單字講座 115：gasp (n) (v) / grasp (n) (v)

藝人大S流感驟逝，震驚各界。醫師呼籲，若出現以下三大重症前兆，應儘速就醫：缺氧發紺、胸痛或喘、低血壓或高燒持續 72 小時。話說「喘氣」是 gasp 還是 grasp 呢？下方說分明。





▍gasp (n) (v) 喘氣 / 倒抽一口氣
▶ 例 1：吃力跋涉過最後幾百英尺陡峭的路徑後，他們靠近了懸崖頂端。兩個人都氣喘吁吁。
They neared the top of the cliff, both gasping for air after trudging the last few hundred feet of the steep path.

▶ 例 2：觀眾害怕地倒抽一口氣，當他們看見特技演員在馬戲團表演中摔死。
The audience gasped with fright when seeing the acrobat falling to death during a circus show.

▍grasp (n) (v) 緊抓 / 理解（掌控）
▶ 例 1 ：小男孩兩手緊抓文法教科書，然後仔細讀，好理解英文的規則。
The boy grasps the grammar textbook with both hands and then reads it carefully to grasp the rules of the English language.
= The boy grasps the grammar textbook with both hands and then reads it carefully to have a good grasp of the rules of the English language.