■ imagine

1) 最基本的含义是“想象”、“设想”（第二类动词）。

• It's difficult to imagine anything worse.很难想象有什么情况会比这个更糟糕的了。
• Two weeks in Hawaii, imagine!到夏威夷去玩两个星期，你说美不美？
• I can't imagine not having a car.没有车子，我简直不堪设想。
• Just imagine, leaving the poor child alone!把那可怜的孩子单独撂下来，真忍心！
• You can imagine how I felt.我当时的心情，你也可想而知。
• You can't imagine how ill I was.我当时病得多厉害，你简直难以想象。
• You're imagining things.你是在胡思乱想。

2) 后面的直接宾语在后面可以加上 to inf. （动词是延续性的），作为“猜想”的内容。

• I imagine her to be a lot of fun.我猜想她这个人一定很有风趣。
• I don't imagine him to be a very good cook.我估计他做菜不见得十分棒。

有时候 to inf. 可以改为现在分词。

• I can just imagine her saying that.我猜想她会那样说的。

3) 如果直接宾语是 -ing 动名词，意思是“设想自己如何如何的情景”。

• I can imagine skiing down those mountains.我可以想象自己从那些山上滑雪下来的情景。
• I can't imagine living with him.我无法设想同他一起生活。

4) 后面接上 that 名词从句（that 可省略），可以表示“假想”、“幻觉”。

• He imagined he was Napoleon.他幻觉以为自己是拿破仑。
• She keeps imagining that she's being followed.她一直神经过敏，以为有人在盯她的梢。
• Don't for one moment imagine you'll get away with this.你千万别以为你这样做能够得逞。

5) 但是后面接上 that 从句，也可以不是“幻觉”而是有根据的“推测”、“想象”。

• I imagine she's very tired.我猜想她一定很疲倦。