常用错的十个英语单词.docx

外国人也会用错的10个英文单词10. Refute第十位：RefuteRefute means to disprove with evidence and yet its commonly used, even by professional writers, to mean rebut which carries a similar meaning but isnt quite so strong, as it can also mean argue against. The example here (Simon Cowell refutes scandalous claims he helped billionaire hide assets from wife he was divorcing) is from a recent Daily Mail article. For those outside the UK, the Daily Mail is a newspaper which regularly rages against falling educational standards. A special mention to Sarah Palin who invented a new word refudiate; the usage suggests she meant repudiate.“Refute”意为“通过证据来反对”，然而它常被普通人甚至职业作家当作“rebut(反驳)”一词使用。尽管两者意思相近，都会有 “反驳”之意，但“rebut”的语气不如 “refute”强。有个例子来自近期的每日邮报文章：西蒙?科威尔 “refute驳斥” “丑闻”，声称他帮百万富翁私藏财产，躲过前妻视线。对于那些没有生活在英国的人来说，每日邮报只是个不定时抱怨一下教育水平下降的报纸。值得一提的是，莎拉?佩林创建了新词汇“refudiate(否认)”, 用法等同于 “repudiate”，意为“否认”。9. Instant第九位：InstantNowadays, its almost universally assumed that instant actually means quickly or without intervention. Obviously, it doesnt. It actually refers to a precise moment in time. Google Instant is a good example of this word being abused.如今，几乎所有人都认为“instant”就是“迅速”或“连续”的意思，但显然不是这样。它事实上是指在精准的时间内。谷歌即时搜索就是一个滥用该词的典型例子。8. Enormity第八位：EnormityEnormity means extreme evil, but its often used to mean enormousness. US President, George HW Bush missed this one when he said after being elected that he Couldnt believe the enormity of the situation. A perfect example of irony (which, in the context I have just used it, is correct).“Enormity”意为“穷凶极恶”，但它却常用来指“巨大”之意。美国前总统，乔治?沃克?布什，曾经误用过该词，在就职典礼上，他发言道“没想到任务如此之大。”这是个具有讽刺意味的例子。7. Less第七位：LessLess is used when comparing quantities that cant be counted; for example, Id like less milk. If youre comparing quantities (like bagels, for example) then fewer should be used. But you dont win many competitions with a tie break if you point out that 25 words or less should actually be 25 words or fewer. The antonyms more than and greater than get similarly misused. Programmers w