Here we'll look at ten examples of compound confusables: words that mean one thing when written as a single word and something a bit different when written as two words.
我們將舉出十個例子,對容易混淆的復合詞進行說明:即寫作一個詞和寫作兩個詞意義不同的詞語。
1. Already and All Ready The adverb already means "previously" or "by this time": Sasha has already left.
副詞already表示“以前”或“到現(xiàn)在”:薩沙已經(jīng)離開了。
The phrase all ready means "completely prepared": We're all ready to go.
短語all ready表示“準備充分的”:我們已經(jīng)準備好要出發(fā)了。
2. Altogether and All Together The adverb altogether means "entirely" or "wholly": Gus has stopped riding the bus altogether.
副詞altogether表示“完全地“或“全部地”:格斯再也不開公共汽車了。
The phrase all together refers to people or things gathered in one place: The kids sit all together in the back of the bus.
短語all together指代人或物集中在一個地方:孩子們都坐在公共汽車的后面。
3. Anyone and Any One The indefinite pronoun anyone refers abstractly to any person, not to a particular individual: Anyone who has an opinion will probably offend someone.
不定代詞anyone抽象地指代任何人,而不是某一個人:有意見的人很可能會冒犯到別人。
The phrase any one refers to specific but unidentified things or individuals: With enough money, any one of us could be elected mayor.
短語any one指代具體但身份不明的物或人:只要有足夠的錢,我們每一個人都能夠競選成為市長。
4. Awhile and A WhileThe adverb awhile means "for a short time": Nico asked me to stay awhile and chat.
副詞awhile表示“一會兒”:尼克讓我留下來聊一會兒天。
The noun a while refers to a period of time: Once in a while people surprise you and rise above self-interest.
名詞a while表示一段時間:有時候,人們會使你感到驚訝,他們拋開了個人利益。
5. Breakdown and Break DownThe noun breakdown refers to a failure to function, a collapse, or an analysis: The topic of her project is the breakdown of the American family.
名詞breakdown指的是功能故障,瓦解或分析:她的項目主題是對美國家庭的分析。
The verb phrase break down means "to go out of order" or "to separate into parts": She needs to break down this big project into bite-size chunks.
動詞短語break down意為“發(fā)生故障”或“分裂”:她需要將這項巨大的工程分成小部分。
6. Cleanup and Clean UpThe noun cleanup refers to the act of cleaning, eliminating crime, or making a profit: Volunteers are needed for the annual cleanup of Tryon Park.
名詞cleanup指的是做清潔,消除犯罪或盈利:泰倫公園每年都需要志愿者進行清潔工作。
The verb phrase clean up means "to make clean and neat" or "to turn a sizable profit": Shyla hopes to clean up at the roulette table.
動詞短語clean up意為“使干凈整潔”或“大賺一筆”:夏伊拉希望打掃一下輪盤賭桌。
7. Everyday and Every DayThe adjective everyday means "routine" or "ordinary": Merdine writes stories about everyday life.
形容詞everyday意為“日常的”或“平常的”:梅麗登寫的是日常生活中的故事。
The phrase every day means "each day": She tries to write for two hours every day.
短語every day指的是“每一天”:她試著每天都寫作兩小時。
8. Everyone and Every OneThe indefinite pronoun everyone means "every person": Everyone is required to attend school.
不定代詞everyone表示“每個人”:每個人都被要求去上學。
The phrase every one refers to every person or thing of those named: I attended every one of the schools in our district.
短語every one指的是有名稱的事物中每一個人或物:我們那里的每所學校我都讀過。
9. Maybe and May Be The adverb maybe means "perhaps": Maybe this world is another planet's heaven.
副詞maybe意為“也許”:也許這個世界是另一個星球的天堂。
The verb phrase may be indicates possibility: Arthur thinks there may be fairies at the bottom of the garden.
動詞短語phrase指代可能性:阿瑟覺得花園里有精靈。
10. Sometime and Some Time The adverb sometime means "at an indefinite or unstated time in the future": Every winning streak has to end sometime.
副詞sometime意為“未來某個不確定或未聲明的時刻”:人不可能永遠是常勝將軍。
The phrase some time means "a period of time": My boss encouraged me to take some time off from work.
短語some time意為“一段時間”:我的老板建議我請一段時間假。