the activity of buying and selling goods and services

通常不可数；electronic commerce 常缩写为 e-commerce。

related to business, or a television advertisement

作形容词指商业用途；作名词常指电视广告。

the process of making something available for profit

常接 of，讨论文化或研究被用于营利的过程。

to develop something for sale or profit

后面可接产品、发明或研究成果。

relating to a large company

Corporate describes the business of a company, especially a large one.

a large business organization

A corporation is a company recognized as a legal organization, often a large business.

things made for sale or transport and treated as plural

通常只用复数：these goods are ...；不用 a goods，也不用 goods is。

a named make of a product or a particular type of something

A brand identifies a maker's products. With ideas or behaviour, a brand of means a distinctive type.

a permanent mark burned onto an animal or object

A brand can be a mark showing ownership, traditionally burned onto an animal's skin.

to burn a mark onto something or label someone negatively

The physical meaning is to mark with heat; brand someone as a liar means publicly give that person a negative label.

a usual way of behaving in a particular society or group

Custom names a traditional or usual practice.

having a lot of things to do

be busy doing sth 和 be busy with sth 都很常用。

full of people, movement, or activity

修饰 street、road、place 等名词时，busy 表示“繁忙的/热闹的”。

already being used, especially when talking about a phone line

电话语境中 The line is busy 表示“电话占线”。

pay someone to work or pay to use something

Hire can mean employ a person or rent something for a short time.

the act of renting or a newly employed person

For hire means available to rent; a new hire is a newly employed person.

the purpose or job of something

A function is what a part or system does, rather than what it looks like.

to work or operate in the intended way

Function as is followed by the role something performs; function properly means work correctly.

to take action about a problem

Deal with is a verb phrase.

to give out playing cards

This use takes an object.

an agreement or business arrangement

A deal is an agreement.

relating to money, trade, or the economy

Economic relates to a country's economy or to money and trade; economical means not wasting money.

food and household items bought regularly from a shop

Groceries is normally plural for food and household items bought regularly.

used before a noun to describe a shop or activity connected with food and household goods

Grocery is often an attributive modifier before store, shopping, or list.

one separate thing or entry in a list

Item is a general countable noun. An item of clothing refers to one garment; an agenda item is one matter for discussion.

one piece of news or a short report

A news item is one individual report within a newspaper, broadcast or news service.

the buying and selling of goods between people or countries

trade 作名词时通常不可数。

to buy and sell goods, or exchange one thing for another

trade with 表示与某人或某国进行贸易。

a person or company that buys and sells goods

trader 常指从事买卖的人。

something available for use, such as money, materials, energy or staff

Resources is often plural for the money or supplies needed to do something. A resource can be one useful material or source of support.

a useful source of information or learning material

A book, website or recording can be a learning resource because it is useful for study, not just because information originally came from it.

personal abilities that help someone deal with difficulties

Resources can refer to inner strengths such as ingenuity and patience, not only money. This use is common in the plural personal resources.

an amount more than is needed

名词常用 a surplus of，表示超出需要的数量。

more than is needed

形容词放在名词前，表示多出来的。

the place, person or thing from which something comes or information is obtained

Source identifies an origin. For research, a source is where information comes from; citing it lets readers trace that information.

to find and obtain something from a particular place or supplier

As a verb, source normally takes the product or material as its object, followed by from for the supplier or place.

an organisation that keeps and lends money

此义与 banker、banking 的受审证据相连；不要因此替换河岸义。

the land along the side of a river or lake

river bank 指“河岸”；它与表示“银行”的 bank 同形，要根据上下文判断意思。

a raised slope of earth, sand, or snow

常见于 road bank、snow bank 等搭配。

someone who owns a bank or holds a senior role in banking

通常指银行家或银行的高级职位；不宜泛指每一位普通银行柜员。

the business and services of banks

不可数，常指行业或业务；在 online banking、banking app 中作前置修饰语，语域偏金融/服务。

a small flat piece of metal used as money

Use coin for a piece of money; the verb is a separate use meaning to create a term.

to invent a new word or expression

The object of this verb is usually a word, term, or phrase.

a unit of money used in several countries, especially the US

Use dollars after a number larger than one.

