■ (keep... in) check

to keep/to hold something/somebody in check 是个惯用词组，意思是“控制住（使之不能扩大损害）”。

• He held his anger in check.他忍住怒火。
• We're keeping the enemy in check.我们在牵制敌人。
• We've kept the disease in check for a year.我们已经把这个疾病控制了一年了。

同样，to put a check on/to something 也有类似的意思。但是值得注意的是：to keep/hold something/somebody in check 的结构中，keep/hold 同 in check 是分开的，当中插进的宾语，可长可短，结构可简单可复杂，容易使人眼花缭乱，使得 keep/hold 与 in check 的联系模糊，甚至断了线。

• The country must keep resource and energy use enough in check so that it doesn't simply crash and burn. (Harper's Magazine, Dec. 2005, p.51)这个国家必须对资源和能源的使用加以充分的抑制，以免彻底崩盘。
• We should keep prices in rise in check.我们必须控制住高涨中的物价。

这里又是 in rise，又是 in check，容易使人迷路，看不出 keep 和 in check 之间遥相呼应实为一体的关系。

• To keep those left behind in check, neighbourhood committees have been spurred into action.为了管住那些留在后面的人，居委会动员了起来。

这里又是 left behind，又是 in check，容易把人弄糊涂（但是 those 如果没有 left behind 就是没意义的）。

• remember
• remember
• remember, recall 与 recollect
• remind
• rent
• rent 与 lease
• replace
• reply
• report
• reportedly
• representative
• require
• resolution
• respect
• respectable
• respectable 与 respectful
• respectful
• respectfully
• respectfully 与 respectively
• respectively
• respond
• responsibility
• responsibility
• responsibility, liability 与 accountability
• restore