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Hello!
大家好!
This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Ray in Hong Kong about the difference between two very similar sounding words “afflict” and “inflict.”
本周《名师答疑》，我们将回答中国香港的雷伊提出的一个问题，即这两个发音非常相似的单词afflict和inflict之间有什么区别。
Hello VOA Learning English, what is the difference is between “afflict” and “inflict?”
您好，美国之音英语学习栏目，afflict和inflict之间有什么区别？
Thank you, Ray from Hong Kong.
谢谢，来自中国香港的雷伊。
Thank you, Ray, for writing to us!
雷伊，谢谢你的来信！
These two words are often confused.
这两个词经常被混淆。
Not only do they sound the same — especially in fast speech — but they also have very similar meanings.
它们不仅听起来一样 -- 尤其是在语速快的时候 -- 而且它们的意思也非常相似。
Both of these verbs can mean, “to cause harm or to bring pain to.”
这两个动词都有“造成伤害或带来痛苦”的意思。
However, their correct use depends on who or what is doing the action and who or what is affected by the action.
然而，它们的正确用法取决于谁或什么东西在执行该动作，以及谁或什么东西受到该动作的影响。
The verb “inflict” takes a direct object.
动词inflict带直接宾语。
But that direct object is usually the harm that someone is suffering.
但这个直接宾语通常是某人正在遭受的伤害。
For example: Paper cuts always inflict much more pain than you expect.
例如：被纸划伤会比你想象的更疼。
Here the object of “inflict” is the pain from the paper cut.
在这里，inflict的宾语是被纸划伤造成的疼痛。
We often use a prepositional phrase starting with “on” to tell who is suffering the harm.
我们经常使用以on开头的介词短语来表示谁受到了伤害。
For example: The war inflicted suffering on the people.
例如：战争给人民带来了苦难。
“Inflict” can also mean, “to impose” or “force.”
inflict也可以指“强加”或“强迫”。
His job inflicts a lot of pressure on him, as he works very long days.
他的工作给他带来了很大的压力，因为他每天工作的时间很长。
I do not want to inflict my bad mood on you, so I'm going to stay home.
我不想把我的坏心情强加给你，所以我打算呆在家里。
Let us move on to “afflict!”
接着再看afflict！
The verb, “afflict,” also means “to cause harm to.” But the direct object of “afflict” is often the sufferer.
动词afflict也有“造成伤害”的意思。但afflict的直接宾语往往是受伤害的人。
COVID still afflicts many at-risk populations.
新冠肺炎仍困扰着许多高危人群。
Water-borne diseases sometimes afflict flood survivors.
水媒疾病有时会伤害洪水幸存者。
If “afflict” is used in the passive voice, we often use the preposition “with” followed by the cause of the harm.
如果在被动语态中使用afflict，通常用介词with，后跟导致伤害的原因。
For example: She was afflicted with depression for many months before asking for help.
例如：她被抑郁症折磨了好几个月，之后才寻求帮助。
My cat was afflicted with extreme sickness after he ate an insect.
我的猫在吃了一只昆虫后患上了严重的疾病。
Let’s review these two verbs.
让我们复习一下这两个动词。
For “inflict”: Someone or something inflicts harm, pain or damage on something else.
inflict：某人或某事对其他事物造成伤害、痛苦或损害。
For “afflict”: Something, like an illness, afflicts someone.
afflict：某物（如疾病）折磨着某人。
In the case of the passive voice, someone is afflicted with something that causes harm — like an illness.
在被动语态中，某人受到某种造成伤害的东西的困扰，比如疾病。
Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Ray!
雷伊，请让我们知道这些解释是否对你有帮助！
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
以上就是本期《名师答疑》。
I’m Faith Pirlo.
我是费思·皮尔洛。