a unit of money called the franc, used in some countries and formerly in others

Franc is countable: the plural is francs. The name has been used by different currencies, so identify the country or historical context when needed.

a written statement showing how much money must be paid

餐馆中 ask for the bill 很常见。

a proposed law being discussed by a law-making body

在成为 law 前，bill 可指议会正在讨论的法案草案。

a written order to a bank to pay money

英式拼写 cheque；美式常写 check。

an arrangement that lets someone pay later

On credit means receiving goods now and paying later. Credit here is normally uncountable.

praise for an achievement or a person who brings honour

Give someone credit for recognises their contribution. To someone's credit introduces a reason for praise; be a credit to means bring honour to.

money that somebody owes

debt 中 b 不发音；pay off a debt 表示还清债务。

to put money into something in the hope of a future benefit or profit

Use invest in to introduce the project or asset receiving the money. Investment involves an expectation of benefit, not a promise of success.

to put time or effort into something you consider worthwhile

The same invest A in B pattern can describe effort rather than money. An -ing form can follow in.

the act of putting money into something for future benefit, or the money put in

Investment is often uncountable for the activity or money in general. An investment can identify a particular commitment of money.

the time or effort committed to something valuable

An investment of time names what is given; an investment in something names its purpose or recipient. This sense need not involve money.

able to act, move, or speak without being controlled

Be free to do something means be allowed to do it. Set someone free means release that person.

not costing any money

Free of charge is a clear formal phrase for 'without payment'.

not busy or not being used at a particular time

Use free for a person who has no planned activity, or for a seat, room, or time that is available.

the right or ability to act, speak, or choose without unfair control

Freedom is normally uncountable. Freedom to do something names the ability or right to do it.

to give something to someone and receive something in return

此义强调双方互相给出并得到；exchange ideas/gifts 很常用。

to give one type of money and receive another type, or to trade one thing for another

货币语境常用 exchange A for B；这里不是“互相交流”义。

an act of giving and receiving things or information

an exchange of ideas/information 常指彼此交流；student exchange 指交换学习项目。

the service or process of changing one currency into another

currency exchange 和 foreign exchange 在此指货币兑换业务或活动，不指具体地点。

an organization where shares are bought and sold

stock exchange 是固定搭配，指证券交易所；不要和货币兑换混同。

a small container for carrying money and cards, especially one used by a woman

In British English, purse commonly means a small wallet; in American English, it often means a woman's handbag. This card focuses on carrying money and cards.

to have, use, or give something together with another person

share sth with sb 表示“与某人分享某物”。

one part of something divided among people

a share of 表示“……中的一份”。

to keep someone or something from harm or loss

save sb from + 名词/动名词。

to avoid using more money, time, or energy than necessary

此义强调少花、少用，避免浪费。

to keep money instead of spending it now

常用 save for sth 或 save up。

to keep something for future use

电脑语境常用 save a file。

an amount of money, time, or energy that has been saved

单数 a saving 指节省下来的量。

money that a person has kept rather than spent

表示存款时通常用复数 savings。

a place where people buy things

BrE 中 shop 很常用；AmE 常说 store。

to visit shops in order to buy things

shop for 后接所买的物品；go shopping 是常用搭配。

the activity of buying things, or the things bought

shopping 通常不可数；除活动外，the shopping 也可指买到的东西。

an object or group of objects wrapped for carrying or sending by post

Parcel is common in British English for something wrapped and posted; package is also widely used. A parcel is countable, unlike uncountable mail.

to need to pay someone, or to have something because of them

owe sb sth 表示欠某人某物或钱；owe it to 指归功于。

valuable objects, or something that is greatly loved or valued

treasure 既可指财宝，也可指珍视的人或物。

the number 1,000,000; also a very large number

Use million after a number without -s: two million people. Use millions of for an indefinite large amount.

a person who has money or property worth at least one million

A millionaire is a person; it is not simply another form of million.

one thousand million

After a number, billion stays singular. Billions of means an unspecified very large number.

a person whose wealth is worth at least one billion units of a currency

Billionaire refers to total wealth, not necessarily cash in a bank; the currency depends on context.

