一些英语同(近)义词(组)的用法和区别

（能力）

意义与

ability

相同，

可指人或物。

复数形式指潜在的能力。

The task is

beyond his capabilities.

他不能胜任这项任务。

I don t think that boy has great capabilities.

我认

为那孩子没有多大潜力。

The country has the capability to defeat the aggressor.

这个国家有能

力击败任何侵略者。其反 义词是：

inability

，

incapability

，

incomp etence

观点二（

GMAT< /p>

）

：

1

）

capability

和

< br>ability

区别：

ability

to

do

和

capability

to

do

区别，在强调某人

/

物天生具有某种能力用

ability

好，

capability

可能强调的是能不 能做某事（跟天生没什么关系）

，如

government'c apability

或

transport system's capability

等。

①

If

we

don't

take

great

care,

SARS

could

become

established

in

the

poorest

nations

-

places like Burundi, Nigera or Malawi - which have neither the high-tech capability of Toronto nor

the totalitarian muscle of China to contain it

②

capability of sth. to be done

表一种属性

,

非一种主动的能力。

③

capability (of sth.) to do/of doing.

Sth

’

s ability

可用在无生命主体

:

Additional evidence was provided by negative findings: drugs called adrenergic antagonists,

which

block

peripheral

adrenaline receptors,

disrupted adrenaline

’

s

ability

to

regulate

memory

but

did

not

affect

memory

enhancements

produced

by

glucose

that

was

not

stimulated

by

adrenaline.

2

）习惯用法

capability to do; GMAT

认为

capability of X-ing/in X-ing

是

wordy/awkward

的。

ability

：

sb's ability to do sth

或

ability of sb/sth to do sth

capability to do

不如

ability to do

简洁，但不可就此判错。

be able to do

be capable of doing

have ability to do ability of sb. to do

have capability to do; capability of sb. to do

2

、

except

和

except for

（

1

）

except< /p>

表示“除去，不包括”

，强调所排除的“不包括在内”

系，

常同

nothing, all, none, nobody, any

等不定代 词以及

every

连用。

except

经常接名词或代

词，但也可接副词，介词短语，例如：

①

The office is open every day except Sundays.

除了星期日这家公司每天都营业。

②

You can have any of the cakes except this one.

除了这块蛋糕，你哪块都能吃。