n.(名词)

1. 物质
2. 问题
3. 事情，事件
4. 事态，情势
5. 内容
6. 材料
7. 物品
8. 重要性
9. 素材
10. 主题
11. 物体
12. 毛病
13. 原因，理由
14. 根据
15. 邮件

v.(动词)

1. 有关系，相干，跟...有关系
2. 【医】化脓，出脓
3. 要紧，重要，至关紧要
4. 有重大影响
5. 有重要性，有重大关系

n.(名词)

1. [U]物质,物体 the material which makes up the world and everything in space which can be seen or touched
2. [U]题材,内容 a subject itself as opposed to the form in which it is spoken or written about
3. [C]事情,问题 affair; subject to which one gives attention
4. [S]困难,毛病,麻烦 a trouble or cause of pain, illness, etc.
5. [U]重要性 (of) importance

v.(动词)

1. vi. 要紧,有关系 be of importance

Noun:

1. a vaguely specified concern;

   "several matters to attend to"
   "it is none of your affair"
   "things are going well"
   

2. some situation or event that is thought about;

   "he kept drifting off the topic"
   "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"
   "it is a matter for the police"
   

3. that which has mass and occupies space;

   "physicists study both the nature of matter and the forces which govern it"
   

4. a problem;

   "is anything the matter?"
   

5. (used with negation) having consequence;

   "they were friends and it was no matter who won the games"
   

6. written works (especially in books or magazines);

   "he always took some reading matter with him on the plane"
   

Verb:

1. have weight; have import, carry weight;

   "It does not matter much"
   

1.事情;状况;问题
Amatter is a task, situation, or event which you have to deal with or think about, especially one that involves problems.

matter

e.g. It was clear that she wanted to discuss some privatematter...
很明显，她想谈些私事。
e.g. Until thematter is resolved the athletes will be ineligible to compete...
除非这个问题得以解决，否则这些运动员没有资格参加比赛。

2.事态;情况;局面
You usematters to refer to the situation you are talking about, especially when something is affecting the situation in some way.

e.g. If your ordinary life is out of control, then retreating into a cosy ritual will not improve matters...
如果正常生活都一团糟了，那么再讲究小情调根本无济于事。
e.g. If it would facilitate matters, I would be happy to come to New York...
如果对事态发展有利，我很乐意来纽约。

3.(是…的)问题;取决于…的问题;关乎…的问题
If you say that a situation isa matter of a particular thing, you mean that that is the most important thing to be done or considered when you are involved in the situation or explaining it.

e.g. History is always amatter of interpretation...
历史总是一种阐释角度的问题。
e.g. Observance of the law is amatter of principle for us...
守法是我们的一个原则问题。

4.(印刷或阅读的)材料
Printedmatter consists of books, newspapers, and other texts that are printed. Readingmatter consists of things that are suitable for reading, such as books and newspapers.

e.g. ...the Government's plans to levy VAT on printedmatter.
政府对印刷品征收增值税的计划
e.g. ...a rich variety of readingmatter.
种类繁多的阅读材料

5.(有形的)物质
matter is the physical part of the universe consisting of solids, liquids, and gases.

e.g. A proton is an elementary particle ofmatter.
质子是物质的基本粒子。
e.g. He has spent his career studying howmatter behaves at the fine edge between order and disorder.
他从事研究物质在有序与无序的细微临界处的行为变化。

6.(某一类型的)物质
You usematter to refer to a particular type of substance.

e.g. They feed mostly on decaying vegetablematter.
它们大多以腐烂的蔬菜为食。
e.g. ...wastematter from industries.
工业废料

7.麻烦事;问题
You usematter in expressions such as 'What's the matter?' or 'Is anything the matter?' when you think that someone has a problem and you want to know what it is.

e.g. Carole, what's thematter? You don't seem happy...
卡萝尔，出什么事了？你好像不开心。
e.g. What's thematter with your office?...
你们部门出什么事了吗？

8.(强调数量少、时间短)
You usematter in expressions such as 'a matter of weeks' when you are emphasizing how small an amount is or how short a period of time is.