a large amount of money or valuable property

wealth 通常是不可数名词；a wealth of 表示“大量的”。

having a lot of money

wealthy 形容人、家庭或地区富有。

having a lot of money or valuable possessions

描述人或家庭的经济状况。

containing a large amount of something

常用 be rich in + 名词。

full of interesting variety or strong quality

可形容文化、色彩、经历等。

the state of having much money or valuable property

不可数名词。

the quality of being full, varied, or strong

可指内容、色彩等的丰富程度。

having little money or not having what is needed

the poor 指贫困人群；poor 可形容人或地区。

not good enough in quality or amount

poor 也可形容质量、表现或健康状况差。

not good at doing a particular thing

poor at 后接名词或动名词，表示不擅长某事。

the state of being very poor

poverty 通常不可数，指贫困状态。

something expensive and comfortable

Luxury often contrasts with a necessity: it is pleasant but not essential.

a heavy load or difficult responsibility

常指经济或责任压力；burden sb with sth 表示“使某人承担”。

involving many official rules and procedures

Bureaucratic often has a negative tone, suggesting too much official paperwork.

training that teaches control, or a branch of study

Discipline can mean orderly behaviour or a field of study, both as nouns.

most important or best known

Use premier before a noun for the leading or most important example in its field.

to control and make official decisions about a country, area, or organization

Govern usually has a country, area, organization, or system as its object.

the group of people that controls a country or the system by which it is controlled

Government can mean the people in power or the system of governing.

the activities or study of governing a community or country

Politics is usually uncountable. When it names the subject of study, it takes a singular verb despite ending in -s.

relating to government, public power or politics

Political describes matters connected with government and public power; it is the adjective related to politics.

a person whose work involves politics, especially public office

Politician names a person, not the field of study. Depending on context, it can be neutral or critical.

an official plan or rule

Use policy on + topic for the subject addressed by an official rule.

relating to race

Racial is used in respectful discussion of social groups and equality.

short for the Communist Party of China

CPC 是 Communist Party of China 的缩写，三个字母均大写。

short for the People’s Liberation Army

PLA 是 People’s Liberation Army 的缩写，通常前用 the。

short for the People’s Republic of China

PRC 是 People’s Republic of China 的缩写，通常前用 the。

the United Nations, an international organisation

缩略词读作字母 U-N；指该组织时通常用 the UN。

the UN agency for education, science and culture

作为机构缩略词读作一个词；其世界遗产项目常说 UNESCO World Heritage Site。

the World Health Organization

缩略词逐个字母读；指该组织时通常用 the WHO。

the World Trade Organization

缩略词逐个字母读；指该组织时通常用 the WTO。

a person whose job is to cut men’s hair and sometimes shave them

可说 go to the barber’s，指去理发店。

a person who deals with records, documents or customers in an office, shop or court

A clerk usually handles practical records or transactions; a court clerk helps with the court's official records. The British pronunciation has /ɑː/, unlike the common American /ɜːr/.

a person who trains a team or player

coach 指训练运动员或队伍的人。

a bus for travelling long distances

travel by coach 表示乘长途客车出行。

to train or advise someone

coach sb in sth 指在某方面训练某人。

a person whose job is to care for teeth

Use the dentist for a dental appointment.

a person qualified to treat illness or injury

Doctor names a medical professional.

a person whose job is to put out fires and help in emergencies

Fireman is a traditional term. Firefighter is a common gender-neutral term for the same emergency job.

a person or shop that sells food and household goods

A grocer's can mean the shop.

a person or shop that sells fresh fruit and vegetables

Greengrocer is chiefly British English for a fruit-and-vegetable seller or shop.

a person whose job is to cut and style hair

Hairdresser is used for a professional who cuts or styles hair.

a woman employed to clean or do household work

Maid traditionally refers to a female domestic worker. In hotels, the job may also be called housekeeping; the word does not itself mean a nurse.

a small medical centre where patients receive treatment

A clinic provides treatment or advice, usually without patients staying overnight.

an official skill, examination result, or experience that makes someone suitable for a job or activity

