使用任何一種語言，我們都會有出錯的時候。我們在使用一些中文單詞的時候都會傻傻分不清楚。那外國人在使用英文單詞詞是不是也一樣呢？下面就介紹外國人都會用錯的十個英文單詞！
Many people who』ve had to proof read documents start to develop a kind of compulsive 「tutting」 at misused words. Here’s my top ten words that are misused by either professional writers or public speakers who, let’s be honest, should really know better. I’m not being paid for this, so I don’t feel so bad if there are mistakes!
1、 Ultimate
1、 第一位：Ultimate
n. 終極；根本；基本原則
adj. 最終的；極限的；根本的
From the Latin, this means the last in a list of items. But it’s so widely used to indicate the best; a google search for 「ultimate phone」 gives 307 million hits. I』d argue that the last phone has yet to be made. This is probably the most misused word on the Internet; type 「ultimate」 into google and thousands of hits come up, pretty much all of them using it as 「the best」. However, for a change, this is the ultimate entry in this list.
在拉丁語中，它用於表示列表中的最後一項，但卻經常被用來形容「最好的」。在谷歌引擎上搜索「ultimate phone最好的電話」的次數高達30700萬。對此我堅持認為是「最後一通電話」。該詞可能是網上誤用最多的單詞了。在谷歌中輸入「ultimate」，會出現上千個搜索結果，但大多數都把它用作「最好的」。不過，換個話題說，這的確是本文最後一個詞目了。
2、Decimate
第二位：Decimate
vt. 十中抽一，取十分之一；大批殺害
Decimation was a Roman punishment where one in ten men was killed. So when something is decimated, it implies that ten percent of it is destroyed. 「Devastate」 is almost certainly a better word for most usages and yet: 「New York City budget will decimate libraries」.
「Decimation」曾用來形容古羅馬的一項刑罰：十個人中死一個。所以當 「decimate」用於形容一件事情時，它意味著毀滅了十分之一的程度。「紐約市的預算將會毀掉圖書館」中的「decimate毀掉」一詞用「Devastate」更合適。所以相對來說，「Devastate」更常用。
3、Disinterested
第三位：Disinterested
adj. 無私的；公正的；冷漠的；廉潔的
v. 使不再有利害關係；使無興趣（disinterest的過去分詞）
Does 「disinterested」 mean the same as 「uninterested」? No. Here’s an example of misuse: 「TomTom Disinterested in Windows Phone 7 Too?」. 「Disinterested」 means that a party is independent; so a dispute might be settled by a disinterested party. 「Uninterested」 means the party has no interest. 「I asked John if he wanted to go to the cricket, but he was completely uninterested.」
「disinterested」和「uninterested」意思相同嗎?不是。這裡有一個誤用的例子，「湯姆對微軟視窗系統「disinterested不公正」嗎?」 「Disinterested」意指公正;所以紛爭可以通過公正的人來解決。而 「uninterested」是指沒有興趣。如，「我問約翰是否想去打板球，但他一點兒也』uninterested不感興趣』。」
4、Panacea
第四位：Panacea
n. 帕那刻亞（古希臘醫藥女神）；萬靈藥；靈丹妙藥
「Panacea」 means a cure all; it comes from the same Greek root as 「panorama」. It shouldn’t be used to imply a cure for a single thing, and yet here is a newspaper saying: 「SOUTH AFRICA: Welfare payments – a panacea for poverty?」
「panacea」意指包治百病的靈藥，它與希臘語「panorama全景」含有同一詞根。它不能用來形容對單一事物的治療，而有家報紙上卻說「南非：社會福利——窮人的 「a panacea」一種靈丹?」
5、Literally
第五位：Literally
adv. 逐字地;照字面地;確實地，真正地;[口語]差不多，簡直（用於加強語..)
This is such a widely known misused word that examples are less common, as most people know to avoid the term – which should be used to describe something that is actually happening (for example, 「He literally danced with joy.」) but should not be used for emphasis (「Steam was literally coming out of his ears.」) This example quotes a, now deceased, reverend gentleman who seemed to rejoice in, frankly, daft opinions, including one about a 「literal homosexual steamroller」:
這個詞被錯誤使用的頻率相當高，但大多人都選擇詞避而不用，因而錯用實例不多。它本用來描述正在發生的某事，如，「他正高興的手舞足蹈」。但是不能被用作強調，如「蒸汽確實從他的耳朵裡冒出來。」坦白的說，這個例子形容已故紳士享受「literal homosexual steamroller(「正要撲倒對方的同性戀」)的愚蠢畫面。
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