matter

e.g. Within amatter of days she was back at work...
仅仅几天后，她又回去上班了。
e.g. He expected to be at East Grinstead station in amatter of hours...
他希望几个小时内可以到达东格林斯特德站。

9.有关系;要紧;有影响
If you say that something does notmatter, you mean that it is not important to you because it does not have an effect on you or on a particular situation.

e.g. A lot of the food goes on the floor but that doesn'tmatter...
许多食品掉在地板上，不过也没什么关系。
e.g. As for Laura and me, the colour of our skin has never mattered...
至于我和劳拉，肤色根本不是问题。

10. see also: grey matter;subject matter

11.另一码事；另一回事;不同情形
If you say that something isanother matter ora different matter, you mean that it is very different from the situation that you have just discussed.

e.g. Being responsible for one's own health is one thing, but being responsible for another person's health is quite a differentmatter...
对自己的健康负责是一回事，对他人的健康负责就完全是另一回事了。
e.g. You have no business going into such places all by yourselves. If your parents take you, of course, that's anothermatter.
你们不该自己去这些地方。不过如果是父母带你们去的，那就另当别论了。

12.出于（时间）的考虑;作为（紧急）事件（处理）
If you are going to do somethingas a matter of urgency or priority, you are going to do it as soon as possible, because it is important.

e.g. Your doctor and health visitor can help a great deal and you need to talk about it with them as amatter of urgency.
你的医生和家访护士会帮很大的忙。你应该和他们谈一谈，这是当务之急。

13.难事;并非易事
If something isno easy matter, it is difficult to do it.

e.g. Choosing the colour for the drawing-room walls was no easymatter.
选择客厅墙壁的颜色绝非易事。

14.此事已定;(事情)到此为止，到此结束
If someone saysthat's the end of the matter orthat's an end to the matter, they mean that a decision that has been taken must not be changed or discussed any more.

e.g. 'He's moving in here,' Maria said. 'So that's the end of thematter.'
“他就要搬来住了，”玛丽亚说，“那么就这么定了。”

15.事实真相是;真实情况是
You usethe fact of the matter is orthe truth of the matter is to introduce a fact which supports what you are saying or which is not widely known, for example because it is a secret.

e.g. The fact of thematter is that most people consume far more protein than they actually need...
真实的情况是，大多数人摄入的蛋白质比他们实际所需的多出许多。
e.g. The truth of thematter is that he was having an identity crisis when he met Carina.
实际情况是，他认识卡丽娜时正在迷失自我。

16.同样;而且
You can usefor that matter to emphasize that the remark you are making is true in the same way as your previous, similar remark.

e.g. The irony was that Shawn had not seen her. Nor for thatmatter had anyone else...
具有讽刺意味的是，肖恩并没有见过她，别人也同样如此。
e.g. A great deal of hard work was done and, for thatmatter, is continuing.
大量艰苦的工作已经完成，同样，大量艰苦的工作也仍在继续。

17.不要紧;没关系
You say 'it doesn't matter' to tell someone who is apologizing to you that you are not angry or upset, and that they should not worry.

e.g. 'Did I wake you?' — 'Yes, but it doesn'tmatter.'
“我把你吵醒了？”——“是的，不过没关系。”

18.都行;无所谓;随便
You say 'it doesn't matter' when someone offers you a choice between two or more things and you do not mind which is chosen.

e.g. 'Steve, what do you want?' — 'Coke, Pepsi, it doesn'tmatter.'
“史蒂夫，你要喝点什么？”——“可口可乐，百事，随便啦。”

19.正经事；非同儿戏
If you say that something isno laughing matter, you mean that it is very serious and not something that you should laugh or joke about.

e.g. Their behaviour is an offence. It's no laughingmatter.
他们这么做是犯罪，这可不是开玩笑的。

20.使情况变得更糟
If you say that somethingmakes matters worse, you mean that it makes a difficult situation even more difficult.

e.g. Don't let yourself despair; this will only makematters worse...
不要想不开，这样只能使情况变得更糟。
e.g. To make matters worse, it started to rain again.
更糟的是，又开始下雨了。

21.没关系;不要紧
You say 'no matter' after you have just asked a question or mentioned an idea or doubt and you have decided that it is not really important, interesting, or worth discussing.

