2022年12月03日 VOA慢速英語：減少還是減少？

 

This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the words "reduce" and "decrease."
本周在“問老師”中，我們將回答有關“減少”和“減少”這兩個詞的問題。
 
Question:
問題：
 
Dear Teacher,
< br/>親愛的老師，
 
Would you please explain to me when to use "decrease" and "reduce?"
請您解釋一下什么時候用“減少”和“減少”？
 
Thanks for giving us such valuable points.
感謝您給我們這么寶貴的意見。
 
Kind regards,
親切的問候，
 
Mahmoud in Saudi Arabia
馬哈茂德在沙特阿拉伯
 
Answer
回答
 
Hello Mahmoud! Thank you for writing to us! The words "decrease" and "reduce" are often thought of as having the same meaning. However, there are some differences, especially in the uses of "reduce."
你好馬哈茂德！感謝您寫信給我們！ “減少”和“減少”這兩個詞通常被認為具有相同的含義。但是，還是有一些區(qū)別，尤其是在“reduce”的用法上。
 
Let's look at each word more closely!
讓我們更仔細地看一下每個詞！
 
Decrease
減少
 
"Decrease" is a verb that can take a direct object, meaning it is transitive. It can also be intransitive which means that it does not take a direct object.
“減少”是動詞，可以帶直接賓語，意思是及物。它也可以是不及物動詞，這意味著它不帶直接賓語。
 
"Decrease" means to grow less in amount, size or strength over time, or to cause to be less.
“減少”表示隨著時間的推移在數量、大小或強度上變小，或者導致變小。
 
Online shopping and big stores like Target have helped to decrease shopping malls in the US from 2,500 in the 1980s to around 700 malls now.
在線購物和 Target 等大型商店幫助美國的購物中心從 1980 年代的 2,500 家減少到現在的 700 家左右。
 
Voter turnout numbers decreased during the midterm election in some states like West Virginia and Virginia.
中期選舉期間，部分地區(qū)的選民投票率有所下降西弗吉尼亞州和弗吉尼亞州等州。
 
Decrease can also be a noun. It is the process of growing less over time. It is a countable noun. For example:
Decrease 也可以是名詞。這是隨著時間的推移越來越少的過程。它是一個可數名詞。例如：
There has been a decrease in newspaper reading over many years, possibly because of the internet.
多年來報紙閱讀量一直在減少，可能是因為互聯網。
 
Now let's move on to "reduce."
現在讓我們繼續(xù)“減少”。
 
Reduce
減少
 
"Reduce" is a verb and has many more meanings. It is most often used as a transitive verb that takes a direct object, but sometimes, we can use it without a direct object.
“減少”是一個動詞，有更多的含義。它最常用作帶直接賓語的及物動詞，但有時，我們也可以不帶直接賓語使用它。
 
The general meaning is to make something smaller. This meaning is most closely related to "decrease."
一般意思是使某物變小。這個意思與“減少”的關系最密切。
 
Electric cars could reduce our need for gasoline-powered cars.
電動汽車可以減少我們對汽油動力汽車的需求。

Reduce can also mean to bring together into one and to narrow down.
減少也可以意味著將合二為一，縮小范圍。
 
Every year, I reduce my clothes by going through my closet and giving away some pieces.
每年，我都會翻閱我的衣櫥并贈送一些衣服，從而減少我的衣服。
 
We can also reduce a liquid by boiling it. This makes the taste stronger and there is less liquid.
我們也可以通過煮沸來還原液體。這使得味道更濃，液體更少。
 
If you bring sugar to a boil and then reduce it, you are left with a thick caramel sauce.
如果你把糖煮沸然后減少它，你會留下濃稠的焦糖醬。
 
Reduce can also mean to bring to a certain state or condition, usually a negative one. We can use "reduce" with the preposition "to" to create a phrasal verb.
減少罐頭也意味著帶來某種狀態(tài)或條件，通常是消極的。我們可以用“reduce”加上介詞“to”來組成動詞短語。

The concert reduced her to tears.
演唱會讓她哭了。

This sentence is in the active voice. This means that the concert moved the woman emotionally to such an extent that she cried.
這句話是主動語態(tài)。這意味著音樂會感動了這位女士，以至于她哭了。
 
We can also use the passive voice to mean that someone is reduced to a state or condition.
我們也可以用被動語態(tài)來表示某人被降低到一種狀態(tài)或條件。
 
She was reduced to uncontrollable laughter after seeing the funny movie.
她在看到有趣的電影后被降低到無法控制的笑聲。
The forest was reduced to ashes by the wildfire.
森林是被野火化為灰燼。
 
Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you!
如果這些解釋和示例對您有所幫助，請告訴我們！