詞彙精選：earnest的用法和辨析
一、詳細釋義：
adj.
認真的，熱心的，誠摯的，真摯的
例句：
Ella was a pious, earnest woman.
埃拉是個虔誠、認真的女人。
例句：
Despite their earnest efforts, they still struggle to win support.
儘管已盡心竭力，他們仍然無法贏得支持。
重要的
例句：
Life is real, life is earnest.
人生是真實的，人生是重要的。
例句：
In life's earnest battle they only prevail, who daily march onward and never say fail.
生活中最重要的戰役需要不斷前進永不放棄纔會取勝。
n.
認真，熱心，誠摯
例句：
I'm in deadly earnest.
我是非常認真的。
例句：
He is going about his work in earnest.
他在認真地做工作。
定金，保證金
例句：
Can you pay some earnest first?
你能不能交一些定金呢？
例句：
He has paid earnest on a house.
他已經爲購房付了定金。
二、詞義辨析：
earnest,serious,grave,severe,solemn,sober
這些形容詞均有“嚴肅的”之意。earnest指嚴肅，認真，含誠懇和熱情意味。serious指具有關鍵、嚴肅或嚴重意義的事情。grave側重嚴肅和尊嚴，需要認真思考，含令人擔憂意味。severe指面孔的嚴肅，法律的嚴厲，傷病的嚴重。着重嚴厲性，無絲毫溫情。solemn指人表情或場景氣氛嚴肅，側重威嚴名印象深刻。sober側重因控制或抑制自己的感情而表現出的莊重。
三、相關短語：
earnest money
n. 定金
in earnest
adv. 認真地，誠摯地，鄭重地
四、參考例句：
an earnest Christian
虔誠的基督徒
Ella was a pious, earnest woman.
埃拉是個虔誠、認真的女人。
Mrs. White is earnest about community work.
懷特太太對社區工作十分熱心。
Can you pay some earnest first?
你能不能交一些定金呢？
Perhaps neither party was in earnest.
看來雙方都不是真心誠意。
He has paid earnest on a house.
他已經爲購房付了定金。
Life is illusionless! Life is earnest!
生命不是虛幻的！生活是嚴肅的！
Are you teasing or in earnest?
你是開玩笑還是當真？
Despite their earnest efforts, they still struggle to win support.
儘管已盡心竭力，他們仍然無法贏得支持。
Her teacher likes her for she is an earnest student.
她的老師喜歡她，因爲她是個非常認真的學生。
