极易被中国学生用错的英语词汇和搭配

极易被中国学生用错的英语词汇和搭配

对不少中国学生而言，有些英语单词或搭配看似简单，却一用便错。下面就是从他们的口语和书面表达中筛选出的若干典型例子。

1.每当学生在谈及他们背英语单词时往往说他们在remember English words。实际上，remember一词一般用于短期记忆，例如: Please remember to give me a phone call when you get there.而我们背单词的目的是希望将单词牢记于心，最好永世不忘。那么这时最准确的词应是memorize。所以从今天开始，我们大家还是memorize English words吧。

2.一谈及买房，许多学生提笔就写“buy a house”。就中国人目前的生活水平及经济收入而言，他们是买不起house的。在英美人的概念中，a house让他们联想到是一座两层(或三层)独立的并有可能带有车库甚至前、后花园的独立建筑。中国人通常把这样的house叫做小洋楼或豪宅。能买得起house的中国人通常是文艺界、体育界的明星或富豪、大亨等。而普通工薪阶层要买的房应该是apartment。对到校外租房的大学生来说，他们要租的房有可能仅仅是一个room而已，至多是租一个a one-bedroom apartment或a two-bedroom apartment。

3.当要表达“我是一个普通人”时，有些学生是这样表达的: I am a normal person.要知道，normal与abnormal互为反义词，其意分别为“正常的”和“不正常的”。所以，上面那句话让人们解读出的含义是:我最近没犯病。而要表达“我是一个普通人”时可选用ordinary或common。请看例句:(1) On this bright spring day，Lana and her daughter are about to go shopping，but not in the way that ordinary people do.(2) Lincoln recognized worth(价值) in the common people; he loved the common people; he fought for the common people; and he died for the common people.

4.当要表达A对B有“影响”时，许多学生便不假思索地选用influence一词。殊不知，英语在表达正面、中性或负面影响时常使用不同的单词或搭配。influence一词侧重于正面影响，例如:(1) Health education programs are starting to influence people's eating habits.(2) Her in fluence mademe a better person.如果是中性的影响可选用affect，例如: Scientists are investigating the ways in which the oceans affect the climate.而表达负面影响时还要考虑上下文才能决定用什么单词或搭配。下面是一个学生写的句子，其中的“influence”一词就属于用词欠准确: I want to take a part-time job，but I am afraid it will in fluence my study.该学生想表达的是打零工对他的负面影响，因此根据其语境可改为: I want to take a partti me job，but I am afraid it will distract me from my study.如果要表达A对B既有正面影响，也有负面影响时，可以这样表达:．．．have both positive and negative effects on．．．或．．．have both favorable and unfavorable impacts on．．．等。

5.英语中有些不规则的名词单复数变化也令人头疼。常见学生将“两条信息”说成two informations，将“三条建议”说成three advices。在英语中，要表达若干条information或advice时需与pieces of搭配在一起使用，即: two pieces of information或three pieces of advice。即便是一条信息或一条建议也得说: a piece of information/advice。下面表格中还列出了一些常用的但又属于不规则名词的单复数变化。

6.慎用“Welcome to．．．!”。当我们用汉语说:“欢迎到某地来”时，是不受地域限制的，比如，我们人在上海却可以对上海的朋友说:“欢迎到北京来!”。但英语的“Welcome to．．．!”却有着严格的地域限制。比如我们人在美国，但不能对美国朋友说:“Welcome to China!”。只有当我们回到了中国，并在机场迎接这些远道而来的外国朋友时才能说这句话。所以，今后在迎接母语为英语者时，首先要确认自己置身何处(国家、城市、学校或工作单位等)，然后才能决定Welcome to后面的地名。当然，英语中也有的表达方式不受地域限制。假如你人在美国，想对美国朋友说:“欢迎到中国来!”可以这样表达:“Feel free to visit us in China anytime.”如果是想表达“欢迎到我家做客!”之意时，可以说:“I hope you can visit my home sometime.”待你的美国朋友有朝一日真的到了中国，并迈进了你的家门时，这时你就可以说:“Welcome to my home!”了。

7.在英语中，for example表示“比如”或“例如”，请看例句:(1) The Pacific Ocean has many forms of life. For example，there are fish，plants，and microscopic organisms.(2) You can't depend on him; for example，he is always late for work.而such as表示“列举”，请看例句:(1) The Pacific Ocean has many forms of life such as fish，plants，and microscopic organisms.(2) Nearly half of U.S. users of the Internet go online for help with major life decisions such as finding a college for their child or looking for a new place to live.看得出来，两者各司其职，不可互换使用。阅读下面两个学生的病句，便可发现问题所在。(1) Some parents would like to give their children a reward if they get good grades，for example，money or a gift.(2) The economic development varies from region to region in China，such as there are more money-making opportunities in south-east China.第一句话应修改为: Some parents would like to give their children a reward if they get good grades，such as money or a gift.第二句话应修改为: The economic development varies from region to region in China. For example，there are more money-making opportunities in south-east China.英语在表达“比如”或“例如”时也是多样化的，仔细观察，看看它们是如何使用的:(1) Natural foods are not always salt free; celery，for example，contains more sodium(钠) than most people would imagine.(2) Amer I cans are very informal in their general behaviors. My professor，for example，often sits on the desk when he lectures.(3) take me for example. I've never relied on other people for help. (4) The members of my family enjoy a good laugh. Take，for example，my Uncle Charlie. Every time he comes to visit，he has a new joke to tell the family.(5) The weather in Michigan is very changeable. For instance，the cold，rainy weather we had yesterday was replaced by warm，sunny weather today.(6) Laura is very hard to please at dinner time. A classic example of this is last night's dinner. She refused to eat anything at all because none of the dishes offered suited her.

