cost,spend,take用法区别详解
cost,spend,take用法区别详解
这三个均可表示“花费”,但在用法和搭配等有很大区别。现分述如下:
一、从所涉及的主语来看
cost 的主语通常是事或物,不能是人;spend 的主语只能是人,不能是事或物;take 的主语可以是事或物也可以是人。如:
The computer cost $2 000. 这部电脑花了 2 000 美元。
It costs $1 000 a year to run a car. 使用一辆车每年要花1 000美元。
I have spent all day looking for you. 我花了 1 整天找你。
It took me an hour to write the letter. 我写这封信花了 1 个小时。
The letter took me an hour .
I took an hour to write the letter.
注:若 cost 不是表示“花费”,而是表示客观上地或被动地“耗费”,则也可用人作主语。如:
Smokers cost the government a lot of money every year. 抽烟的人每年要耗费政府不少钱。
2. 从所涉及的宾语来看
cost 的宾语通常是钱,take 的宾语通常是时间,而 spend 的宾语则可以是时间或钱。如:
How much did it cost to build the bridge? 建这座桥花了多少钱?
It took her two hours to walk to the station. 走路去车站花了她两小时。
He spends much time on books. 他花了很多时间读书。
注:cost 有时也用于时间,但通常只用于笼统时间。如:
Making experiments like this costs much time and labour. 做这样的实验要花很多时间和劳力。
按传统语法,take 的宾语通常是时间,但在现代英语中,用钱作其宾语的现象已很普遍。如:
It takes a lot of money to buy a house. 买一座房子要花一大笔钱。
3. 从所采用的句型结构来看
三者的通常句型为:
sth costs money 某物花某人多少钱
it costs money to do sth 做某事花某人多少钱
sb spends time on sth 某人在某一方面花多少钱
sb spends time in [on] doing sth 某人在做某事方面花多少钱
it takes sb time to do sth = it takes time for sb to do sth 做某事花某人多少时间或钱
sth takes sb time to do 某事花某人多少时间或钱去做
sb takes time to do 某人花多少时间或钱去做某事
用于以上意义时,cost 不能用于被动语态,take 通常不用于被动语态,而 spend 则可以用于被动语态。如:
误:Thirty dollars was cost by the coat.
误:Two hours was taken to do the work.
正:Two hours was spent on the work. 做这工作花了两个小时。
4. 从各自的比喻用法来看
cost 指付出代价。如:
Careless driving will cost you your life. 粗心开车会要你的命。
Just ring him up. It’ll cost you nothing. 给他打个电话,这不费什么事。
spend 表示“消耗”、“用完”。如:
I’ll spend no more breath on him. 我不会再和他费唇舌。
He spent great efforts to help me. 他费了很大的劲儿来帮我。
take 表示需要人力。如:
It takes patience. 做这工作需要耐心。
It takes two to make a quarrel. 一个巴掌拍不响。
It took three men to lift the box. 抬这个箱子要 3 个人。