第二讲 形似英语重点词汇辨析
下面这41组形似英语重点词汇辨析
1. defy / verify / certify / rectify / justify / magnify / amplify / simplify / specify / modify / qualify / simplify / clarify / terrify/ classify / identify
defy: 向…挑战/公然反抗/蔑视/激怒
He defied his opponents to equal his record. Criminals defy the law.
They defied him to jump off the bridge. The city defied the enemy for three years.
defy/defiance/defiant/defiantly/in defiance of不顾/不服从
verify: 证实/查实
We must verify his figures.
Later findings verified the scientist’s theory.
When people verify sth. they test the truth or accuracy of it. verify/verification/verifier 证实者/证明人
certify: 证明合格/授予执照
I hereby certify that this is an original copy.
He was certified by the doctor that he was insane.
He cited many examples in order to certify his statement.
This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred metres.
certify/certifiable/certificate执照/文凭/证书/certification证明/certified
rectify: 纠正/改正
I want to rectify my error before it is too late. to rectify abuses/mistakes
The accounting error was rectified before he handed in.
Rectify/rectification纠正/改正/rectifier改正者/rectifiable可矫正的
justify: 证明…有道理/为…辩护/提供法律依据 He had a desperate desire to justify himself. His illness does not justify his long absence. You can hardly justify such conduct.
justify/justifiable/justice/justifier/justification辩护
magnify: 放大/夸大/赞美（指整体性的放大）
The microscope magnified the object one hundred times.放大
He is inclined to magnify the difficulties.
He tries to magnify the part he played in the battle. magnify/magnifier夸大者，放大镜
amplify: 扩大/加大/详细解释（指使里面的具体内容一一展出） 与magnify对比
The tunnel amplified the noise.
to amplify the sound/He amplified on the subject. amplify/ amplifier/amplification
simplify: 简化/简写
Can you simplify your language a little?
Try to simplify your explanation for the children. simplified readings/simplified process
The story has been simplified by the author. simple/simplify/simplicity/simplification
specify:明确说出/专门提到
He specified three types of mistakes which had occurred. Please specify the date of your absence.
Did you specify any particular time for us to call? specify/specific/specifically/specification具体要求
modify: 稍修改/使更温和/（语法中）修饰
These plans must be modified if they are to be used successfully. He won’t modify his demands. You had better modify your tone. Adjectives modify nouns.
modify/modification/
qualify: 使合格/取得资格/限制/描述 His training qualifies her as a teacher. They are qualified to judge.
Two years of experience qualified him for a promotion. He qualified as a doctor two years ago. The play was at best a qualified success.
If you qualify a work, you profess to understand it. Qualify/qualification/
clarify: 使清楚/澄清/
His explanation clarified the mystery. It clarified my thought a little.
It offers a simple way of clarifying basic grammatical concepts. Clarify/clarification/
terrify: 使害怕/使惊恐
The thunderstorm terrified the children. She was terrified by his appearance.
She was terrified of the fierce-looking dogs.
terrify/to be terrified of(at)对?惊恐/to terrify sb. into doing sth.胁迫某人做某事/terrified/terrifying
classify: 分类/归类
Children in school are classified into grades, according to how much they know.
He carefully began to classify the results of his examinations. classify/classification/classified
identify: 识别/辨认/说明身份
The police identified the criminal at once. I cannot identify the signature.
identify/identification/identical/identity
2. mend / amend / recommend / commend / command mend: 修补/修理/
It is never too late to mend.
to mend one’s fences弥补/ to mend one’s ways改过自新/on the mend正在痊愈
amend:改正/改进/改过自新
It is time you amended your ways.
I would advise you to amend your manners. The new government amended the laws.
recommend: 推荐/建议/
Perhaps you can recommend me another hotel. Spain recommends it as a good place for a holiday. You can recommend some books to the students. to recommend a child to sb’s care.
commend 赞扬/把?交托给?
commend sth. to sb.’s care把某物交托给某人保管
command掌控/命令/掌握/值得，博得
3. cooperation / corporation cooperation/ co-operation: 合作
The teacher thanked her students for being so co-operative.
They discussed how to promote cooperation between the two countries. With the cooperation of all the employees, the work was done on time.
corporation : 有限公司/社团/法人
The corporation has branch offices in many cities.
A corporation can sell and buy own property, manufacture goods, as if its members were a single person.
4. commemorate / memorize / in honor of / in memory of commemorate:纪念
The monument commemorates the local war heroes.
The people built a new theatre to commemorate the birth of Shakespeare.
memorize: 记住
If you memorize a poem, you can say it without looking at a book. He could memorize nothing because he has a very bad memory.
in honor of : 为了纪念
A memorial meeting was held in his honor.
The city dedicated a monument in honor of the general. to have the honor of 有幸…荣幸地… with honors 以优异成绩
on one’s word of honor以人格担保
honor/honorable可敬的/光荣的/honorary荣誉的/名誉上的
in memory of : 纪念
I have just finished a long poem in memory of Robert Gregory.
Many special ceremonies are in memory of a man named James Ford. to commit sth. to memory熟记 from memory凭记忆 honor the memory of纪念
5. agitate / clap / slap / fluctuate agitate:使激动/使不安
The fiery speech agitated the crowd.
She was much agitated by the news of her brother’s death.
The wind agitated the trees.
Agitation不安/煽动/agitator鼓动者
clap:拍手鼓掌
The audience clapped their hands at the end of the performance. We were awakened by a loud clap of thunder.
Slap:拍击
She slapped his face.
to slap against the boat/水拍打船只
a slap in the face打了一记耳光/a slap on the back祝贺/
fluctuate:波动/起伏不定
The price of the vegetables fluctuates according to the weather. All the year she has fluctuated between optimism and pessimism.
6. compensate / supplement compensate: 补偿
The government compensated the families of the men were killed in the accident.
compensate /compensation/compensate for
Did you get any compensation from the company when you were dismissed from your job?
The football player’s speed compensated for his small size.
supplement: 补充
The night courses are a supplement to his regular course work. At the end of the dictionary there is a supplement of verb tables. supplementary:
A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.
7. capacity / capability / ability / faculty/facility capacity: 容量↓
The seating capacity of the theatre is 500.
It is an oil refinery with a capacity of a million tons of petroleum a year. He has a great capacity for work.
capability: 能力↑对比
I think that my secretary has great capabilities. She has capabilities as singer.