你問我答
如何形容 “臭”：foetid、stench、stink、 odour、reek、pong、smelly
內容簡介
一位聽眾想要了解 6 種形容 “臭” 的單詞有哪些不同。Foetid、stench、stink、odour、reek、pong 和 smelly 意義相近，但依據不同地區的語言習慣、詞性、場合和頻率等使用方式略有區別。如果你也想學習這些單詞的使用方法，就請接下來收聽本期 “你問我答” 節目。
文字稿
（關于臺詞的備注: 請注意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）
Buli
大家好，歡迎收聽 BBC 英語教學的 “你問我答” 節目。I'm Buli.
Phil
And I'm Phil. We have a question from one of our listeners.
Question
Dear BBC 英語教學: I would like to distinguish some words about “臭氣/臭味/臭的” —— foetid, stench, stink, odour, reek, pong, smelly. Thank you.
Phil
This is a brilliant question because, if you look for these words in a dictionary, you'll find very similar definitions for each, and that means it can be difficult to know which one to use.
Buli
是的，問題中提到的這些單詞確實有一定區別。不光在含義、使用頻率和場合上，它們的應用還可能根據不同地區人們的語言習慣而有所不同。
Phil
So, let's start with the biggest difference - almost all of these words always relate to a bad smell. But there is one exception. An 'odour' can be a bad smell, but it's not always the case. And it can be used in spoken and written language.
Buli
“Odour” 既可以用在書面用語中，也可以用在口語里，表達 “氣味” 或 “臭味”。讓我們來聽下面的例句。
Examples
When we smell a familiar odour, it can trigger happy memories.
（當我們聞到熟悉的氣味時，可能會勾起些快樂的回憶。）
Perfumers are always finding creative ways to produce sweet odours.
（調香師總是在探索創造性的方法來制作芳香的氣味。）
Body odour can be an embarrassing problem.
（體臭可能是一個令人尷尬的問題。）
Buli
上面的例子向我們展示了用 “odour” 表達氣味時，具體是香味還是臭味需要結合語境來判斷。比如 “sweet odour” 就可以表示 “芳香的氣味”，而 “embarrassing body odour” 就變成了 “令人尷尬的體臭”。除此之外，“odour” 也是在科學和技術領域最常見的表達 “氣味” 的詞匯。
Phil
OK. So, that's 'odour', which is a noun. Now let's look at an adjective, and that's 'smelly'. It's fairly common, and it's neither formal or informal, and it can be used in most contexts, but it does only refer to a bad smell.
Buli
形容事物是 “有臭味的” 時，“smelly” 是最常用的一個單詞。一起來聽接下來的例句。
Examples
Your food is really smelly. Can you go and eat that somewhere else?
（你吃的東西太難聞了，你能不能到其它地方吃？）
This room is quite smelly because it's got a damp problem.
（這間屋子有些難聞，因為它有潮氣的問題。）
Buli
“Smelly” 的使用范圍非常廣泛，特別是搭配 “quite” 和 “really” 等表示程度的副詞時，可以更加準確地形容臭味的程度。在描述強烈的臭味時，我們還可以使用一個更精準的單詞：“foetid”。
Phil
The adjective 'foetid', which is usually spelled f-o-e-t-i-d in British English, is most likely to be found in descriptive writing – it's quite formal. It is used to describe something that smells really bad.
Buli
“Foetid” 是書面用語，用于形容 “令人惡心的惡臭”，帶有一定的文學色彩。請聽例句。
Examples
After crashing through the trees, they came across a foetid swamp that they couldn't cross.
（轟然穿過樹林后，他們偶然發現了一片無法穿越的惡臭沼澤。）
The beast's breath smelled more and more foetid as they got closer.
（隨著他們愈發接近，那頭野獸的氣息聞著更加惡臭。）
Buli
例句中用 “foetid” 來形容神秘的沼澤和野獸的呼吸，聽起來就覺得太臭啦！那么，同樣能用來表達臭味的單詞 “stench” 和 “stink” 又是如何區分的呢？
Phil
As nouns, 'stench' and 'stink' have a very similar meaning - they are both a very bad smell, and they are both often used with the adjective 'overpowering' - giving the idea that a stench or a stink is a smell that is so bad, it can stop you doing anything! The big difference between these two words is that 'stink' can be used as a verb. And that isn't possible with 'stench'.
Buli
“Stench” 和 “stink” 都可以用來指令你難以呼吸的臭味，比如 “an overpowering stench/stink（一股無法抵擋的臭氣）”。它們的最大區別就是 “stink” 還可以用作動詞，而 “stench” 則只能作為名詞使用。請聽例句。
Examples
The pipe had burst and there was an overpowering stench. It really stank.
（因為管道發生了爆裂，所以那里極其惡臭。實在太熏人了。）
Well done, you've got rid of the stink that was in here earlier.
（做得好，你把之前這里的臭味除干凈了。）
The factory gave off a terrible stench.
（工廠散發出一股難聞的惡臭。）
Buli
需要提醒大家的是，“stink” 的動詞形式要比名詞形式更加常用。接下來，我們再來學習兩個同樣既可以做動詞，又可以做名詞的詞匯，“reek” 和 “pong”。
Phil
Yes. 'Reek' and 'pong' are both nouns and verbs for an unpleasant smell, or to smell unpleasantly. They are both more common in British varieties of English than other varieties. 'Pong' is quite informal, and they are both more likely to be found in speech than in writing.
Buli
“Reek” 和 “pong” 都在口語中更加常見。他們都可以表示 “令人不悅的氣味” 或 “散發出令人不悅的氣味”。其中，“reek” 在蘇格蘭地區的口語里還有 “smoky（煙霧繚繞）” 的意思。蘇格蘭城市愛丁堡就擁有 “Auld Reekie” 的昵稱，因為城中曾經總是彌漫著各家各戶的炊煙。來聽下面的例句。
Examples
There's a nasty pong in the air. Something reeks in here.
（空氣中有種極其難聞的味道。有什么東西在這里散發著臭氣。）
The reek of rotting fish filled the kitchen.
（廚房里充滿了腐爛的魚發出的腥臭味。）
You need to clean that. It really pongs!
（你得把那東西清理干凈，它有臭味了！）
Phil
These are just some of the ways that we can talk about bad smells in English - you will find many more!
Buli
不知道本期節目是否解答了你心中的問題呢？你還可以隨時通過微博向我們提問。我們的微博賬號是 “BBC英語教學”。
Phil
You can also send us an email with your English language question. Our email address is: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. Bye!
Buli
Bye.
