| 例句 |
speechless adj.
⇨ silent silent adjective silent ♦︎ speechless ♦︎ dumb ♦︎ mute ♦︎ inarticulateThese words all describe a person who does not or cannot speak, or an action that is not expressed in words. 这些词均表示不说话的、说不出话的、无声的。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆speechless / dumb / inarticulate with rage / anger■ silent (of a person) not speaking （人）不说话的，沉默的◆They huddled together in silent groups.他们一群群挤在一起，默不作声。◆As the curtain rose, the audience fell silent.幕启时，观众安静了下来。▸ silently adverb ◆They marched silently through the streets.他们在大街上默默地行进。■ speechless unable to speak, especially because you are extremely angry or surprised （尤因非常生气或惊讶）说不出话的◆Laura was speechless with rage.劳拉气得说不出话来。◆His words left her speechless.他的话让她无言以对。■ dumb / /dʌm/ / not speaking 不说话的；说不出话的◆We were all struck dumb with amazement.我们都惊讶得说不出话来。◆We all sat there in dumb silence.我们都坐在那里，默不作声。ⓘ Dumb also means 'unable to speak'. * dumb也可表示“哑的、不能说话的”◆She was born deaf and dumb.她天生又聋又哑。However, this meaning of dumb is old-fashioned and can be offensive. 不过，dumb的这个含义已经过时，会有冒犯的意味。 ▸ dumbly adverb ◆'Are you all right?' Lucy nodded dumbly.“你没事吧？”露西默默地点了点头。■ mute (literary) not speaking or making a sound; not expressed in words or sounds; unable to speak 沉默的；不出声的；无声的；哑的◆The child sat mute in the corner of the room.那孩子坐在屋子的角落里，一声不吭。◆She gave him a look of mute appeal.她向他摆出一副默默请求的表情。◆The film concerns a mute Scottish widow and her passion for music.这部电影讲的是一个苏格兰哑巴寡妇以及她对音乐的热爱。▸ mutely adverb ◆He nodded mutely.他默默地点了点头。NOTE 辨析 Dumb or mute?In the meaning 'unable to speak', both dumb and mute are rather old-fashioned, and dumb can be offensive. An acceptable alternative is speech-impaired, but this is not at all frequent, and the phrase 'unable to speak' is often used instead. 表示“哑的”之义时，dumb和mute都已过时，而且dumb可能有冒犯的意味。speech-impaired（有语言障碍）是个可接受的替代词，但很少用，而经常用短语unable to speak来表达这个意思◆The 2nd Duke of Montrose was deaf and unable to speak.第二任蒙特罗斯公爵又聋又哑。 ■ inarticulate /ˌɪnɑːˈtɪkjələt; NAmE ˌɪnɑːrˈtɪk/ (rather formal) (of people) not able to express ideas or feelings clearly or easily; (of speech) not using clear words; not expressed clearly （人）不善于表达的，不善于说话的；（讲话）词不达意的，表达得不清楚的◆You can't expect an inarticulate young child to defend himself in court.你不能指望一个不善表达的孩子在法庭上为自己辩护。◆She was inarticulate with rage.她气得语无伦次。◆He gave a particularly inarticulate reply.他给了一个简直不知所云的答复。 OPP articulate ⇨ articulate |