重要単語・品詞入門 |
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このページは英語の”辞書”ではありません。詳しい定義については、それぞれの辞書専門家が作った説明をお読みください。しかしわれわれはすべての知識を吸収することはできないのですから何かポイントをおさえておくことが大切です。ここでは英語学習者にとって必要な語彙についての、くだけた「読み物」になるように心がけています。 英語の品詞は、動詞、副詞、名詞、形容詞、接続詞、前置詞、その他より構成される。いずれの品詞についても下記のような表に基づき、重要単語約2000個を分類して掲げた。これらの単語は、覚えるべき必要最低限である。今後これらの単語に辞書とはひと味違ったコメントをつけていきたいと思う。詳しい解説は辞書を見ればよい。ここでは最小限に情報を切り詰め、少なくとも何に絞って覚えておくべきかを検討してみたい。 英語では、語源的にも綴りも同じでも、品詞が異なるものが多く、「動詞・名詞」、「名詞・形容詞」「副詞・前置詞」の三つの組み合わせが非常に多い。ここでは、互いの存在を明示しながらもそれぞれ別個に表示した(ただし、その組み合わせでも、一方の重要度がかなり低いものも少なくない)。文中で品詞を見分けるためには構文の知識が必要とされる。→ 英単語概論 品詞入門 語と語の結びつき
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Longman Defining Vocabulary plus Japanese | |||||
Verb 動詞 | |||||
Noun 名詞 | |||||
Adjective 形容詞 | |||||
Adverb 副詞 | |||||
Preposition 前置詞 | |||||
Conjunction 接続詞 | |||||
Pronoun, etc 代名詞・その他 | |||||
上へ
英語の単語はその昔、一部の領土がフランス領になったこともあって、フランス語の語彙が多く入っています。しかしもとはといえばケルト系の言語で、デンマーク、ドイツ、などの言語と近い関係にあります。しかし be動詞の活用など、毎日使うものについてはほかの言語と同じく、独自の形を持っています。 つづりは、多くの人々が中学校のときから苦労してきたとおり、たいへん不規則で、規則性を持つものを探すのにひと苦労するくらいです。これは言語の発達が民間任せで、フランス語のように、どこかの研究機関(アカデミー・フランセーズ)で統一見解を出さなかったためだといわれています。war / ing / gh / wr など一部のつづりを除いて、そのたびにつづりを覚えていかなければなりません。 アクセントについても同様です。その位置は、1番最後とか、最後から2番目というような規則性がなく、やはりそれぞれの語について覚えておかなければなりません。しかも動詞から名詞へなど、品詞が変わるときに同時につづりが変わらなくともアクセントの移動(例;名前動後など)がおきることがあります。 なお、アクセントの遵守は重要です。というのも発音の下手な外国人でも、アクセントのある場所の母音さえきちんと発音すれば、その他の母音が少々インチキでも相手に伝わることが多いからです。というのは英単語ではアクセントにある母音以外は音があいまいで、さほど厳しい使い分けを要求しないからです。 英語の単語における品詞の区別は、主にその単語の文中の位置で判断します。というのは動詞、名詞、形容詞、副詞と品詞が変わっても語形が変化しない場合が非常に多いからです。ですから、たとえば present とかいても、前後につく文がないため、これが動詞、形容詞、名詞のどれかまるでわかりません。 英語の単語は、ひとつで場面により、たくさんの意味を持ちます。たとえば operation という単語の場合、病院であれば「手術」、軍隊であれば「作戦」、機械であれば「運転・操作」、株式市場であれば「操作」、などとまことにたくさんの日本語訳が出てきてしまいます。 このことを逆の面からいえば、日本語の語彙はそれぞれに細かく名前がつけられているというふうにもいえます。それぞれの言語を母語とする者にとっては、(A)ひとつの単語でたくさんの意味を覚えなければいけないか、(B)それぞれの場面に応じてたくさんの単語をおぼえなければいけないか、となれば、いずれにせよ苦労はつきものだといえます。 ただし、外国人学習者に言わせれば、(A)のほうが、少し単語を覚えただけでさっそく街に出てことばを運用できそうだというでしょう。確かにこのことは初心者にとって朗報です。ですから中級以上の日本語学習者があまり増えないのは、そのあたりのレベルから、新聞を読んだりするための語彙が異常に激増することに理由がありそうです。 このことから、英文を日本文に翻訳する作業の場合に、単語面ではまず場面の確認を行い、それに即した日本語の単語を的確に見つけ出しておく必要があります。英単語を覚えるときはその意味が日本語の単語と1対1で対応するなんてほとんどありえないことで、上の operation のように、場面別にきちんと頭の中に整理しておく必要があります。 英語の品詞をいくつかに分けるかはいろいろ異論がありますが、多くの文法書では8個に分けるのが定着しているようです。それぞれの性質を確認します。
上記の8つの品詞が英語では独立して働いていることは滅多にありません。以下のような結びつきに留意しないと、せっかく単語を覚えても役に立ちません。いわゆる「熟語」「慣用句」「成句」「きまり文句」とよばれるものは、当然知っておくべき品詞の結びつきがあるのです。
a / ability / about / above / abroad / absence / absent / accept / acceptable / accident / accordance / according / according to / account / ache / acid / across / act / action / active / activity / actor / actress / actual / add / addition / address / adjective / admiration / admire / admit / admittance / adult / advance / advantage / adventure / adverb / advertise / advertisement / advice / advise / affair / afford / afraid / after / afternoon / afterwards / again / against / age / ago / agree / agreement / ahead / aim / air / aircraft / airforce / airport / alcohol / alike / alive / all / allow / almost / alone / along / aloud / alphabet / already / also / although / altogether / always / among / amount / amuse / amusement / amusing / an / ancient / and / anger / angle / angry / animal / ankle / annoy / annoyance / another / answer / ant / anxiety / anxious / any / anyhow / anyone / anything / anywhere / apart / apparatus / appear / appearance / apple / appoint / approval / approve / arch / area / argue / argument / arm / armor / arms / army / around / arrange / arrangement / arrival / arrive / art / article / artificial / as / ash / ashamed / aside / ask / asleep / association / at / atom / attack / attempt / attend / attendance / attention / attract / attractive / aunt / autumn / average / avoid / awake / away / awkward / baby / back / background / backward / backwards / bacteria / bad / bag / bake / balance / ball / banana / band / bank / bar / bare / barrel / base / basket / bath / bathe / battle / be / beak / beam / bean / bear / beard / beat / beautiful / beauty / because / become / bed / bee / beer / before / beg / begin / beginning / behave / behavior / behind / belief / believe / bell / belong / below / belt / bend / beneath / berry / beside / besides / best / better / between / beyond / bicycle / big / bill / bind / bird / birth / birthday / bit / bite / bitter / black / blade / blame / bleed / bless / blind / block / blood / blow / blue / board / boat / body / boil / bomb / bone / book / boot / border / born / borrow / both / bottle / bottom / bowels / bowl / box / boy / brain / branch / brass / brave / bread / breadth / break / breakfast / breast / breath / breathe / breed / brick / bridge / bright / bring / broad / broadcast / brother / brown / brush / bucket / build / building / bullet / bunch / burial / burn / burst / bury / bus / bush / business / busy / but / butter / button / buy / by / cage / cake / calculate / calculator / call / calm / camera / camp / can / candle / cap / capital / captain / car / card / cardboard / care / careful / careless / carriage / carry / cart / case / castle / cat / catch / cattle / cause / cell / cement / cent / center / centimeter / central / century / ceremony / certain / chain / chair / chairperson / chalk / chance / change / character / charge / charm / chase / cheap / cheat / check [cheque] / cheek / cheer / cheerful / cheese / chemical / chemistry / chest / chicken / chief / child / childhood / children / chimney / chin / chocolate / choice / choose / church / cigarette / cinema / circle / circular / citizen / city / civilization / claim / class / clay / clean / clear / clerk / clever / cliff / climb / clock / clockwork / close / cloth / clothes / clothing / cloud / club / coal / coast / coat / coffee / coin / cold / collar / collect / college / color / comb / combination / combine / come / comfort / comfortable / command / committee / common / companion / company / compare / comparison / compete / competition / competitor / complain / complaint / complete / compound / computer / concern / concerning / concert / condition / confidence / confident / confuse / connect / conscience / conscious / consider / consist / consonant / contain / contents / continue / continuous / contract / control / convenient / conversation / cook / cool / copper / copy / cord / corn / corner / correct / cost / cotton / cough / could / council / count / country / courage / course / court / cover / cow / coward / cowardly / crack / crash / cream / creature / creep / cricket / crime / criminal / crop / cross / crowd / cruel / cruelty / crush / cry / cultivate / cup / cupboard / cure / curl / current / curse / curtain / curve / custom / customer / cut / cycle / daily / damage / dance / danger / dangerous / dare / daring / dark / date / daughter / day / dead / deal / dear / death / debt / decay / deceit / deceive / decide / decimal / decision / declaration / declare / decorate / decoration / decrease / deep / deer / defeat / defend / defense / degree / delay / delicate / delight / deliver / demand / department / depend / dependent / depth / descend / describe / description / descriptive / desert / deserve / desirable / desire / desk / destroy / destruction / detail / determination / determined / develop / devil / diamond / dictionary / die / difference / different / difficult / difficulty / dig / dinner / dip / direct / direction / dirt / dirty / disappoint / discourage / discouragement / discover / discovery / dish / dismiss / distance / distant / ditch / divide / division / do / doctor / dog / dollar / door / doorway / dot / double / doubt / down / drag / draw / drawer / dream / dress / drink / drive / drop / drown / drug / drum / drunk / dry / duck / dull / during / dust / duty / each / eager / ear / early / earn / earth / east / eastern / easy / eat / edge / educate / education / effect / effective / effort / egg / eight / eighth / either / elastic / elbow / elect / election / electric / electricity / elephant / else / employ / employer / employment / empty / enclose / enclosure / encourage / encouragement / end / enemy / engine / engineer / enjoy / enjoyment / enough / enter / entertain / entertainment / entrance / envelope / equal / equality / escape / especially / establish / establishment / even / evening / event / ever / every / everyone / everything / everywhere / evil / exact / examination / examine / example / excellent / except / exchange / excite / excited / exciting / excuse / exercise / exist / existence / expect / expensive / experience / explain / explanation / explode / explosion / explosive / express / expression / extreme / eye / eyelid / face / fact / factory / fail / failure / faint / fair / fairy / faith / faithful / fall / false / fame / familiar / family / famous / fancy / far / farm / farmer / farmyard / fashion / fashionable / fast / fasten / fat / fate / father / fault / favor / favorable / favorite / fear / feather / feed / feel / feeling / feelings / fellow / female / fence / fever / few / field / fierce / fifth / fight / figure / fill / film / find / fine / finger / finish / fire / fireplace / firm / first / fish / fisherman / fit / five / fix / flag / flame / flash / flat / flesh / flight / float / flood / floor / flour / flow / flower / fly / fold / follow / fond / food / fool / foolish / foot / football / footpath / footstep / for / forbid / force / forehead / foreign / foreigner / forest / forget / forgive / fork / form / formal / former / formerly / fort / fortunate / fortune / forward / forwards / four / fourth / fox / frame / free / freedom / freeze / frequent / fresh / friend / friendly / frighten / frightening / from / front / fruit / fulfill / full / fun / funeral / funny / fur / furnish / furniture / further / future / gain / game / garage / garden / garment / gas / gasoline [petrol] / gate / gather / general / generous / gentle / gentleman / get / gift / girl / give / glad / glass / glory / glue / go / goat / god / gold / golden / good / good-bye / goods / govern / government / grace / graceful / gradual / grain / gram / grammar / grand / grandfather / grandmother / grass / grateful / grave / gray / great / green / greet / greeting / grief / grieve / ground / group / grow / growth / guard / guess / guest / guidance / guide / guilt / gun / habit / habitual / hair / hairy / half / hall / hammer / hand / handkerchief / handle / hang / happen / happy / hard / harden / hardly / hardship / harm / harmful / harmless / hasty / hat / hate / hatred / have / he / head / health / healthy / hear / heart / heat / heaven / heavy / heel / height / help / helpful / hen / her / here / hers / herself / hide / high / hill / him / himself / hire / his / historical / history / hit / hold / holiday / hollow / holy / home / honest / honesty / honor / honorable / hook / hope / hopeful / hopeless / horizon / horn / horse / hospital / host / hot / hotel / hour / hourly / house / how / human / humor / humorous / hundred / hundredth / hunger / hungry / hunt / hurry / hurt / husband / hut / ice / icy / idea / if / ill / image / imaginary / imagination / imagine / importance / important / improve / improvement / in / include / including / income / increase / indoor / indoors / industrial / industry / infect / infection / infectious / influence / influential / inform / information / ink / inner / inquire / inquiry / insect / inside / instead / instruct / instruction / instrument / insurance / insure / intend / intention / interest / interesting / international / interrupt / interruption / into / introduce / introduction / invent / invention / invitation / invite / inwards / iron / island / it / its / itself / jaw / jealous / jealousy / jelly / jewel / jewelry / job / join / joint / joke / journey / joy / judge / judgment / juice / jump / just / justice / keen / keep / key / kick / kill / kilo / kilogram / kilometer / kind / king / kingdom / kiss / kitchen / knee / kneel / knife / knock / knot / know / knowledge / labor / lack / ladder / lady / lake / lamb / lamp / land / language / large / last / late / lately / laugh / laughter / law / lawyer / lay / lazy / lead / lead / leaf / lean / learn / least / leather / leave / left / leg / legal / lend / length / less / lesson / let / letter / level / library / lid / lie / life / lift / light / lightning / like / likely / limb / limit / line / lion / lip / liquid / list / listen / liter / literature / little / live / load / loaf / local / lock / lodging / lodgings / log / lonely / long / look / loose / lord / lose / loss / lot / loud / love / low / lower / loyal / loyalty / luck / lump / lung / machine / machinery / mad / magazine / magic / magician / mail / main / make / male / man / manage / manager / manner / many / map / march / mark / market / marriage / marry / mass / master / mat / match / material / matter / may / me / meal / mean / meaning / means / measure / meat / medical / medicine / meet / meeting / melt / member / memory / mend / mention / merry / message / messenger / metal / meter / method / metric / microscope / middle / might / mile / military / milk / million / millionth / mind / mine / mineral / minister / minute / mirror / miss / mist / mistake / mix / mixture / model / modern / moment / money / monkey / month / monthly / moon / moral / morals / more / morning / most / mother / motor / mountain / mouse / mouth / move / much / mud / multiply / murder / muscle / music / musician / must / my / myself / mysterious / mystery / nail / name / narrow / nasty / nation / national / nature / naval / navy / near / nearly / neat / necessary / neck / need / needle / neighbor / neighborhood / neither / nerve / nervous / nest / net / network / never / new / news / newspaper / next / nice / night / nine / ninth / no / no one / noble / nobleman / noise / none / nonsense / nor / north / northern / nose / not / nothing / notice / noun / now / nowhere / number / nurse / nut / nylon / o'clock / obedience / obedient / obey / object / obtain / occasion / ocean / odd / of / off / offend / offense / offensive / offer / office / officer / official / often / oil / old / old-fashioned / on / once / one / oneself / onion / only / open / operate / operation / opinion / opponent / oppose / opposite / opposition / or / orange / order / ordinary / organ / organization / origin / other / otherwise / ought / our / ours / ourselves / out / outdoor / outdoors / outer / outside / over / owe / owing to / own / oxygen / pack / packet / page / pain / painful / paint / painting / pair / palace / pale / pan / paper / parallel / parcel / parent / park / parliament / part / participle / particular / partner / party / pass / passage / passenger / past / pastry / path / patience / patient / pattern / pause / pay / payment / peace / peaceful / pen / pence / pencil / people / pepper / per / perfect / perform / perhaps / period / permission / permit / person / personal / persuade / pet / photograph / photography / phrase / physical / piano / pick / picture / piece / pig / pile / pilot / pin / pink / pipe / pity / place / plain / plan / plane / plant / plastic / plate / play / pleasant / please / pleased / pleasure / plenty / plural / pocket / poem / poet / poetry / point / pointed / poison / poisonous / pole / police / polish / polite / political / politician / politics / pool / poor / popular / popularity / population / port / position / possess / possession / possibility / possible / possibly / post / pot / potato / pound / pour / powder / power / powerful / practical / practice / praise / pray / prayer / precious / preparation / prepare / presence / present / preserve / president / press / pressure / pretend / pretty / prevent / price / prickly / pride / priest / prince / principle / print / prison / prisoner / private / prize / probability / probable / problem / process / procession / produce / product / production / profession / profit / promise / pronounce / pronunciation / proof / proper / property / protect / protection / protective / proud / prove / provide / provision / provisions / public / pull / pump / punish / punishment / pupil / pure / purple / purpose / push / put / quality / quantity / quarrel / quarter / queen / question / quick / quiet / quite / rabbit / race / radio / railway / rain / raise / range / rank / rapid / rare / rat / rate / rather / raw / reach / read / ready / real / really / reason / reasonable / receive / recent / recently / recognition / recognize / record / red / reduce / reduction / refusal / refuse / regard / regular / related / relation / relative / religion / religious / remain / remark / remember / remind / remove / rent / repair / repeat / reply / report / represent / representative / republic / request / respect / respectful / responsible / rest / restaurant / result / return / reward / rice / rich / rid / ride / right / ring / ripe / rise / risk / river / road / rob / rock / rod / roll / roof / room / root / rope / rose / rough / round / row / royal / rub / rubber / rude / ruin / rule / ruler / run / rush / sad / safe / safety / sail / sale / salt / same / sand / satisfaction / satisfactory / satisfy / save / say / scale / scatter / scene / scenery / school / science / scientific / scientist / scissors / screw / sea / search / season / seat / second / secrecy / secret / secretary / see / seed / seem / seize / sell / send / sensation / sense / senseless / sensible / sensitive / sentence / separate / serious / servant / serve / service / set / settle / seven / seventh / several / severe / sew / sex / sexual / shade / shadow / shake / shall / shame / shape / share / sharp / she / sheep / sheet / shelf / shell / shelter / shield / shine / ship / shirt / shock / shoe / shoot / shop / shopkeeper / shore / short / shot / should / shoulder / shout / show / shut / sick / side / sideways / sight / sign / signal / signature / silence / silent / silk / silly / silver / similar / similarity / simple / since / sincere / sing / single / singular / sink / sister / sit / situation / six / sixth / size / skill / skillful / skin / skirt / sky / slave / sleep / slide / slight / slip / slippery / slope / slow / small / smell / smile / smoke / smooth / snake / snow / so / soap / social / society / sock / soft / soil / soldier / solemn / solid / some / somehow / someone / something / sometimes / somewhere / son / song / soon / sore / sorrow / sorry / sort / soul / sound / soup / sour / south / southern / space / spacecraft / spade / speak / spear / special / specialist / speech / speed / spell / spend / spin / spirit / spite / splendid / split / spoil / spoon / sport / spot / spread / spring / square / stage / stair / stamp / stand / standard / star / start / state / station / stay / steady / steal / steam / steel / steep / stem / step / stick / sticky / stiff / still / sting / stitch / stomach / stone / stop / store / storm / story / straight / strange / stranger / stream / street / strength / stretch / strike / string / stroke / strong / structure / struggle / student / study / stupid / style / subject / substance / subtract / succeed / success / successful / such / suck / sudden / suffer / sugar / suggest / suit / suitable / sum / summer / sun / supper / supply / support / suppose / sure / surface / surprise / surround / swallow / swear / sweep / sweet / swell / swim / swing / sword / sympathetic / sympathy / system / table / tail / take / talk / tall / taste / tax / taxi / tea / teach / team / tear / tear / telephone / television / tell / temper / temperature / temple / tend / tendency / tender / tennis / tense / tent / terrible / terror / test / than / thank / that / the / theater / their / theirs / them / themselves / then / there / therefore / these / they / thick / thief / thin / thing / think / third / thirst / thirsty / this / thorough / those / though / thought / thousand / thousandth / thread / threat / threaten / three / throat / through / throw / thumb / thunder / thus / ticket / tidy / tie / tiger / tight / time / timetable / tin / tire [tyre] tire / title / to / tobacco / today / toe / together / tomorrow / tongue / tonight / too / tool / tooth / top / total / touch / tour / tourist / towards / tower / town / toy / track / trade / traffic / train / translate / transparent / trap / travel / treat / treatment / tree / tremble / tribe / trick / trip / tropical / trouble / trousers / true / trunk / trust / truth / try / tube / tune / turn / twice / twist / type / typical / ugly / uncle / under / understand / undo / uniform / union / unit / unite / universal / universe / university / until / up / upper / upright / upset / upside down / upstairs / urge / urgent / us / use / useful / useless / usual / valley / valuable / value / variety / various / vary / vegetable / vehicle / verb / very / victory / view / village / violence / violent / visit / voice / vote / vowel / voyage / wages / waist / wait / waiter / wake / walk / wall / wander / want / war / warm / warmth / warn / wash / waste / watch / water / wave / way / we / weak / wealth / weapon / wear / weather / weave / wedding / week / weekly / weigh / weight / welcome / well / west / western / wet / what / whatever / wheat / wheel / when / whenever / where / whether / which / whichever / while / whip / whisper / whistle / white / who / whoever / whole / why / wicked / wide / widespread / width / wife / wild / will / willing / win / wind / wind / window / wine / wing / winter / wire / wisdom / wise / wish / with / within / without / witness / woman / wonder / wood / wooden / wool / woolen / word / work / world / worm / worry / worse / worship / worst / worth / worthy / worthy of / would / wound / wrap / wreck / wrist / write / wrong / wrongdoing / yard / year / yearly / yellow / yes / yesterday / yet / you / young / your / yours / yourself / youth / zero / © 西田茂博 NISHIDA shigehiro |