matter

e.g. 'Didn't you ever read the book?' Keating shook his head. 'Well, nomatter.'...
“你从没看过这本书？”基廷摇了摇头。“嗯，没关系。”
e.g. 'Shoddy workmanship these days,' he remarked. 'Nomatter, it will still bear my weight.'
“现如今的做工实在是差劲，”他说，“无所谓了，好歹还撑得住我的体重。”

22.不管…;无论…
You useno matter in expressions such as 'no matter how' and 'no matter what' to say that something is true or happens in all circumstances.

e.g. Nomatter what your age, you can lose weight by following this program...
不论年龄多大，都可以按这套方案来减肥。
e.g. Nomatter how often they were urged, they could not bring themselves to join in...
就算别人说破了嘴皮，他们就是不加入。

23.不管怎样;无论如何
If you say that you are going to do somethingno matter what, you are emphasizing that you are definitely going to do it, even if there are obstacles or difficulties.

e.g. He had decided to publish the manuscript nomatter what...
他决定无论如何都要出版那部手稿。
e.g. I vowed then, nomatter what, I would never be like those people.
于是我发誓，无论如何，我和他们那种人都不会成为一丘之貉。

24.看法问题;看法因人而异的事情
If you say that a statement isa matter of opinion, you mean that it is not a fact, and that other people, including yourself, do not agree with it.

e.g. 'We're not that contrived. We're not that theatrical.' — 'That's amatter of opinion.'
“我们没那么造作，也没那么夸张。”——“见仁见智喽。”

25.(只是)时间的问题（用于说明某事必定发生）
If you say that something is justa matter of time, you mean that it is certain to happen at some time in the future.

e.g. It would be only amatter of time before he went through with it.
他完成这件事只是时间问题。

26. amatter of life and death -> see death
as amatter of course -> see course
as amatter of fact -> see fact
mind overmatter -> see mind

1. matter

1. 事情：我们一生之中, 要牢记和要忘记的东西(thing)一样多; 记忆存在细胞(cell)里, 在身体里面, 与肉体永不分离(separation), 要摧毁它, 等于玉石俱焚; 然而, 有些事情(matter)必须牢记, 忘记痛苦(misery)(misery),

1. matter is the opposite of mind.
   物质与精神相对。
2. matter is primary and mind is secondary.
   物质是第一性的,精神是第二性的。
3. The river is rich in organic matter.
   这条河里有丰富的有机物质。
4. The entire universe is made up of different kinds of matter.
   整个宇宙是由各种物质构成的。
5. matter and energy are equal and interchangeable.
   物质和能量是相等的,并可相互转换。
6. What's the subject matter of today's debate?
   今天辩论的内容是什么?
7. The book contains much useless matter.
   这本书里有许多无用的东西。
8. I find much matter for reflection in this book.
   我在这本书中发现许多值得思考的东西。
9. Perfection of form cannot excuse poverty of matter.
   不能用形式完整来为内容贫乏辩解。
10. The matter in your composition is quite good but the writing is not lucid enough.
    你的作文内容很好,但文字不够简单明了。
11. I must take some suitable reading matter for the journey.
    我必须带些合适的读物在旅途中阅读。
12. The room is furnished with good reading matter.
    房间里备有良好的读物。
13. The matter admits of no delay.
    此事刻不容缓。
14. I don't talk to my employer about private matters.
    我不跟我的雇主谈私事。
15. It is a matter of regret that you couldn't come there on time.
    你不能按时到达那儿是一件遗憾的事。
16. Some people adopted a wait-and-see policy in this matter.
    在这件事上,有些人采取了观望的态度。
17. It is difficult to argue the matter without hurting her feelings.
    就这件事进行争论而又不伤她的感情是困难的。
18. It relates to a matter of time.
    这涉及一个时间的问题。
19. Not much the matter.
    没有什么事情。
20. That is a decision of little matter.
    那是一个不重要的决定。
21. It's a matter of duty.
    这是个责任问题。
22. That is his matter for complaint.
    那正是他抱怨的原因。
23. There is no matter for wonder.
    没有惊奇的理由。
24. matters went rapidly from bad to worse.
    情况急剧地恶化。
25. This will make matters worse.
    用这种方法将会使情况更加恶化。
26. They kept quiet about it until matters took a disturbing new turn.
    他们对此始终保持沉默,直到情况发生了令人不安的新转折。
27. You should adapt yourself for new ways of looking at matters.
    你应当适应于对事情的新的看法。
28. You must have something the matter with your eyes.
    你的眼睛一定有点毛病。
29. Is there anything the matter with him?
    他出了什么事吗?