复数 qualifications 常指一组学历、证书或经验。

the state or process of meeting the conditions needed for something

此义强调达到规定标准或取得进入某项活动的资格。

a condition or detail that limits the meaning of a statement

用于观点或协议时，qualification 表示需要补充的条件或保留。

to have the right skills or conditions for something, or to reach the required standard

qualify for 后接职位、比赛等；qualify to do sth 后接动词原形。

to give someone the skills or conditions needed for a job or activity

qualify sb for sth 表示“使某人具备做某事的资格”。

to limit or make a statement less general or less definite

此义较正式，常用条件、保留或限制说明让观点不显得绝对。

how good or bad something is

quality 常作不可数名词；high-quality 作形容词时通常加连字符。

a characteristic or feature that someone or something has

此义多用复数 qualities，指一个人的性格特点或能力。

a farmer of low social rank, especially in the past

Peasant is mainly used in historical contexts; farmer is the neutral modern word.

a person who flies an aircraft

pilot 作名词时常指飞机或直升机的驾驶员。

to control and guide an aircraft or ship

pilot 作动词时指驾驶、引导飞机或船只。

a person who organizes letters, meetings, and records for an office or group

不要和 secret 混淆；secretary 是负责组织事务的人。

the people who work for an organisation

作全体人员解时常作复数概念，指某机构的职员。

the department that deals with staff in an organisation

此义常见于 personnel department，指人事部门。

a person who serves passengers or manages an event

Steward can refer to a worker serving passengers or someone responsible for an event or property.

a woman who serves passengers on a plane or ship

Stewardess refers specifically to a female flight attendant; flight attendant is now more neutral.

money paid for work

A wage is money paid to a worker, often by the hour or week.

the person who is in charge of a worker or group

常接 of：the boss of a company；也可直接说 my boss。

to tell someone what to do in an unfriendly way

常见于 boss somebody around，语气带有不满。

a laboratory, especially a room for scientific work or experiments

Lab is an informal short form of laboratory.

to guide or direct a group of people or an activity

Lead has the past tense and past participle led when it is the verb.

to go in a particular direction or result in a particular situation

Lead to can describe a path going somewhere or an action causing a result.

the first position in a race, competition, or activity

Take the lead means move into first position or become the person who acts first. The metal noun lead is pronounced /led/.

the ability to lead people or the position of being a leader

Leadership is uncountable when it means the ability or quality of leading.

a person who guides or directs a group, team, or country

A leader is the person who leads a group or activity.

a person who designs or builds machines, structures, or systems

engineer 是职业名词；software engineer 指软件工程师。

a person whose job is repairing machines, especially vehicles

A mechanic is a person; mechanics is either the plural for people or, as an uncountable subject name, the science of forces and motion. The subject mechanics takes a singular verb and is not called mechanic.

the people who work together on a ship, aircraft, or film

Crew is a collective noun for people working together on a ship, plane, or production.

a person who buys and sells goods, especially in trade

Merchant is common in historical or trade contexts; shopkeeper is more usual for a small local shop.

a person who is among the first to develop a new idea or activity

pioneer 常接 in/of，说明开创的领域。

to be one of the first people to develop something new

作动词时强调率先采用或发展新方法。

an unexpected event that causes injury, damage, or trouble

accident 常指造成伤害或损失的意外事件；具体交通事故可说 road accident。

used in the phrase by accident to mean without planning or intending it

by accident 是固定介词短语（by + 名词 accident）；accident 在本卡仍是名词。反义表达是 on purpose，表示“故意地”。

to crash into something, or disagree strongly

collide with 指物体相撞；观点也可 collide。

an accident in which two vehicles or objects hit each other

Use collision with for the object hit, especially in reports of road accidents.

to break rules in order to gain an unfair advantage

常说 cheat in an exam 或 cheat at cards；强调违反规则。

to deceive someone or unfairly take something from them

cheat somebody out of something 表示“骗取某人的某物”。

a person who acts dishonestly to get an advantage

a cheat 指不诚实的人；这是带批评意味的称呼。

ask for something very strongly

Beg can mean ask urgently for help or permission; beg for money can mean ask people for money in public.

