➡ See also the entry for prone to sth另見prone to sth條likely ♦︎ possible ♦︎ potential ♦︎ prospective ♦︎ probableThese words all describe things that are expected to exist, happen or be true.這些詞均表示事情是可能的、預期會發生的。SYNONYM SCALE 詞義標尺下圖顯示這些詞所表達可能性的大小
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PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆to be likely / possible / probable that...◆a likely / possible / potential / prospective / probable site◆a likely / possible / potential / probable cause / effect / consequence / outcome◆a likely / possible / probable explanation◆the likely / possible / potential / probable cost◆a likely / possible / potential / prospective candidate◆a potential / prospective husband / wife / parent◆quite likely / possible / probable◆hardly likely / possible◆very / extremely / highly likely / probable■likelyexpected to exist, happen or be true可能存在(或發生)的;可能是真實的◆What is the most likely cause of the infection?這種傳染病最有可能的病因是什麽?◆Tickets are likely to be expensive.入場券往往很貴。◆It's more than likely that the thieves don't know how much it is worth.盜賊很可能不知道此物的價值。◆They might refuse to let us do it, but it's hardly likely.他們也許會不讓我們這麽幹,但這種可能性很小。OPPunlikely ⇨ unlikely1 see also likelihood ⇨ possibility, most likely ⇨ probably■possiblethat might exist, happen or be true, but is not certain to可能存在(或發生)的;可能是真實的◆They spoke of her as a possible future president.他們說她將來可能會當選總統。◆With the possible exception of the Beatles, no other band has become so successful so quickly.可能除了披頭士樂隊外,還沒有哪個樂隊能如此迅速走紅。◆It's just possible that I gave them the wrong directions.我很可能給他們指錯了方向。◆'You might be wrong, of course!' 'It's possible, but I doubt it.'“當然,也許是你弄錯了!”“有可能吧,但我覺得不一定。”OPPimpossible ⇨ impossible see also possibility ⇨ possibility■potential pəˈtenʃl [only before noun] expected to develop into sth or to be developed in the future潛在的;可能的◆First we need to identify actual and potential problems.首先,我們需要弄清實際問題和潛在問題。◆What are the potential benefits of these proposals?這些提案有什麽潛在的益處?ⓘ Potential is used in several main ways: to talk about people who might buy a product or use a service * potential的幾種主要用法如下:修飾人,表示有可能購買商品或需要服務◆a potential audience / buyer / client / consumer / customer潛在的聽衆/買主/客戶/消費者/顧客to talk about things that might go wrong修飾事物,表示有可能出差錯◆a potential complication / danger / disaster / drawback / embarrassment / hazard / pitfall / risk / threat潛在的並發症/危險/災難/弊端/窘況/危害/隐患/風險/威脅and to talk about things that people might gain from.修飾物,表示有可能從中獲益◆a potential advantage / benefit / improvement / saving潛在的優勢/利益/改善/節約OPPactual ⇨ real see also potential ⇨ potentialnoun▸potentially
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◆a potentially dangerous situation有潛在危險的局勢■prospective prəˈspektɪv [only before noun] (ratherformal) expected to do or become sth有望的;可能的;預期的◆I had a phone call from a prospective client today.我今天接到一個有望成爲我們客戶的人打來的電話。ⓘ Prospective is mainly used to talk about people. * prospective主要用於修飾人◆a prospective buyer / client / customer / applicant / candidate / employee / employer / husband / wife / parent可能的買主/客戶/顧客/申請人/候選人/僱員/僱主;準丈夫;準妻子;準父母 see also prospect ⇨ possibility, prospects ⇨ potentialNOTE辨析 Potential or prospective?Both these words can be used to talk about people who are expected to become buyers, employees, etc. However, prospective is used more to talk about a person who has already shown some interest in a product or service; potential is used more to talk about people in general who could be targeted by a company's advertising, for example.這兩個詞都可修飾人,表示有可能成爲買主、僱員等。但是,prospective更多指這些人已經對産品或服務表現出興趣;potential修飾消費者等時更多泛指可以被某公司設定爲宣傳對象等的人。■probable (ratherformal, especiallywritten) likely可能存在(或發生)的;可能是真實的◆The probable cause of the fire was an electrical fault.這次火災的原因可能是電路故障。◆It is quite probable that they will call an election next spring.他們很可能明年春天組織一次選舉。OPPimprobable ⇨ unlikely1 see also probability ⇨ possibility, probably ⇨ probablyNOTE辨析 Likely or probable?Likely can be used in a wider range of structures and registers than probable. * likely比probable可用於更廣泛的結構和語域◆It is likely / probable that...有可能/很可能⋯◆sb / sth is likely to do sth某人/某事有可能做某事◆sb/sth is probable to do sthProbable is ten times more frequent in written English than in spoken English; likely is very frequent in both written and spoken English. * probable在書面語中的使用率比在口語中多十倍,likely在書面語和口語中都很常見。
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