Remember that damages is not the plural of damage, but actually has a different meaning.

　　记住：damages不是damage的复数形式，damages有其他的含义。

　　Damage means “loss or injury to a person or property”. It is an uncountable singular noun and has no plural form.

　　damage的意思是“对某人或某物的伤害或损失”，是不可数单数名词，没有复数形式。

　　E.g.: The cost of the damage to the US caused by Hurricane Ike was estimated at USD 18 billion.

　　例句：艾克飓风给美国造成了约180亿美元的损失。

　　Other words you could use instead of damage: loss, injury

　　damage的同义词有：loss，injury。

　　Damages means “money claimed by, or ordered to be paid to, a person as compensation for loss or injury”. It is an uncountable plural noun and has no singular form.

　　damages的意思是“对某人受到的损失或伤害进行的赔偿”，是不可数复数名词，没有单数形式。

　　E.g.: The Claimant wishes to sue Acme for damages as a result of a loss sustained by the Claimant after Acme’s failure to perform its obligations.

　　例句：在Acme未履行义务之后，索偿人希望起诉Acme，要求其赔偿由此造成的损失。

　　Other words you could use instead of damages: compensation, satisfaction

　　damages的同义词有：compensation，satisfaction。

　　BUT –and here’s an exception. English-speaking lawyers do sometimes use “damage” in the plural to refer to multiple losses or injuries. This is an exceptional use of the word, unique to legal jargon, and breaks the rule that “damage” is an uncountable singular noun. In everyday English “damages”can only mean compensation or satisfaction.

　　但是，这里有一个例外。英语国家的律师有时会使用damage的复数形式来表示多项损失或伤害，这是damage一词作为不可数单数名词的唯一例外，仅限用于法律英语中。在日常英语中，damages只能用来表示赔偿。

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）