这一对形容词的拼法和读音有点相近,但涵义和使用场合却大不相同。
Eligible/'eliDN+bl/的意思"合格的"、"合适的"、"可采用的"(qualified,suitable or fit to be chosen)。它的副词是'eligibly,名词是?eligi'bility。例:
Mr.Lin is eligible for the election.
Ms.Wang is an eligible candidate for this vacant position.
They are seeking for an eligible young man for the governor's daughter.
Illegible/i'leDNibl/的意思是"难读的"、"难辨认的"(difficult or impossible to read or distinguish)。它的副词是il'legibly,名词是il'legibility。例:
I really cannot make out his illegible handwriting.
Do you know this Chinese character?It's so illegible that no one can recognize it!
现将eligible和illegible用在一个句子里,以便区分:
A person might be eligible for a certain appointment despite his illegible handwriting.
一个人的字体尽管写得潦草,可是他可能适合担任某一种工作。
请注意,unreadable的意义和illegible相近,但涵义并不相同。unreadable是"索然无味,不值一读"(not interesting enough to read),而illegible是"字体潦草,难以辨认"(not plain enough to be deciphered)。下面举一例以说明unreadable的使用场合:
It seems to me today's editorial is unreadable.