divide和separate的纠葛

divide和separate的纠葛

目前，国内出版的一些英语辨析词典和教辅书上，都对divide和separate这两个词作了明确的辨析。说它们在词义和用法上有很大差别：divide是“把…分成几部分”；而separate是“把……分隔开来”。而且divide只能跟into连用，构成句式divide…into；separate只能跟from连用，构成句式separate…from。

有一次，去一所学校听英语示范课，有位老师也讲了这个问题，例句恰巧是人教版高中英语课本上的两个句子：

England can be divided into three main zones. (必修5第二单元，Pre-reading)

这位老师也讲到了divide和separate的区别，其观点跟上面提到的书上说法一致。

事实果真如此吗？　　

实际上，这两个词是同义词，没有什么本质上的差别。现实英语中根本不像词典和教辅书上说的那样有很大差别。它们都可以跟from连用，意思都是“把…分隔开来”；它们也都可以跟into连用，意思都是“把…分成几个部分”。例如：　　

1. The hospital had to separate the patients from the others. = The hospital had to divide the patients from the others. 医院不得不把病人和其他人隔离开来。(在这里separate…from与divide…from相同)

2. The largest landmass is usually divided into two continents along the 　Ural Mountains　. = The largest landmass is usually separated into two continents along the 　Ural Mountains　. 最大的陆地通常沿乌拉山脉分成两个大陆。(在这里divide…into与separate…into相同)

在现实语言中，这样的用法可以说比比皆是，信手沾来。例如：

1. divide…from…代替separate…from的例句　　

The sick has to be divided from others. 必须把这个病人和其他人隔离开。

Mr. Green's courtyard is divided from mine by a high wall.一堵高墙把格林先生的庭院和我的庭院分开了。

His study is divided from the living-room by a thin wooden partition.他的书房是用薄板从起居室分隔而成的。

Column titles are divided from the rest of the worksheet by a horizontal line.通过一条水平线将标题与其余部分分开。

I am divided from mankind, and know nothing about the colorful world.我现在与世隔绝，对五彩缤纷的世界一无所知。

Individual benefit can not be divided from the collective.个人的利益是与集体的利益分不开的。

With the adjustment of structure and the reallocation of educational sources, professional education is divided from general education. 随着教育结构的调整和教育资源的重新配置，职教已从普教中分离出来了。

2. separate…into代替 divide…into的例句　　

The land was separated into small fields. 那块地被分割为小块的田地。

The party was separated into three cars. 一行人分乘三部车子。

We were separated into several different search parties. 我们分成几个搜索小组。

The children were separated into groups for thegame. 那些儿童分成小组做游戏。

The code is separated into discrete source files.这些代码被分隔成离散的源文件。

The house has been separated into different flats.这所房子已被分成几套不同的公寓房间。

The test was separated into three divisions. 试题分为三个部分。

The wine cabinet is separated into 6 zones. 酒柜被分成6个小区域。

The personnel are separated into part-timer and full-time staff. 全体职工分为非全日工制和全日制工作人员。

Tea leaves are separated into classes according to size and so marketed. 茶叶按叶子的大小划分为若干等级，并照此销售。(www.hxen.net)