Question
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週五 2月 03, 2006 10:33 am由 Toby Chan
I have a diffculty in following four words.Can you tell me they are same or not?
Brief(adj),concise,laconic,terse.
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週六 2月 04, 2006 6:22 pm由 euphorian
Indeed those words are very similar and almost the same.
However there is one more
and the word is "succinct"
just happened to be my favorite.
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週五 2月 10, 2006 9:06 am由 euphorian
and the opposite of those words is "verbose"
thought you might want to know
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週五 2月 10, 2006 6:38 pm由 Wayne
brief, concise, terse, laconic, succinct
根據 英文字用法指南(Use the Right Word)：
concise表示受空間的局限…指表達意思時沒有冗字；通常適用於技術性、敘述事實等文字中，但也可以用於想像虛構的散文。例如：a concise report(一簡明的報告)；the concise sentences of Hemingway (海明威的精簡文句).
terse源自於一個拉丁動詞，意為擦去或徹底擦乾淨。根據字源，這字表示的作風以及恰當的字辭，暗示文雅與精簡。例如：a terse, vigorous style (一簡短有力的文體). 在現今的用法中，terse強調極端的簡練，力量集中，絕對的中肯。例如：a terse note of dismissal with no explanation (不加解釋的一紙措辭簡練的免職書). laconic字面意義是像一個斯巴達人，因為斯巴達語言素來以terseness著稱。一個laconic演說家用字簡省，像是吝嗇或極能自制。例如： [He was a reserved and laconic, a close-mouthed man. (他沈默說話簡潔是個不多言的人；She said with laconic brevity, “We’ve lost.”(她極其簡單地說，「我們輸了」). 一句terse與一句laconic說話都可以是十分簡短以至於無禮。不過一句terse說話是完整的，其簡短可能是環境壓力使然，而一句laconic說話可能另人迷惑，亦可能表示故意緘默。例如：a terse battlefield command (一句簡短的戰場上的口令)；”Trust me” was his laconic reply (「信任我」是他的一句簡略的回答). terse與laconic這二字的暗示嚴峻，但是succinct則表示較合理的字辭的分配。 succinct的拉丁字根意思是從下面束緊起來，含有壓縮、避免細說、割捨不相干的瑣節之意。故succinct的語句是簡短的、清楚的明確的，只以闡述主要論點或主要意義為限。例如：a succinct summary of a lengthy treatise (一長篇論文之簡潔的概要.
根據 英語同義詞辨析大詞典：
brief, short這兩個詞的意義極為廣泛，意味”不長”。brief主要指持續時間： It was a fleeting visit, all too brief；in three short minutes he had seen them all那是走馬看花的參觀，實在太短促了；在短短的三分鐘內就把所有的全看完了。/a mock episode, as brief as a dream像夢一樣短暫的虛幻插曲；該詞亦可指簡短,甚至粗率無禮：their greetings were brief. “Hi, Kid”, Donald said. “Hi , Boy”, said Will.他們的問候粗率無禮。”嗨,小傢夥”,威爾說。Short既指持續時間,又指範圍或長度：a short distance短距離/short legs短腿；用於指時間時,brief和short有時是完全同義詞：a brief struggle短暫的鬥爭；但是,short常常表示不完全、縮短和完全停止,而brief意味壓縮、簡要：He cut his speech short他把發言縮短了/He made his speech as brief as possible他儘可能壓縮自己的發言；brief用於指長度時,意味極短的,並帶有滑稽特點：a brief skirt超短裙。
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週五 2月 10, 2006 9:33 pm由 euphorian
ordinary,usual,unexceptional
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週六 2月 11, 2006 9:21 pm由 Toby Chan
I know unexceptional is same with usual,but may i know what is the difference between ordinary and usual.
Re: ordinary,usual,unexceptional
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週二 2月 14, 2006 2:11 am由 euphorian
Toby Chan 寫:I know unexceptional is same with usual,but may i know what is the difference between ordinary and usual.
Answers to questions like these are in the dictionary, in addition to that, one can always pay attention to how people use these words in real life. You may or may not find there is a difference at all.
My point is that you need to cast a wider net to catch bigger fish and don't waste too much time comparing small fish that look similar.
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週二 2月 14, 2006 9:40 pm由 Toby Chan
But sometime i will afraid i am using the wrong word.
re question
發表於 :
週二 2月 14, 2006 9:41 pm由 Toby Chan
But sometime i will afraid i am using the wrong word.
發表於 :
週五 2月 17, 2006 7:48 am由 euphorian
No simple rules can prevent anybody from making un-forseeable mistakes in word choices. The good news is that your risk of making such mistakes isn't greater than anybody else's. As long as you play it safe, you should be just fine. but what is the fun of that?