| 词组 | avenge, revenge |
| 释义 | avenge, revenge Watt 1967 puts the distinction between these two words this way: "Avenge... suggests an act of just retribution, often for wrongs done to others. Revenge ... suggests malice or resentment rather than justice and usually applies to an injury, real or fancied, against oneself." Copperud 1970 cites four commentators in agreement, and Shaw 1975, Bryson 1984, Chambers 1985, Lurie 1927, MacCracken & Sandison 1917, and Utter 1916 are likewise in agreement. It is a nice distinction, which we commend to your attention. Our evidence shows, however, that the distinction is only sometimes observed. Here are a few examples of avenge that observe the distinction: • During his second term he was impeached and removed from office. His wife ... in 1924 entered the gubernatorial campaign to avenge her husband —American Guide Series: Texas, 1940 • ... it was a son who would some day avenge his father —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859 But here we find revenge used in the same way: • ... has left little doubt that she is out to revenge her father's death —Geoffrey Godsell, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Sept. 1979 • ... bands of Maryland men set out to revenge the deaths of their comrades —Howard Fast, The Unvanquished, 1942 The special use of revenge is to indicate a getting even on one's own account: • Since then, the Administration has been revenging itself on the Post —Russell Watson, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 1973 • ... revenging himself in a most devilish manner upon his greatest enemies —Roald Dahl, Someone Like You, 1953 • ... the hope of revenging himself on me was a strong inducement —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813 • The doctor, who was a person of nice honour, resolving to revenge the flagrant insult, immediately flew to the chimney-piece, and taking down a rusty blunderbuss, drew the trigger upon the défiler of his bed —Oliver Goldsmith, The Citizen of the World, 1762 But avenge is also used in the same fashion: • ... its outraged victim finally avenged himself — John Hohenberg, Saturday Rev., 13 Nov. 1971 • He had an insult to avenge, a dishonor to be washed off his imaginary escutcheon —James T. Farrell, What Time Collects, 1964 • ... thought he always avenged an injury, he never bore malice for one —Charles Kingsley, Hereward the Wake, 1866 • ... boastful of what he would do to avenge himself on the rascal-people —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859 Although the distinction described above is a useful one which we would advise you to follow, it is actually ignored almost as often as it is observed. |
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