用作不及物动词S+～(+A)

1. Age doesn't matter.
   年龄无关紧要。
2. All these things do not matter now.
   现在所有这些事情都不重要了。
3. What they say matters little.
   他们的话无关紧要。
4. It doesn't matter.
   这不碍事。
5. It doesn't matter much.
   没有多大关系。
6. It does not matter at all.
   毫无关系。
7. I wasn't able to speak to her before she left—not that it matters though, because I can phone her tonight.
   我未能在她离开前同她谈话,但这并不重要,因为今晚还能给她打电话。
8. “I'm sorry; I am two minutes late.”“It doesn't matter.”
   “对不起,我迟到了2分钟。”“没关系。”
9. The cut got dirty and after a few days began to matter.
   伤口弄脏了,几天后就开始化脓。

It+～+ v -ing

1. It doesn't matter hurting myself a little bit.
   我受点伤,不要紧。

It+～+that/wh-clause

1. It had never mattered much to her that she had not had a formal education.
   她未受过正规教育,这对她来说从来没有多大关系。
2. If a person does his best it doesn't matter what people think of him.
   如果一个人尽了他最大的努力,那么人们如何看他并没关系。
3. It does not matter who wins.
   无论谁赢都无关紧要。
4. It doesn't matter how you're dressed.
   你穿得怎样并没关系。

It+～+if/whether-clause

1. What does it matter if it rains?
   下雨有啥要紧?
2. It doesn't matter if I miss my train, because there's another later.
   如果我错过了我那趟火车,没关系,晚些时候还有一趟。
3. It doesn't matter much whether we go together or separately.
   我们一起去还是分头去都可以。

It+～+to sb+wh-clause

1. Does it matter to you what people say?
   别人说什么你在乎吗?
2. It doesn't matter to me whether to go by ship or train.
   乘船还是乘火车对我来说都可以。

a matter of fact

事实上 the truth

a matter of life and death

生死攸关的事情；成败的关键 issue that is crucial to survival,success,etc.

a matter of opinion

看法不同的见解 sth about which people hold different views

as a matter of conscience

从道德观点出发 thinking of sth according to conscience

as a matter of course

自然,通常 naturally

as a matter of fact

事实上,其实 in truth

as a matter of routine

按照惯例 routinely

be a matter of

问题的关键是… be a question of what is necessary

be a matter of time

迟早要发生 will happen sooner or later

be the matter with

成为困难〔问题〕 be the difficulty〔problem〕

for that matter

就那件事而论,关于那一点 concerning that

(in) a matter of

大约,左右 about; or so

in the matter of

在…方面; 就…而论 about sth

matter in question

正在考虑〔讨论〕的问题 point being considered〔discussed〕

no laughing matter

需要严肃对待的事,正经事 serious thing

no matter

不管,不论 regardless of

no matter what

无论如何,不管怎样 whatever

not to mince matters

坦率地说 to be frank

what's the matter?

怎么回事?怎么啦? what is the problem?what is wrong?

matter about (v.+prep.)

对…重要 be important to (sb)
matter about sb/sth/v-ing

It doesn't matter about me; I can walk.

不要管我,我能走。

It doesn't matter about the price, buy it, whatever it costs.

不要考虑价钱,无论花多少钱,都买吧。

Is the idea clear?It does not matter about the actual numbers.

概念清楚了吗?具体数字倒没什么关系。

It doesn't matter if you close the door.

关门没关系。

matter to (v.+prep.)

对…重要 be important to (sb)
matter to sb/sth

My health matters more to my doctor than to my family.

我的健康状况对医生比对我家里人更为重要。

That was what mattered most to him.

