Here we'll look at ten examples of compound confusables: words that mean one thing when written as a single word and something a bit different when written as two words.
我們將舉出十個(gè)例子，對(duì)容易混淆的復(fù)合詞進(jìn)行說(shuō)明：即寫作一個(gè)詞和寫作兩個(gè)詞意義不同的詞語(yǔ)。

1. Already and All Ready The adverb already means "previously" or "by this time": Sasha has already left.
副詞already表示“以前”或“到現(xiàn)在”：薩沙已經(jīng)離開(kāi)了。

The phrase all ready means "completely prepared": We're all ready to go.
短語(yǔ)all ready表示“準(zhǔn)備充分的”：我們已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好要出發(fā)了。

2. Altogether and All Together The adverb altogether means "entirely" or "wholly": Gus has stopped riding the bus altogether.
副詞altogether表示“完全地“或“全部地”：格斯再也不開(kāi)公共汽車了。

The phrase all together refers to people or things gathered in one place: The kids sit all together in the back of the bus.
短語(yǔ)all together指代人或物集中在一個(gè)地方：孩子們都坐在公共汽車的后面。

3. Anyone and Any One The indefinite pronoun anyone refers abstractly to any person, not to a particular individual: Anyone who has an opinion will probably offend someone.
不定代詞anyone抽象地指代任何人，而不是某一個(gè)人：有意見(jiàn)的人很可能會(huì)冒犯到別人。

The phrase any one refers to specific but unidentified things or individuals: With enough money, any one of us could be elected mayor.
短語(yǔ)any one指代具體但身份不明的物或人：只要有足夠的錢，我們每一個(gè)人都能夠競(jìng)選成為市長(zhǎng)。

4. Awhile and A WhileThe adverb awhile means "for a short time": Nico asked me to stay awhile and chat.
副詞awhile表示“一會(huì)兒”：尼克讓我留下來(lái)聊一會(huì)兒天。

The noun a while refers to a period of time: Once in a while people surprise you and rise above self-interest.
名詞a while表示一段時(shí)間：有時(shí)候，人們會(huì)使你感到驚訝，他們拋開(kāi)了個(gè)人利益。

5. Breakdown and Break DownThe noun breakdown refers to a failure to function, a collapse, or an analysis: The topic of her project is the breakdown of the American family.
名詞breakdown指的是功能故障，瓦解或分析：她的項(xiàng)目主題是對(duì)美國(guó)家庭的分析。

The verb phrase break down means "to go out of order" or "to separate into parts": She needs to break down this big project into bite-size chunks.
動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)break down意為“發(fā)生故障”或“分裂”：她需要將這項(xiàng)巨大的工程分成小部分。

6. Cleanup and Clean UpThe noun cleanup refers to the act of cleaning, eliminating crime, or making a profit: Volunteers are needed for the annual cleanup of Tryon Park.
名詞cleanup指的是做清潔，消除犯罪或盈利：泰倫公園每年都需要志愿者進(jìn)行清潔工作。

The verb phrase clean up means "to make clean and neat" or "to turn a sizable profit": Shyla hopes to clean up at the roulette table.
動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)clean up意為“使干凈整潔”或“大賺一筆”：夏伊拉希望打掃一下輪盤賭桌。

7. Everyday and Every DayThe adjective everyday means "routine" or "ordinary": Merdine writes stories about everyday life.
形容詞everyday意為“日常的”或“平常的”：梅麗登寫的是日常生活中的故事。

The phrase every day means "each day": She tries to write for two hours every day.
短語(yǔ)every day指的是“每一天”：她試著每天都寫作兩小時(shí)。

8. Everyone and Every OneThe indefinite pronoun everyone means "every person": Everyone is required to attend school.
不定代詞everyone表示“每個(gè)人”：每個(gè)人都被要求去上學(xué)。

The phrase every one refers to every person or thing of those named: I attended every one of the schools in our district.
短語(yǔ)every one指的是有名稱的事物中每一個(gè)人或物：我們那里的每所學(xué)校我都讀過(guò)。

9. Maybe and May Be The adverb maybe means "perhaps": Maybe this world is another planet's heaven.
副詞maybe意為“也許”：也許這個(gè)世界是另一個(gè)星球的天堂。

The verb phrase may be indicates possibility: Arthur thinks there may be fairies at the bottom of the garden.
動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)phrase指代可能性：阿瑟覺(jué)得花園里有精靈。

10. Sometime and Some Time The adverb sometime means "at an indefinite or unstated time in the future": Every winning streak has to end sometime.
副詞sometime意為“未來(lái)某個(gè)不確定或未聲明的時(shí)刻”：人不可能永遠(yuǎn)是常勝將軍。

The phrase some time means "a period of time": My boss encouraged me to take some time off from work.
短語(yǔ)some time意為“一段時(shí)間”：我的老板建議我請(qǐng)一段時(shí)間假。
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