a device or signal that warns people of danger or tells them it is time to act

fire alarm 指火警警报；set an alarm 指设闹钟。 alarm 可指装置，也可指它发出的声音。

to make someone feel worried or frightened

alarm 的宾语常是人或一群人；be alarmed by/at 表示被某事吓到或担心。 不要把 alarmed 和 alarm 的名词警报义混为一谈。

a feeling of fear or worry caused by danger or a troubling situation

alarm 作不可数名词表示因危险或坏消息产生的惊恐、担忧；常见于 with alarm 或 cause alarm。 此义不表示设备发出的警报声。

immoral behaviour or a bad habit

Vice can be uncountable for immoral behaviour or countable for a particular bad habit; mild habits may be called vices humorously.

the use of physical force to hurt people or damage things

Violence is uncountable. Use an act of violence for one incident, not a violence. The word names harmful force, not merely a strong disagreement.

using harmful physical force, or happening with very great force

Violent can describe deliberately harmful behaviour or a powerful natural event. A violent storm is forceful, not morally aggressive.

a sign of possible harm

A threat to something is a possible source of harm; a spoken threat is a warning that someone may cause harm.

say or be likely to cause harm

Threaten to do something reports an intended harmful action; threaten a place or person means put it in danger.

a person who secretly gets information

A spy secretly collects information for a government or organisation.

secretly collect information about someone

Use spy on before the person or organisation being watched.

information kept hidden, or the explanation of how something succeeds

keep a secret 表示“保守秘密”；the secret of ... 可表示成功的秘诀。

known or done by only a few people

secret 作形容词常放在名词前。

intended to be kept secret and not shared publicly

Confidential commonly modifies information, records, reports, or conversations.

a short description of a person or organisation

A profile is a concise description, often online or in a magazine article.

a period of fighting between countries or groups

war 是可数名词；谈论战争史常说 war history。

cloth that catches the wind to move a boat, or a journey by boat

Sail is countable for the cloth on a boat. The fixed phrase set sail means begin a journey by boat. A sail can also be a trip in a sailing boat, especially in go for a sail.

to travel by boat, control a sailing boat, or get through something easily

Sail can mean travel on water or control a sailing boat; figurative sail through means succeed without difficulty.

a person who works on a ship or sails a boat

Sailor can describe a professional crew member or someone who sails for sport or pleasure.

a long pole with a pointed end used as a weapon or for hunting

A spear has a long shaft and a pointed head; the sporting javelin is a particular throwing spear.

a weapon with a long sharp blade

A sword is a weapon with a long metal blade, often shown in historical settings.

a plan for achieving a goal, especially one that considers the longer term

Strategy can be countable for one plan or uncountable for the activity of planning. A strategy sets an overall direction; a tactic is usually a specific action within it.

try very hard to do something difficult

Struggle means make a great effort because something is difficult.

a difficult effort or a fight to achieve something

Use a struggle for before a goal and a struggle to before a verb.

to stop happening or stop doing something

Cease is more formal than stop. It may stand alone or take an activity, an -ing form, or to plus a verb.

an agreement or period in which fighting stops

A ceasefire stops fighting but does not necessarily end the conflict permanently.

continuing without stopping

Ceaseless can describe unwelcome repetition, such as noise, or sustained positive activity, such as effort.

a group of people working for a shared purpose

organisation 可指机构，也可指组织、安排工作的过程。

the process of planning and arranging work or activities

不可数时指组织、安排工作的过程。

to plan or arrange an activity

organise 后接活动、旅行等名词；英式拼写为 organise。

to arrange or deal with a task or problem

也可指把零散事项统筹、处理好。

planned carefully and neatly

well organised 表示“安排得井井有条”；也可形容人有条理。

connected parts or rules that work together, or an organised way of doing something

System may describe physical parts working together, an organised social structure, or a regular method.

following a careful organised method

Systematic describes work done according to a clear plan, with parts checked in a sensible order.

a regular way of doing things

A routine is an activity or set of activities done regularly.

done regularly as a normal part of a task

As an adjective, routine usually comes before a noun.

firm and not changing suddenly

Steady can describe movement, progress, or work that continues without sudden changes.

a group of people working or playing together

把 team 看作整体时通常用单数；英式英语强调成员分别行动时可用复数。