那是对他至关重要的事。

It matters little to me.

这对我无所谓。

It matters greatly to our relationship.

这事对你我之间的关系影响重大。

I don't think anybody matters to her apart from herself.

我认为除了她自己以外,别人对她无关紧要。

• He vsed no golde but pure beryll and christall, and other like mattier to drinke in.

  出自：T. Elyot

• He was still unpersuaded that his own fate mattered very much.

  出自：V. Brome

• She hadn't brought her glasses with her; not that it really mattered.

  出自：R. Ingalls

I don't talk with my boss about my private matters.

我不和我的老板谈私事。

She reluctantly agreed to let the matter drop.

她勉强同意这事到此为止。

He reconsidered his decision for the new development of the matter.

他根据事态的发展重新考虑自已的决定.

Is anything the matter?

有什么问题吗？

I want to speak to her in the matter of my salary.

我想跟她谈谈我的薪水问题。

This discussion is on a matter of considerable interest to me.

这次讨论的是对我很有关系的事。

matter can change from one state to another.

物质能从一种状态变成另一种状态。

It is no matter whether he comes or not.

他来不来都无关紧要。

Does it matter what you do next ?

你下一步所做的事关系重大吗?

What matter if they meet with some difficulties?

即使他们遇到一些困难，那又有什么关系呢?

As long as you are happy, it doesn't matter what you will do.

只要你高兴,你干什么都不要紧。

It was clear that she wanted to discuss some private matter...

很明显，她想谈些私事。

Until the matter is resolved the athletes will be ineligible to compete...

除非这个问题得以解决，否则这些运动员没有资格参加比赛。

If your ordinary life is out of control, then retreating into a cosy ritual will not improve matters...

如果正常生活都一团糟了，那么再讲究小情调根本无济于事。

If it would facilitate matters, I would be happy to come to New York...

如果对事态发展有利，我很乐意来纽约。

History is always a matter of interpretation...

历史总是一种阐释角度的问题。

Observance of the law is a matter of principle for us...

守法是我们的一个原则问题。

...the Government's plans to levy VAT on printed matter.

政府对印刷品征收增值税的计划

...a rich variety of reading matter.

种类繁多的阅读材料

A proton is an elementary particle of matter.

质子是物质的基本粒子。

He has spent his career studying how matter behaves at the fine edge between order and disorder.

他从事研究物质在有序与无序的细微临界处的行为变化。

They feed mostly on decaying vegetable matter.

它们大多以腐烂的蔬菜为食。

...waste matter from industries.

工业废料

Carole, what's the matter? You don't seem happy...

卡萝尔，出什么事了？你好像不开心。

What's the matter with your office?...

你们部门出什么事了吗？

Within a matter of days she was back at work...

仅仅几天后，她又回去上班了。

He expected to be at East Grinstead station in a matter of hours...

他希望几个小时内可以到达东格林斯特德站。

A lot of the food goes on the floor but that doesn't matter...

许多食品掉在地板上，不过也没什么关系。

As for Laura and me, the colour of our skin has never mattered...

至于我和劳拉，肤色根本不是问题。

Being responsible for one's own health is one thing, but being responsible for another person's health is quite a different matter...

对自己的健康负责是一回事，对他人的健康负责就完全是另一回事了。

You have no business going into such places all by yourselves. If your parents take you, of course, that's another matter.

你们不该自己去这些地方。不过如果是父母带你们去的，那就另当别论了。

Your doctor and health visitor can help a great deal and you need to talk about it with them as a matter of urgency.

你的医生和家访护士会帮很大的忙。你应该和他们谈一谈，这是当务之急。

Choosing the colour for the drawing-room walls was no easy matter.

选择客厅墙壁的颜色绝非易事。

'He's moving in here,' Maria said. 'So that's the end of the matter.'

“他就要搬来住了，”玛丽亚说，“那么就这么定了。”

The fact of the matter is that most people consume far more protein than they actually need...

真实的情况是，大多数人摄入的蛋白质比他们实际所需的多出许多。

The truth of the matter is that he was having an identity crisis when he met Carina.

