注意：

　　find fault with sth. 意为“找岔，挑毛病”fault 前无冠词，不用复数。

　　They like to find fault with my work.

　　他们就喜欢从我的工作中找岔。

　　He did not find much fault with my work.

　　他并没有从我的工作中找到多少错误。(若改用 many faults 则含有“故意”找毛病之意。)

　　(2) mistake 最通俗最常用。意为“错误、误会、误解、弄错”，多指缺乏正确理解造成的行动上、认识上的错误。

　　Be careful, and make no mistake.

　　当心，不要弄错了。

　　You can't arrest me! There must be some mistake!

　　你们不能抓我，一定是搞错了。

　　It was a mistake to leave my umbrella at home.

　　把伞忘在家里是个错误。

　　(3) error 比较正式，可指品德上的错误。常指按某一既定标准而发生的错误。如：印刷错误、笔误、计算错误、技术错误、语法错误等。

　　There is printers’error.

　　有一些印刷错误。(指不符合印刷标准的要求)

　　Please pardon any error that you may discover in my letter.

　　信中如有错误，请原谅。(指笔误)

　　You made an error in your culculations.

　　你出了个计算错误。

　　(4) mistake 常可与 error 互换。

　　Your essay is full of mistakes.

　　你的文章净是错。

　　He made a mistake (an error in grammar,conversation,spelling, pronunciation, calculation)

　　(5) 应注意习惯上的搭配，不要随意互换。

　　① “从错误中学习”习惯说 learn by one's mistake.

　　② “弄错了”习惯说 do sth. by mistake 或 do sth. in error

　　③ “是我错了”习惯说 This is my fault. 或 I'm in the wrong 或I'm wrong.

　　④ “你猜错了”习惯说 You guessed wrong/wrongly.

　　⑤ “误会、误解”习惯说 get it wrong.

　　自我测试

　　根据句意，用fault, mistake 和 error 的适当形式填空。

　　1. It’s easy to find _______ with the suggestions of theirs.

　　2. It’s his own _______ that he failed in the college entrance examination.

　　3. There are a few grammatical _______ in the book.

　　4. No one is proof against _______.

　　5. In transcribing the characters from the bronze, he made a number of _______.

　　1. You are laboring under an ________.

　　2. You are in _______.

　　答案：

　　1. fault 2. fault 3. mistakes/errors 4. mistakes 5. errors 6. error 7. error

　　fear，frighten，terrify，horrify

　　fear, frighten, terrify 和 horrify 都有“害怕”的意思，但是其含义不尽相同。

　　(1)fear 最普遍，而语气最弱，它可表示对某事感到不安，也可表示“怕”受到某事的侵扰。大多数情况下用作及物动词，可接名词、代词、不定式或动名词。

　　She has always feared mice.

　　她一向害怕老鼠。

　　Don't fear to tell the truth.

　　不要害怕说出真实情况。

　　He looked out of the window, seeing nothing to fear.

　　他从窗口往外看，一点也不胆怯。

　　Fear 还可以跟that从句，常有“恐怕”的意思。

　　She feared that she might not find him in his office.

　　她恐怕在办公室里找不到他。

　　(2)frighten 常用作及物动词，意为“使害怕”，常指没有精神准备，突然受到惊吓而害怕，恐惧。还常用于be frightened 这一结构，后面接of 短语或动词不定式。

　　These words frightened me.

　　这些话把我吓了一跳。

　　She was frightened of dogs.

　　她害怕狗。

　　He left his gun outside so as not to frighten his wife.

　　为了不吓着他的妻子他把枪放在外边。

　　He was frightened to look down from the top of the tall building.

　　他害怕从高楼顶往下看。

　　(3)terrify常用作及物动词，意为“使害怕”、“使惊恐”，这种恐惧指客观环境造成的。

　　The thunderstorm terrified the children.

　　大雷雨把这孩子吓坏了。

　　Li Li was terrified by his appearance.

　　他的出现使李利感到害怕。

　　(4)horrify常用作及物动词，意为“使感到恐怖(震惊)”。

　　The news will horrify your mother.

　　这消息会使你母亲感到震惊。

　　She was horrified at/by the news.

　　听到这个消息她感到震惊。