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雅思小作文因为比较模式化，相对来说用错词的情况也少一些。朗阁海外考试研究中心提醒考生们在常见错误方面应注意：在谈及价位时我们应该用高低而非大小贵贱来表达，即high/low price 而非big/small price 或者expensive/cheap price; great value而不是big value; their living condition is poor而非bad等等。其实，小作文中比较集中的错误在“比较与对比”搞不清楚，所以出现 ‘compare’与 ‘contrast’ 的使用错误，这里我们详细说一下。
一、compare与contrast的误用
我们先从两者的定义入手来看两者的区别。Compare的定义为：to examine people or things to see how they are similar or different. Contrast的定义为：to compare two or more things to show the difference between them. 由定义不难看出前者侧重于找到两个或多个事物的异同，而后者则侧重于它们的不同。
看个例句：
It is interesting to compare their situations to ours./It is interesting to contrast their situations to ours.
前一句翻译为：对比一下我们的情况与他们的情况会很有趣。
后一句的翻译为：我们的情况与他们的情况有很大的不同，这很有趣。
再看一个引自OXFORD ADBANCED LEARNER’S DICTIONARY的例子：
There is an obvious contrast between the culture of East and West.
The company lost million in contrast to a profit of .2 million a year earlier.
When you look at their new system, ours seems very old-fashioned by contrast.
不难发现，Compare 翻译为“ 与。。。相比”而contrast可译为“明显不同的是。。。”，切记这种翻译方式就不会用错彼此了。