实际情况是，他认识卡丽娜时正在迷失自我。

The irony was that Shawn had not seen her. Nor for that matter had anyone else...

具有讽刺意味的是，肖恩并没有见过她，别人也同样如此。

A great deal of hard work was done and, for that matter, is continuing.

大量艰苦的工作已经完成，同样，大量艰苦的工作也仍在继续。

'Did I wake you?' 'u2014 'Yes, but it doesn't matter.'

“我把你吵醒了？”——“是的，不过没关系。”

'Steve, what do you want?' 'u2014 'Coke, Pepsi, it doesn't matter.'

“史蒂夫，你要喝点什么？”——“可口可乐，百事，随便啦。”

Their behaviour is an offence. It's no laughing matter.

他们这么做是犯罪，这可不是开玩笑的。

n.(名词)

1. matter的基本含义是指与精神相对的“物质,物体”,泛指构成客观物体或宇宙的所有物质,在物理学上指由很少的几种基本粒子构成的物质,在哲学上则指与意识相对的物质,是不可数名词,表静态概念。
2. matter也可指思想或表达的“题材”,书籍、演说等的“内容”,与“形式”相对,是不可数名词。
3. matter也可作“事情”解,有时可转化为“问题”解。the matter指“麻烦事,困难,毛病”,在句中可用作表语或后置定语,常用在what, something, anything或nothing后。复数形式matters意为“情形,事态”,而不是“多件事”。
4. matter还可作“重要性”解,为不可数名词,有时也可作“原因”“理由”解。
5. (in) a matter of还可与表示时间、距离、金钱的词连用,意为“…左右,…上下”,有“很少”的意味。

v.(动词)

1. matter是不及物动词,基本意思是“对人们有重大关系,要紧”“重要,有严重性”。
2. matter常用于以it作形式主语的结构中,其真实主语一般为现在分词短语、that从句、wh-从句或if/whether从句。
3. 在回答别人的道歉时,应该说It doesn't matter,不说no matter。
4. matter用于医学上,指“化脓”。
5. matter是表示静态的动词,一般不用于进行体。

n.(名词)

in a matter of, in the matter of

两者不容混淆:in a matter of的意思是“只消,不过”; 而in the matter of的意思是“关于,对于”。例如:

You can finish the course in a matter of weeks.你只消几周就能学完这门课程。

Jimmy has a name in the matter of enthusiasm in work.吉米的工作干劲是有名的。

matter, affair, business, concern, thing

这组词在含糊地指那些所做的事时意义相近,常可互换。例如：

It is a regretful affair〔business, concern, matter, thing〕.这是一件遗憾的事。

I don't talk to her about private affairs〔business, concerns, matters, things〕.我从不和她谈私事。

它们之间的区别在于：

1.从模糊程度上看, affair＜matter＜thing, thing的词义最不确切,常可用在有意使概念含混不清的场合。例如：

How did you find things in America?你觉得美国怎样?

2.从含义上看, affair强调运行或操作过程,如一道程序,一笔交易,一个行动,一项事业等。business强调职责关系,例如：

It is her business to take good care of the baby.看护好这个婴儿是她的职责。

concern强调利害相关,例如：

It is no concern of mine.此事与我无关。

matter强调必须考虑和处理,例如：

We have a lot of matters to do.我们有许多事情要做。

thing则是一般用语,口语中常表示说话内容预先未考虑好或说话者力图掩饰自己的观点,例如：

I've another thing to talk with you.我还有一件事跟你说。

3.从用法上看, business不能用复数,而affair在指重大的或头绪较多的事务时则需要用复数。

4.从搭配范围上看,与foreign、international、state等词连用时只能用affair,在短语have an affair with sb (与某人有不正当男女关系)中也只能用affair。在指商业上的生意和活动或指“公事”“正事”时只能用business,例如：

It's a pleasure to do business with you.很高兴和你做生意。

Business before pleasure.公事比娱乐要紧。

口语中作“出了毛病”“失常”解时,只能用matter而不能用affair和business,例如：

What's the matter with you?你怎么啦?

