It was ____ cold on December 27th last year, wasn't it? A. especially B. specially C. especial D. special
《中学英语错解辨析辞典》(上海辞书出版社, p. 270) 对上题作了如下的分析:
“[错解]B.
[辨析]错解在于分不清especially和specially词义上的差别。especially作‘特别地’解时，含有‘格外地’、‘尤其’的意思，例如‘I prefer to stay at home, especially on wet evenings.’（我宁可呆在家中，尤其是雨夜。）而specially作‘特别地’解时，含义是‘专门为了某个目的’，例如My aunt came to my home, specially to see my sick mother.（我姨母来我家，专门为了探望我患病的母亲。）本句意思是：‘去年十二月廿七日特别冷，是吗？’[正解]A.”
请问选项 B(specially) 果真是错误的吗?
出题者只注意到了 especially 与 specially 的相异之处,而忽略了它们之间的相同之处。应特别注意,specially 并不总作“专门为了某个目的”解,有时也作“分外地”“格外地”“非常”“很”(more than usually or more than other things)解。请看下面的例证：
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This is a specially good wine. (CIDE) 这是一种特别好的酒。
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I enjoyed the evening, but the meal wasn't specially good. (ALD) 整个晚上我过得很高兴, 但那顿饭不怎么样。
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. . . a pub where the beer was specially good. (EED) ……一家啤酒特别好喝的酒店。
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I think you'll find this article especially/specially interesting. (Alexander) 我认为你会觉得这篇文章是特别有趣的。
上面的例句可以证明,上题的选项 B(specially) 是完全正确的。