核心问题
有人说只有 be sure of 的说法,而无 be sure about 的说法。是这样吗?
词典解答
英语里 be sure of 和 be sure about 这两种说法都是存在的,而且意思也大致相同:“对……有把握”“确信”“肯定”。但是,be sure of 可以后跟 doing sth.,而 be sure about 却不能后跟 doing sth.,而只能跟表示人或物的名词或代词:
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George is sure of passing his exam. (RGSE) 乔治确信他能通过考试。
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If you are not sure of the answer to a question, make the best guess that you can. 要是你对某一问题的答案没有把握,就尽可能地做最好的猜想。
be sure to do
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I shall certainly be present at the meeting, but I am not sure about my wife. (i.e. whether she will be present.) 我肯定要参加这个会。至于我妻子,我说不准。
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Do you feel sure about it? (Palmer) 你对这件事有把握吗?
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I'm not sure about(of) his ability to cope with this. (Chambers) 我对于他处理这件事的能力没有把握。
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I can't be sure about him. (Duden) 我不可能对他有把握。