那些年，我們常搞混的單詞們①

英語詞彙中充滿了你難以意識到的陷阱，都有哪些單詞會成羣結伴迷惑我們呢？

If something happens invariably, it always happens. To be invariable is to never vary. The word is sometimes used to mean frequently, which has more leeway.

如果有些事總是（invariably）發生，那它就會一直髮生。To be invariable就是指一層不變。這個詞有時候也用來指頻繁地（frequently），相比會留有更多餘地。

A whole comprises its parts. The alphabet comprises 26 letters. The U.S. comprises 50 states. But people tend to say is comprised of when they mean comprise. If your instinct is to use the is … of version, then substitute composed. The whole is composed of its parts.

一個整體由它的各個部分組成（comprise）。字母表由26個字母組成（comprise）。美國由50個州組成（comprise）。但是當人們想要說comprise的時候，會傾向於說成is comprised of。如果你的直覺是用is … of的句型，那麼用composed來代替它。一個整體是由它的各個部分組成（is composed of）。

The words rein and reign are commonly confused. Reign is a period of power or authority—kings and queens reign—and a good way to remember it is to note that the g relates it to royal words like regent and regal. A rein is a strap used to control a horse. The confusion comes in when the control of a horse is used as a metaphor for limits on power or authority. Free rein comes from such a metaphor. If you have free rein you can do what you want because no one is tightening the reins.

單詞rein和reign常被搞混。reign是一個時期的權力或權威——國王和女王統治時期——有一個記住它的好辦法，把它和帶有g的關於王室的詞標註在一起，像是regent和regal。rein是用來控制馬匹的綁帶。當控制馬匹的rein被用來比喻對權力或權威的限制時，就會出現搞混。free rein就來自這樣的一個比喻。如果你有free rein你可以做任何你想做的事，因爲沒有人會勒緊這個繮繩。

There is only one s in the desert of just deserts. It is not the dessert of after-dinner treats nor the dry and sandy desert. It comes from an old noun form of the verb deserve. A desert is a thing which is deserved.

just deserts裏的desert只多了一個s。它既不是指餐後招待的甜點，也不是指漫天飛沙的乾燥沙漠。它來自於動詞deserve的舊名詞形式。desert是指一種應得的事物。

Tortuous is not the same as torturous. Something that is tortuous has many twists and turns, like a winding road or a complicated argument. It’s just a description. It makes no judgment on what the experience of following that road or argument is like. Torturous, on the other hand, is a harsh judgment—“It was torture!”

tortuous和torturous是不一樣的。tortuous是指某件東西有很多扭轉和轉彎，像是一條蜿蜒曲折的道路或一場複雜難解的爭論。它只是指一種描述，沒有對走這條路或參與爭論的經歷是怎樣做出判斷。另一方面，torturous則是嚴酷的判斷——“這真是煎熬！”

When you want to talk about the influence of one thing on another, effect is the noun and affect is the verb. Weather affects crop yields. Weather has an effect on crop yields. Basically, if you can put a the or an in front of it, use effect.

當你想談論一個事物對另一個事物的影響時，effect是名詞而affect是動詞。天氣影響（affect）糧食產量。天氣對糧食產量有影響（effect）。基本上，假如你能在前面加上a或者an，就是用effect。

People rarely use accept when they mean except, but often put except where they shouldn’t. To accept something is to receive, admit, or take on. To except is to exclude or leave out—“I’ll take all the flavors except orange.”

人們想表達“除了（except）”的意思時，極少用成accept，但是卻常把except錯用在其他地方。to accept something是指接收、承認或接受。except則是指除去或不考慮——“我能接受除了（except）橘子味的任何味道。”

Discreet means hush-hush or private. Discrete means separate, divided, or distinct. In discreet, the two Es are huddled together, telling secrets. In discrete, they are separated and distinguished from each other by the intervening t.

discreet的意思是“極祕密的”或“私下的”。discrete的意思是分散的，分開的，或不同的。在discreet的情況下，單詞中的兩個e擠成一團，在聊小祕密。在discrete的情況下，它們是由t的介入而互相分開的，有別的。

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