在你不知道的情况下，搭配是一些单词组成的短语，它们比你想象的要常用的多。当这些单词放在一起使用时，他们就有了特殊的含义。

　　Play是一个常用单词。作为一个名词，它指的是一种现场表演。作为一个动词，它通常意味着做一些与运动和游戏相关的事情，也可以用来描述演奏乐器。然而，在一些其他环境下，英语使用者也会使用play这个词。这里将列出一些play的搭配。

　　1. To play a role (in)

　　在….中扮演角色

　　Play最常见的用法之一就是这个短语play a role in。这个短语意为，一个人、一件事、一个公司或者是一个事件在某事中扮演着一个角色。

　　In this phrase, the word role can be preceded by words that show how important this role was to whatever is being described. Common adjectives include important, major, key, crucial, significant, large, and vital.

　　在这个短语中，单词role可以用一些词来说明这个角色对被描述的事物而言有多么重要。常放在role之前的形容词有important, major, key, crucial, significant, large, 和 vital。

　　All of these adjectives mean that the role played was very important – perhaps meaning that the result could not have been possible without the thing.

　　这些形容词都表示被扮演的角色很重要 –也许这意味着如果没有这个角色，某种结果是不可能出现的。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　Deciding to travel instead of going straight to college after high school played a major role in my life.

　　高中毕业去旅行而不是直接上大学，这个决定在我的生活中扮演者重要的角色。

　　Ronald played a key role in helping the team win today.

　　罗纳德在帮助球队赢得今天的比赛中发挥了关键作用。

　　2. To play a part (in)

　　在…中扮演角色/起作用

　　Play a part 和play a role很相似。它们都表示某事起着…样的作用。

　　The difference is that playing a role is usually used to describe someone or something that has a large role. Playing a part can also be more important, but if someone or something wasn’t important, they usually play a part, not a role.

　　区别就在于play a role用来描述某物或者某人起着很重要的作用，play a part也可以表示起着重要的作用，但是如果扮演的角色不是很重要，那么就应该用play a part而不是play a role。

　　That means that adjectives that go before part can include small, insignificant, and fleeting.

　　这就意味着可以放在part之前的形容词有small, insignificant 和fleeting。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　Bobby only played a fleeting part in working on the project, but he’s trying to take all the credit.

　　博比只是在这个项目中扮演着一个微小的角色，但是他却试图把所有的功劳都揽在自己身上。

　　Sandra keeps saying she only played an insignificant part in the company’s success, but she is seriously downplaying how important she was.

　　桑德拉一直说她只是在公司的成功中扮演了一个无足轻重的角色，但她是在对自己的重要性轻描淡写。

　　3. Play your cards right

　　处理得当，某事做得正确

　　Play your cards right 是来自于纸牌游戏的一个习语，意为举止得当。这个短语可以在任何情况下使用。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　If you play your cards right, I will buy you a chocolate bar when we leave the store.

　　如果你表现得好，离开商店时我会给你买一块巧克力。

　　I didn’t think it was possible but I was able to get a well-paying job and ace my classes when I played my cards right!

　　我认为这不可能，但是如果我表现得好，我的确能得到一份高薪的工作!

　　4. Play for time

　　为争取时间而拖延

　　Playing for time means that you deliberately try to delay something. It doesn’t matter what you do to try to delay it, but usually, if you play for time you are trying to delay a difficult decision of some sort.

　　Play for time意为故意拖延某事。你为了拖延这件事做了什么并不重要，但是通常来说，如果你拖延时间就说明你正在推迟做某种重要的决定。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　His excuses were terrible for continuing to delay the meeting so I could tell he was just playing for time.

　　他推迟会议的接口很糟糕，所以我敢断定他只是在拖延时间。

　　Tom was too pushy so he left me no choice but to play for time.

　　汤姆太咄咄逼人了，他让我别无选择，只好拖延时间。

　　5. Play it safe

　　不冒险;求稳;小心翼翼;在牌戏中采取稳定的措施

　　If you would rather be conservative than take risks, you can play it safe. Regardless of the benefits that you might get from trying different things, play it safe to avoid losses.

　　如果你宁愿保守，也不愿冒险，你就可以小心翼翼。尽管你在尝试不同事物的过程中获得了很多益处，为了避免损失，你都要小心行事。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　He played it safe by not gambling when he went to Las Vegas.

　　他去拉斯维加斯时没有赌博，这是谨慎行事。

　　Sometimes playing it safe pays off; sometimes it doesn’t.

　　有时候谨慎行事是有回报的，有时候则不是。

　　6. Play with fire

　　玩火;轻举妄动;冒险

　　The opposite of playing it safe is playing with fire. When you play with fire, you take a very big risk, often risks that are unnecessary.

　　Play it safe的反义词是play with fire. 当你玩火时，你会冒很大风险，而这往往是不必要的风险。

　　While what you can gain from taking risks is considerable, it is also extremely risky. Think of a performer who performs with fire. They are appealing because what they do includes a lot of danger.

　　虽然通过冒险你的收获相当可观，但是这风险极大。想想一个用火表演的表演者。他们很有吸引力，因为他们做的事情有很大的风险。

　　Examples

　　例子

　　Are you sure? It sounds like you might be playing with fire on that one.

　　你确定吗?这听起来你好象是在玩火。

　　Playing with fire can really pay off if it works out.

　　如果起作用的话，冒险也可以奏效。

　　7. Play it cool

　　抑制住感情，沉着冷静;玩酷; 不露声色

　　When they go on a date, a lot of people try to play it cool! Instead of showing any signs of nervousness, they will pretend they are perfectly calm and even unaffected.

　　约会时，很多人都想耍酷!他们不会表现出任何的紧张迹象，他们会假装非常平静，甚至不受影响。

　　Playing it cool usually means that someone is setting up a façade, or showing a part of themselves that is not genuine. Along with playing it cool at dates, you can play it cool during interviews, business transactions, at a doctor’s appointment, etc.

　　耍酷通常意味着某人正在建一种假象，或者是展示自己不真实的一面。除了在约会中表现得很酷，你还可以在面试、商务交易、医生预约时表现得很酷。