dance
[误] We'll invite you and your wife to a dance party.
[正] We'll invite you and your wife to a dancing party.
[正] We'll invite you and your wife to a dance.
[正] We'll invite you and your wife to a ball.(美语中常用 ball作为舞会。)
date
[误] He studied ten hours a date.
[正] He studied ten hours a day.
[析] date是指具体日期。如问 What's the date today? 应回答具体日期:" October 1 st 1998."而 day是指 1日( 24小时)。如 What day is today? 问的是星期几,应回答" It's Sunday."
[误] Today's date is January first. 1998.
[正] Today's date is January 1, 1998.
[正] Today's date is January 1 st, 1998.
[析]在日期书写中不要用序数词全写,而要用 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd……如果一定要用序数词,其顺序应为: It is the first of January.
day
[误] This is a book about every day English.
[正] This is a book about everyday English.
[正] This is an everyday English book.
[误] We go to school everyday.
[正] We go to school every day.
[析] everyday是形容词,意为"日常的",而 every day则是"每天"、"天天"之意。
dead
[误] My father has died for ten years.
[正] My father has been dead for ten years.
[析] die是瞬间动词,它可以用于完成时,如: My father has died. 但用于完成时不能与表示一段时间的状语连用。它也可以用于过去时,如: My father died three years ago
[误] We'll always remember the deads who were killed in the war.
[正] We'll always remember the dead who were killed in the war.
[析]形容词前如加定冠词表示一类人,如 the rich(富人), the sick(病人), the poor(穷人),其后的谓语动词要用复数,如: The rich are not always happy.
dead deadly
dead在某些词组里是"完全"、"的确"的意思,如 dead right, dead tired, dead sure。而 deadly则是"致命的",如: The rich man had many deadly enemies. 又如: Cancer is a deadly disease.
dead died
dead是形容词,如: Mrs Ginty was dead. 而 died是动词 die的过去式及过去分词,如: She died in 1960.但英语中如表达出对某人去世的伤感说法是 pass away,如: My father passed away, this morning.
deer
[误] In the zoo, there are many deers.
[正] In the zoo, there are many deer.
[析] deer是单、复数同形的词,如: one deer, two deer,这样的名词还有 fish, sheep等。但如果讲 There are many fishes here. 这句话应译为"这里有许多种鱼类。"而不应译为"这里有很多鱼。"
desk
[误] The boy sat in his desk.
[正] The boy sat at his desk.
[析]在课桌旁坐着应用介词 at,而 at desk则应译为"在学习", at table应译为"在吃饭"。
die
[误] In South Africa many people died from cancer.
[正] In South Africa many people died of cancer.
[误] The old man died of overwork.
[正] The old man died from overwork.
[析]死于疾病应用 die of,而死于某种外因事故则多用 from.
[误] His mother is died.
[正] His mother is dead.
[误] The old woman was dead at the age of seventy.
[正] The old woman died at the age of seventy.
[析] dead是形容词,而 die是动词。形容词表示状态,动词则表示动作。
[误] He died in a traffic accident.
[正] He was killed in a traffic accident
[析]由于事故而造成的死亡一般用 to be killed.
[误] When the doctor came, the old man had already died.
[正] When the doctor came, the old man was already dead.
[正] The old man died before the doctor came.