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Kind of 非正式文体中，不可与rather、something like互换。把它限定在字面意义内: "Amber is a kind of fossil resin"; "I dislike that kind of publicity." 可与sort of 互换。
Lay是个及物动词，除俚语外，不可与Lie。（"Let it lay"），他们的各种形式是：
lie, lay, lain, lying
lay, laid, laid, laying
Leave. 不要错用为let.
Leave it stand the way it is. | Let it stand the way it is. |
Leave go of that rope! | Let go of that rope! |
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Less. 不要错用为for fewer。
They had less workers than in the previous campaign. | They had fewer workers than in the previous campaign.
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Less 侧重量, fewer 侧重数。 "His troubles are less than mine" 是说"His troubles are not so great as mine." 而"His troubles are fewer than mine"则指 "His troubles are not so numerous as mine."
Like. 别和连词as混淆. Like 后接名词代词; as则在词组或从句之前。
We spent the evening like in the old days. |
Chloë smells good, like a baby should. |
要改成
We spen t the evening as in the old days. |
Chloë smells good, as a baby should. |
也有人认为like可以当as使用，并觉得"约定俗成谓之宜"，语言就是这样形成的。这种说法也对也不对。某种表达方式只能流行一时，恰如时装。Like 总被文盲误用；接着为某些有学问的人所接受，他们觉得这个词使用方法自由，有吸引力，可他们用起来和文盲没什么两样。如果每个词仅仅因为流行就成权威的话，那么语言就和没有赛规的比赛一样混乱了。对学生来说，有关like最为重要的是经过仔细校订的出版物都认为中使用把like放在短语或从句前的话个大大的错误。
Line和Along these lines. Line 可指"过程、行动、思想的轨迹"，不过已经用烂了,尤其在along these lines这个短语中, 致力于创新的作者最后另寻他路：
Mr. B. also spoke along the same lines. |
She is studying along the line of French literature. |
可改成
Mr. B. also spoke to the same effect. |
She is studying French literature. |
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Literal和 Literally常被错认为包含夸张或强烈的隐喻
a literal flood of abuse | a flood of abuse |
literally dead with fatigue | almost dead with fatigue |
Loan是个名词。其同义动词为lend：
Lend me your ears.
the loan of your ears
Meaningful. 烂词一个，还是换个词吧：
His was a meaningful contribution. | His contribution counted heavily. |
We are instituting many meaningful changes in the curriculum.
| We are improving the curriculum in many ways. |
Memento. 常被误写成momento.
Most. 正式文章中不和 almost 互换：
most everybody |
most all the time |
要改成
almost everybody |
almost all the time |
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