陳國詩的英文分享平台

關鍵字彙：

annihilate/ attrition/ blemish/ blight/ devastating/ efface/ eradicate/ expunge/ exterminate/ extirpate/ havoc/ intact/ mar/ obliterate/ ravage/ rend/ shatter/ squash/ wipe out

1. 指「因摩擦而逐漸毀損」、「磨損」可用名詞attrition，假如要強調毀損的是表面，用動詞efface：

•Attrition will make the hardest stone become brittle.

•Pebbles become smooth by attrition.

•The coin had been handled for so many times that its date was effaced.

•Someone has effaced part of the address on this letter.

2. 「嚴重和大規模地破壞」可用動詞ravage或名詞havoc：

•The forest fire ravaged a stretch of land.

•The crops were ravaged by storms.

•Severe earthquakes caused terrible havoc.

3. 「破壞」原本美好或甚至完美的事物可用blemish或mar（文言）：

•Her beautiful face was blemished by the marks of an old wound.

•His character was blemished by a newspaper article suggesting he had been dishonest.

•One single evil deed may blemish a good name.

•Bad associates blemished his character.

•A black spot marred her white gown.

4. 「粉碎」希望、夢想等可用blight或shatter：

•All his hopes were blighted.

•Inflation shattered his dream of buying a house.

5. 「把…撕成碎片」可用rend（文言），「把…壓扁」可用squash：

•In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

•He sat on his hat and squashed it.

6. 「毀滅性的」可用devastating，「完全消滅」、「毀滅」可用annihilate、expunge（正式）、exterminate（正式）、obliterate或wipe out。其中，annihilate經常用在軍事方面－也就是「殲滅」－，exterminate則常用來指對動物或人的大滅絕或大屠殺：

•A devastating war has impoverished Vietnam.

•We annihilated the enemy.

•Our soldiers annihilated a force of 300 enemy troops.

•Nuclear explosives can expunge civilization overnight.

•I hope this poison will exterminate all the rats.

•The tsunami obliterated several island villages.

•The enemy resolved to wipe out the whole nation.

7. 指「徹底根除」不好的情況用eradicate或extirpate（正式）：

•The previous presidents of Indonesia have failed to eradicate corruption, although a lot of regulations have been reviewed and new laws enacted.

•Cholera was eradicated from this island.

•The government is endeavoring to extirpate some bad social practices.

•Hijacking must be extirpated.

•To extirpate the cause of her trouble, she went to see a psychologist.

8. 「未受到破壞的」、「完整的」可用intact：

•The delicate parcel arrived intact.

•In spite of our setbacks, our faith and optimism remain intact.