miscellaneous

2014年4月24日星期四

Consulate 與 embassy 的分別

see: http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/embassy.htm

兩者在中文也譯大使館。但英文裡兩者有分別。

2014年4月22日星期二

proof是可數嗎?

proofnoun [C or U] (SHOWING TRUTH)    /pruːf/
a fact or piece of information that shows that something exists or is true:[+ that] Do they have any proof that it was Hampson who stole the goods?I have a suspicion that he's having an affair, though I don't have any concrete (=definite) proof.If anyone needs proof of Andrew Davies' genius as a writer, this novel is it."How old are you?" "21." "Have you got any proof on you?"Keep your receipt as proof of purchase.
雖然字典寫proof可以是可數名詞，但所舉例子全是不可數的。因此一般proof也是不可數的。

study vs studies

study和studies

【明報專訊】讀者Susie來電郵問，study和studies有何分別？ 指「學習」或「研究」時，study可表示： (1)She likes study better than sport.（抽象） 她喜歡讀書甚於運動。 (2)The study of foreign languages requires above all constant practice.（不涉具體成果） 學習外語，首要經常練習。 （A Dictionary of Common Used English Words） (3)I like Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet.（詳細研究） 我喜歡柯南道爾的著作《血字的研究》。 (4)His face was a study.（研究對象） 他的臉值得仔細端詳。 Studies則可表示： (5)I'd like to pursue my studies in London.（學業） 我很想在倫敦求學。 (6)I'll take American Studies next year.（學科） 我明年將修讀美國研究。 (7)The book is titled Studies in English Grammar.（論著） 該書名叫《英文文法研究》。 （《新世紀英漢辭典》） (8)茲舉出幾種「研究成果」的說法： the study of Chinese / a study in Chinese / studies in Chinese / Chinese studies source: http://dictionary.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/show.cgi?id=3501&c=4

Scholarship 單數定眾數?

[U] serious, detailed study:a work of great scholarship解學術, 是不可數的
C1 [C] an amount of money given by a school, college, university, or otherorganization to pay for the studies of a person with great ability but little money:He got/won a scholarship to Eton.Paula went to the Royal College of Music on a scholarship.解獎學金, 可數.