8.有些学生在表达“激烈的竞争”之意时，由于不熟悉其惯用搭配，有时将strong或violent等词与competition一起使用。阅读了下面的四个例句后，对其搭配便可一目了然:(1) Competition in the overall national strength(综合国力) has become increasingly fierce.(2) There is keen competition for places at the college. (3) The company faces stiff competition from its rivals.(4) Cut-throat competition led to a lot of bankruptcies.原来，fierce，keen，stiff和cut-throat这几个词才和competition搭配使用。是否还有其它的词可以与competition搭配则需我们在今后的阅读和听力中留意积累。

9.用汉语表达“一方面……;另一方面……”时，其两方面是并列的关系。比如我们可以说，某一事物有两个好处(或弊端):一方面+第一个好处(或弊端);另一方面+第二个好处(或弊端)。而加上“但是”一词后，即“一方面……;但是另一方面……”时，其意则变成了转折关系。比如我们可以说，某一事物利弊兼而有之:一方面+利;但是另一方面+弊。而用英语表达并列关系或转折关系时就不是简单地增减“but”一词那么简单了。表达并列关系时应使用“for one thing．．．，and for another thing．．．．”结构。请看例句:(1) For one thing I don't like the color，and for another thing the price is too high.(2) Why didn't we visit?Well，for one thing，it was too far away. And for another thing，she never invited us.如果要表达转折关系时则应使用“one(the) one hand．．．，/; but one the other hand．．．．”结构。请看例句:(1) On the one hand，they'd love to have kids; but on the other hand，they don't want to give up their freedom.(2) On one hand，this is a wonderful opportunity to make a lot of money; on the other hand，there are risks involved.根据以上的知识，我们就可以判断出，下面学生写的一个句子的错误在哪里了: On the one hand，the price is high，but on the other hand，the quality is poor.这句话要么改结构，即: For one thing，the price is high. And for another thing，the quality is poor.要么改意思，即: On the one hand，the price is high; but on the other hand，the quality is quite good.下面是学生写的两句话，它们从结构和意思两个角度看都是成功的。(1) For one thing，we can download countless information from the Internet，and for another thing，we can voice our opinions to the public via this modern technology.(2) On(the) one hand，our country is becoming richer and richer; but on the other hand，our environment is getting worse and worse.

10.受母语干扰，有些学生经常在表达“与某人有联系”时，说成contact with sb.需要了解的是，contact一词充当动词时是及物动词，后面须直接加宾语。请看例句: I've contacted the association secretary and she's sending me more details.而只有当该词用作名词时其后才会出现with。常见搭配有: make/have contact(s) with sb.例如:(1) The pilot finally managed to make contact with the control tower.(2) I have been/kept in contact with him for years.但英语中同样表达“与某人有联系”的词还有communicate，而该词是个不及物动词，因此在表达“与某人有联系”时必须与with联用。例句: The two friends hadn't communicated with each other for years.顺便提一下，accompany也是个及物动词，在表达“陪伴某人”时也不需加with，而是直接说accompany sb.请看例句: Her husband accompanied her on the trip.

11.当我们发出邀请时，时常会使用一句套话，即“如果你方便的话，……”如果将此句话直译成英语时就变成了“If you are convenient，．．．．”这又是母语干扰所致。实际上，英语对应的表达方式是:“If it is convenient for you，．．．．”请看例句:(1) If it is convenient for you，I'll come tomorrow.(2) Is it convenient for you if I come to Room 102 tomorrow afternoon?

12.怎样用英语表达“学知识”呢?注意，learn和knowledge是不能在一起搭配使用的。请看英语是如何解释learn的词义的: learn= gain knowledge。原来，learn一词本身就表示“学知识”，如果再加上knowledge，就画蛇添足了。那么哪些词可以和knowledge搭配在一起使用呢?请看例句:(1) In today's world it becomes increasingly essential for people to acquire some knowledge and understanding of science.(2) I think it is really important for students to see that the knowledge that they gain in the classroom can be directly applied to concerns that members of our community have.(3) His own knowledge of French was obtained years ago in a private school.(4) I'm still using the knowledge that I got from school.四个例句告诉我们，当要表达“学知识”时可以说: acquire/gain/obtain/get knowledge。

小结:要把英语单词和搭配用得精准，可在下面的三方面下些功夫:第一、扩大语篇水平上的阅读量。好的阅读材料都是经过专家精选出来的文章，其中精彩的遣词造句都可成为学习的典范。其次、进行多种形式的写作训练，例如改写、仿写、缩写、扩写及命题作文等。第三、多参加一些中英语言、文化、思维方式等方面对比的选修课或系列讲座，培养语感。只有留心观察、多多实践、勤于总结，才能有从量变到质变的飞跃。