这两个词都表示"活着的"、"有生命的"(having life)意思,词义相同,但用法有所不同。
Alive是表语形容词,放在verb"to be"之后,不能放在它所说明的名词之前。例如我们只可以说 The old man is still alive。Living既可用作表语形容词,又可用作定语形容词,故可放在它所修饰的名词之前。
我们既可以说:
English is a living language.
也可以说:
Is his father still living?
就使用场合而言,alive大都用于人,有时用作比喻或强调时也用于物。例如:
Given the chance to sing on stage,he is very much alive.
The bazaar was all alive by the time we arrived.
就词性而言,alive只能用作形容词,不能作名词;living既可作形容词,又可作名词。例:
Many people were burnt alive in the conflagration that happened in a multi-storeyed building.
Our living standards are rising steadily.
Those who enjoy a good living seldom understand the suffering of the poor.
在某些场合下,living和alive表示的涵义并不相同,尽管它们都用作表语。例如:
At last we found him in a trap in the forest,still living but not alive.
通过对比,可以看出,living之意是"活的";alive 之意是"有气息的"。这里的not alive表示人虽然还活着,但已"气息奄奄"、"没有生气"了。
Alive有时尚可表示"alert""感觉到的"、"敏感的"涵义。如:
He is alive to the imminent danger.