壹、兩者的相同點:
1.用於“Somebody +be sure /certain about /of+...”結構,意為“某人確信某事,對某事有把握”,介詞後面多跟名詞和代詞。如:
I think so,but I”m not sure /certain of/ about it.我是這麽想的,但沒有把握。
2.用於“Somebody +be sure / certain +從句”結構,意為“某人對……有把握、對……能確信”。如:
You may be sure /certain that he is honest.妳可以確信他的誠實。
Are you sure / certain where he lives?妳能肯定他住在哪裏嗎?
I”m not sure /certain if he will come tomorrow.我對他明天是否會來沒有把握。
3.用於“Somebody +be sure /certain +連接代詞/連接副詞/whether to do
something”結構,意為“某人對……有把握、對……能確信”。如:
Are you sure /certain what to do next?妳對下壹步幹什麽有把握嗎?
I”m not sure how to translate the sentence.我對如何翻譯這個句子沒有把握。
I was not sure whether to go.我無法確定是去還是不去。
4.用於“Somebody /something +be sure /certain +to do
something”結構,意為“……壹定會……,肯定會……”。如:
He is sure /certain to be back soon.他壹定會很快回來的。
The problem is sure /certain to be solved.這個問題肯定會得到解決。
5.用於“Somebody +make sure /certain +從句”結構,意為“某人確定,搞清楚”。如:
She made sure /certain that she had turned off the gas.她確信已經把煤氣關上了。
You must make sure /certain when the train will leave.妳必須搞清楚火車什麽時候出發。
註意:在以上情況下,sure與certain可以換用,但sure常表示說話人的感覺,可能有懷疑、猜測成份,語氣壹般。而certain則表示說話人有充分的理由根據,語氣更肯定、堅決。
二、兩者的不同點:
1.在“It+be certain +to do something /從句”結構中,It是形式主語,此時壹般不用sure。如:
It is certain to take him a lot of time.肯定會占用他很多時間。
It is certain that two plus two makes four.二加二得四是確定無疑的。
2.“Be sure +to do something”結構,用於祈使句,這時壹般不用certain。如:
Be sure not to forget it.千萬別忘了。
3.作定語時,sure表示“可靠的,無疑的”。而certain修飾可數名詞時,意為“某壹,某些”,修飾抽象名詞時,意為“有點,有些”。如:
The student made a sure answer.學生作出了確鑿的回答。
A certain Brown is waiting for you at the gate.門口有個叫布朗的在等著妳。
Certain students have failed in the test.有些學生測驗沒及格。
There was certain coldness in her attitude towardsme.她對我的態度有點冷淡。
4.在口語中,sure可作副詞,用在肯定答語中,相當於surely、certainly, of course,而 certain不能用作副詞,如:Are you going? Sure.妳去嗎?當然啦。