| 词组 | inquiry, enquiry |
| 释义 | inquiry, enquiry 1. The evidence for inquiry and enquiry points to a pattern of usage much like that of inquire and enquire, but with one difference: enquiry appears in current American usage more often than does the spelling enquire. Still, both inquiry and enquiry are used in American and British English, with the i spelling occurring more often. There has been some discussion that British English, unlike American English, may be showing a preference for the e spelling when the word denotes an investigation. According to our evidence, there may be a movement in this direction, but the pattern does not seem settled yet; moreover, the evidence we do have points to any shift occurring only in the English of England—other British English usage continues to make the two spellings interchangeable: • ... the rest of the play being occupied by a primitive but effective police inquiry —T. S. Eliot, "Seneca in Elizabethan Translation," in Selected Essays, 1932 • ... the full account of the B.M.A.'s field survey and postal inquiry among general practitioners —New Statesman & Nation, 3 Oct. 1953 • ... she said nothing to him beyond the traditional words of welcome and the traditional enquiry after his family —Padraic Fallon, in 44 Irish Short Stories, ed. Devin A. Garrity, 1955 • ... Mrs. Musto in spite of her enquiry, was preoccupied—Patrick White, The Solid Mandala, 1966 • ... he was accustomed to travel throughout England, making enquiry into the decisions of local officials and chastening the negligent —D. J. V. Fisher, The Anglo-Saxon Age , 1973 • ... heading an enquiry into the effects of reports on pornography—Punch, 11 Sept. 1974 • Due to considerable customer interest, enquiries from builders ... are invited —Australian advt., in Multihulls, September-October 1981 2. When inquiry and enquiry are used with a preposition, into is found most often: • ... distinguish between legitimate legislative inquiry into the acts of a man ... and illegitimate inquiry into opinions —Norman Thomas, in New Republic, 28 Feb. 1955 • This book is an enquiry into the causes of the English blindness to Racine —John Loftis, Modern Language Notes, November 1958 Less frequently, the two words are used with about, as to, in, of, on, or with in various relations and senses: • The next day I made such exhaustive enquiries about women with golden hair, that some people thought me mad —John Berry, Antioch Rev., December 1956 • ... his head was tilted at the precise angle of inquiry as to where he should put Muhlenberg's drink — Theodore Sturgeon, E Pluribus Unicorn, 1953 ..'. Research Council fosters scientific inquiry in the social fields —Current Biography 1950 • ... made inquiries of other libraries when a particular book was needed —Current Biography, June 1967 • During the Parliamentary enquiry on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Bill —O. S. Nock, The Railways of Britain, 1947 • ... his casual inquiry with other publishers who thought they had not had the same experience — Curtis G. Benjamin, letter to the editor, Times Literary Supp., 19 June 1969 |
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英语用法大全包含2888条英语用法指南，基本涵盖了全部常用英文词汇及语法点的翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。