break

break off, break out of, break up, break with

这组短语容易混淆,应注意区分:break off作“暂停,中断”解,指人突然终止某种正在进行的活动或已形成的关系,如谈话、婚约等; break out of意为“脱离,逃脱”,指人或物从很危险的、被禁锢的状态中逃脱出来或从俗套中脱颖而出; break up表示“分开,解除”,指使某种相对完整的东西自身解体,还可专指“放假,放学”等; break with作“终止,断绝”讲,常专指人结束自己与他人的友谊、关系,还可指放弃、革除旧习惯等。

break, demolish, destroy, ruin

这组词都含有“破坏”“毁坏”“消灭”的意思。它们的区别在于:

1.destroy和ruin这两个词所表示的“毁坏”都含有“彻底”的意味,有时可互换。destroy强调“彻底性”; ruin强调不可修复。例如:

The rain has ruined〔destroyed〕 the crops.这雨把庄稼全毁了。

2.break, destroy和demolish的主语可以是人,也可以是事物; 而ruin的主语多为天灾人祸等无形的力量。例如:

The windshield broke but did not shatter.挡风玻璃裂了,但没有碎。

All the intruders were destroyed.所有的入侵者都被歼灭了。

That street was demolished a few years ago.那条街于几年前拆除了。

She has a very real grievance against the hospital since the operation which ruined her health.自从她做过手术后,健康状况变坏,所以她确实对医院有怨言。

3.break的宾语可以是有形物,也可以是非物质性的事物; destroy和demolish用于具体事物可指“高楼大厦”等; 用于抽象事物时destroy指“名誉”“声望”等, demolish则指某人的论点、论据等。ruin的宾语则多是美好珍贵的事物。例如:

His mother's heart will break if he leaves her.如果他离开母亲,她的心会碎的。

All his hopes were now destroyed.他的一切希望现在都破灭了。

We have demolished all her arguments and she has nothing more to say.我们推翻了她所有的论点,她无言以对。

The manuscript was ruined by long exposure in the cold damp cellar.手稿在地下室因长期受阴冷潮湿的破坏而无法辨认了。

4.break可用作及物动词,也可用作不及物动词; destroy和demolish只用作及物动词; 而ruin多用作及物动词,偶尔可用作不及物动词。例如:

She broke a vase uncarefully.她不小心打破了一只花瓶。

The cup broke when it fell on the floor.茶杯掉到地上摔破了。

The mad dog ought to be destroyed.这只疯狗应该杀死。

They are going to demolish that old factory.他们准备拆毁那家旧工厂。

I was ruined by that law case; I'm a ruined man!我被那场官司搞垮了,现在已经倾家荡产!

break, burst

这两个词都可表示“破裂”。二者区别在于:break一般指外力猛然损坏坚硬的东西; 而burst一般指内部的力量冲破某封闭状态而损坏某物。例如:

They broke a bomb shell.

他们砸碎了一枚弹壳。

The bomb burst.

炸弹爆炸了。