中式英语之鉴:特点

373. 这是莎士比亚十四行诗的主要特点之一。

ing-bottom: 100%;">

[误] This is one of the main characters of Shakespeare's sonnets.

[正] This is one of the main characteristics of Sharkespeare's sonnets.

注：character 是表示某一事物的总体特征（the combination of qualities which make a thing different from others），而 characteristic 则表示事物的具体特征。由此说来，一个事物只有一个 character，但却可以有多个 characteristic。所以在上面的例句中，one of the main characters 是错误的，应该改成 one of the main characteristics。又如：A person's character is always formed in his early years（一个人的性格通常在小时候养成）；Carelessness is one of his characteristics（粗心是他的一个特点）。