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词组 answer, reply 与 respond
释义

■ answer, reply 与 respond

1) 中文“问”,除了真的提问题要求答案之外,还有“追究责任”的意思(例如“唯你是问”、“问责”)。英文 ask 则只有“提问”和“请求”的意思,没有“追究责任”的意思;但是,中文“回答”没有“承担责任”的意思,英文 answer 却有。

  • They will have to answer for their acts in a court of law.他们对自己的行为,将要在法庭上承担责任。
  • I'll answer for him.我替他负责。
  • Let him answer for himself.让他自己为自己负责吧。
  • His parents have a lot to answer for.他的父母要负很大的责任。
  • You are to answer to Brian, to take your orders from him.你要向布赖恩负责,接受他的命令。

Answer to somebody. 要对某人负责(有过错要受某人惩罚,表示状态,属第一类动词),answer somebody(没有 to)则只是“回答某人的提问”(表示行动,属第四类动词)。

  • He answered me quickly.他很快就回答了我。
  • You'll answer to me if your information is not true.你的信息如果不对,我就要唯你是问。

有趣的是,answer 的同义词 respond,派生了形容词 responsible 和名词 responsibility,都有“责任”的意思,但是动词 respond 本身却只有“回答”而没有“负责任”的意思,这个意义,给了词根根本不同的 answer(从 answer 派生的形容词 answerable to 是“向…负责”)。另外,值得参考的是:无论是拉丁系几种语言、德语、俄语,“责任”的词根全都来自“回答”。大概既然负责,就要对人家的质问作出答复,经过长时间的使用,虽然不是“回答”而是承担后果,字面上还是用“回答”来表示。

2) answer 与 reply to(注意要有 to 才能引入宾语)往往可以互用,但是 answer 比较偏重答复的内容,reply to 则比较偏重答复的行为(参考 hear 和 listen to 以及 talk 和 speak 的区别)。

  • answer (*reply) in the affirmative给与肯定的回答
  • You should reply to this letter at once.你应该立即回复这封信。
  • The mother replied for the daughter.母亲替女儿作了回答。
  • Ed replied for all the graduates.爱德代表全体毕业生致答辞(如果用 answered 就是“替全体毕业生负责”)。

因此,转义的“回应”(重行动不重内容),常用 reply to。

  • We replied to the enemy's fire.我们对敌人还了火。
  • My friend replied with a knowing wink.我的朋友报以会心的微笑。

名词 answer 和 reply 也有同样的区别。

  • She had only one answer (*reply) correct on the test.她的测验题只有一道做对。
  • The invention is a good answer (*reply) to housewives' problems.这个发明,是对家庭主妇们的难题的一个良好答案。

另外,reply 还意味着“一来一往”的第二个单独的过程,如果两个过程合而为一,就要用 answer。

  • She answered(*replied to) the phone on the first ring.电话一响她就接了。
  • A middle-aged woman answered (*replied to) the door.一个中年妇女应声开门。
  • I knocked at the door, but nobody answered (*replied).我敲了门,但是没有谁应声前来。

3) reply 虽然不着重答复的内容,但是后面如果接上 that 从句,却可以说出答复的内容。

  • He replied that he did not know it.他回答说不知道。
  • She replied that no one would go.她回答说没有谁会去。
  • Asked whether their local residential environment gives a feeling of comfort and serenity, 81% of the respondents replied that they lived in a "pleasant environment."对于当地居住环境是否给人以一种舒适宁静的感觉这个问题,百分之八十一的受访问者回答说他们居住在“愉快的环境”中。

answer 后面也可以接上 that 从句,但这种搭配多见于较古旧的英语。

  • Williams answered that he had no specific proposals yet.威廉斯回答说,他还没有具体的建议。
  • Being asked whether she had ever kissed or embraced St. Catherine or St. Margaret, she answered that she had embraced them both. (The English Review, Sept. -Dec. 1846, p.252, Jean of Arc)人家问她曾经吻过或者拥抱过圣凯瑟琳或圣玛格丽特没有,她回答说两个人她都拥抱过。
  • ... and when I asked him if he forgave me, he answered that he was not in the habit of cherishing the remembrance of vexation... (Charlotte Brontё, Jane Eyre, Chapter XXXIV)…我问他是否原谅我时,他说他没有记恨的习惯…

4) reply to 是对人家专门对自己发出的信息做出回答(即单来单往)。如果该信息是普遍向公众发出的(例如征聘公告),自己应聘,就最好不用 reply 而用 answer 或 respond。

  • She answered/responded to an advert for a job as a cook.她看到招聘厨师的广告,就报名应聘。
  • He responded immediately to an appeal for help.他听到求救,就立即前往(求救不是单独向他一个人,而是向所有人发出的)。
  • When she smiled, even strangers responded.她笑时,连陌生人都作出回应。

reply 是比较实际的一对一的“回答”、“答复”;respond 则是比较笼统的“回应”(可以表现为各种各样的方式,不一定是正面答复)。例如奥巴马当选美国总统后,伊朗总统阿赫迈迪内贾德很不寻常地发来贺电,奥巴马在记者招待会上被问及这件事:"I will be reviewing the letter from President Ahmadinejad, and we will respond appropriately," he (Obama) said, leaving open the question about whether he will reply. (The Washington Post, Nov. 8, 2008) “我将审视来自阿赫迈迪内贾德总统的信,我们将做出适当的回应,”他说,这就留下是否答复的问题悬着。

5) answer(也可以加上介词 to)还有“符合(描述)”的意思(延续状态,第一类动词)。

  • Two men answering the description of the suspects tried to enter Switzerland.两名同嫌疑犯相貌描述相符的男子,试图进入瑞士国境。
  • The Japanese never built any aircraft remotely answering to this description.日本人从未制造过任何哪怕是稍微与描述相符合的飞机。
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更新时间:2024/10/30 8:26:57