在泛指“东西”“物品”时,用affair和thing均可。例如：

And these Tubes were convenient things〔affairs〕.而这地下铁道是非常方便的东西。

matter, material, stuff, substance

这组词都可表示“物质”。其区别在于:

1.matter泛指构成客观物体或宇宙的所有物质。在物理学上指由很少的几种基本粒子构成的物质; 在哲学上则指与mind(意识)相对的物质。例如:

matter occupies space.物质占据空间。

2.stuff, material和substance都可指构成或制作某物的材料或零件, material特指人造制品的制作原料, substance则指某种可使某物具有某种特性的特殊物质。例如:

Hope is the stuff that dreams are made of.希望正是构成理想的材料。

The tips of matches are covered with chemical substance.火柴头上包着一层化学物质。

3.material还可指文学创作的素材,而其他的词却无此义。例如:

He is now collecting material for a biography of Du Fu.他正在为写作杜甫传记而收集资料。

4.stuff是日常用语,不用于科技文体中,而其他的词则可用作科技术语。例如:

He was told to move his stuff out of the room.人家叫他把他的东西搬出房间去。

v.(动词)

下面两个句子意思不同:

It doesn't matter about me.

不必为我担心。

It doesn't matter to me.

我不在乎。

affair，business，matter，concern，thing

这些名词均含“事情”之意。

affair含义较广，侧重指已发生或必须去做的任何事情或事务。复数形式多指重大或较复杂的事务。

business通常指较重要或较难而又必须承担的事情，也可指商事。

matter普通用词，着重指一件考虑中的或需要处理的事。

concern往往强调与个人或团体利害有直接或重大关系的事。

thing用作“事情”解时，词义较笼统、含糊，多用于指不很具体的事。

material，matter，substance，stuff

这些名词均含“物质，东西”之意。

material通常指组成客观存在物的部分或其原料。

matter通常指构成实物的物质，与精神相对立。在科学上，指占有空间，并能以某种方式被感官觉察的一切东西。

substance多指某一种形式的物质，既可指元素也可指化合物。

stuff多用于日常生活中，非正式用词，常指构成整体的所有部分、物体或项目，有时指劣等材料，含轻蔑意味。

problem，question，issue，matter

这些名词均含“问题”之意。

problem指客观上存在的、难以处理或难以理解的问题。

question通常指用口头或书面提出来要求回答或有待讨论解决的问题。

issue多指意见能达到一致的问题，但要通过争论或讨论解决。

matter含义不很具体，暗示人们考虑和关心的事和话题。

n.(名词)

物质世界是由物质组成的。

误 The physical world is composed of matters.

正 The physical world is composed of matter.

析 matter作“物质”解时是不可数名词。

你怎么啦?

误 What's the matter to you?

正 What's the matter with you?

收音机没有什么毛病。

误 There wasn't any matter with the radio.

正 There was nothing the matter with the radio.

析 the matter with为固定搭配,表示“…出了毛病”。

事实上,他在假装睡觉。

误 As the matter of fact he was pretending to be asleep.

正 As a matter of fact he was pretending to be asleep.

析 as a matter of fact是固定说法,表示“事实上”。

我有几件事要做。

误 I have several matters to do.

正 I have several things to do.

析 matter虽可用作可数名词,并可说a matter,但不可说two matters, several matters,可改用two things, several things。

无论你给那个孩子什么东西,他都会吃的。

误 The child will eat no matter what you give him.

正 The child will eat whatever you give him.

析 no matter what引起的从句不能作主语或宾语,而whatever可以引导主语从句或宾语从句。

问题是车内没有位置容纳你,所以我们无法带你一起去。

误 The matter is that we won't have enough room in the car to take you with us.

正 The problem is that we won't have enough room in the car to take you with us.

析 the matter作“问题”或“麻烦”解时不用作主语。

v.(动词)

你来不来对他都无关紧要。

误 It doesn't matter with him whether you will come or not.

正 It doesn't matter to him whether you will come or not.

析 表示“…对某人无关紧要”,应该说It doesn't matter to sb,其中介词 to 不能改用with。

• ☆ 1300年左右进入英语，直接源自殖英诺曼底语的matere；最初源自古典拉丁语的materia，意为一颗树的硬实的树心，组成事物的材料。