no stone unturned to discover and expose the awful truth.我的责任就是想方设法发现这可怕的真相并公之于众。

die from与die of

这两个动词词组都表示“因……而死”。die from和die of都可表示因疾病，饥饿，寒冷，年迈，疲劳过度等造成的死亡。如：die from/of illness/hunger/cold/old age/overwork/poison。再如：It is reported that as many as 1 out of 10 heavy cigarette smokers will eventually die from/of lung cancer.据报道，有十分之一烟瘾很重的人会死于肺癌。In a severe winter, wild animals can die from/of lack of food.在严冬，野生动物可能会因食物不足而死。

die from另可表示由外因而造成的死亡，象事故，损伤，环境条件，自然灾害等。如：die from a traffic accident/a wound/carelessness/an electric shock/an earthquake。再如：The young driver died from the wounds he received in the road accident.这个年轻的司机因交通事故致伤而死。The 3-year-old child died from her fall out of the high window.这个三岁的小孩从高楼的窗户摔下来而死。

die of另可表示因内在感情而造成的死亡，像失恋，失望，羞愧，大喜大悲等。如：die of love/disappointment/shame/joy/grief/a broken heart。再如：Grandma Zhou died of grief soon after her husband's death.周奶奶在她丈夫死后不久因悲伤过度也去世了。They drowned themselves in the sea and died of love.他们跳海殉情了。

deep与deeply

deep用作副词时，易和deeply混淆。这两个副词在修饰具体动作时，一般可以换用。如：We shall probe deep (or: deeply) into the matter.我们要深入地探索这件事。deep通常用来形容静止状态，多用来修饰作状语的介词短语，带有far into之意。如：They danced deep into the night.他们跳舞跳到深夜。He stood there thinking, his hands deep in his pockets.他站在那儿思索，两手深深地插在口袋里。

deeply常常用来修饰形容词或过去分词，作程度状语。如：We were all deeply disturbed when we heard the news.我们听到那消息都感到极为不安。I'm deeply grateful for the advice you gave me.我非常感激你给我的劝告。

work on与work at

这两个短语动词都可以用作及物动词，均可表示“从事于，致力于”的意思，其后须跟名词，代词或者动名词作宾语，一般情况下可以互换,例如：They have been working on a design for a lighter plough.他们一直在设计一种比较轻的犁。They are working on a report of their investigation of synthetic rubber.他们在写一份合成橡胶的调查报告。He is working on a new novel.他正在写一本新的小说。They have worked on this subject for many years.他们研究这门学科已经有好多年了。She is working at some exercises.她在做练习题。They worked at it whenever regular field tasks are not pressing.日常的农活不紧迫时，他们就干这个。