disappoint

disappoint后加介词at, by, in, of, with时它们之间的差别不大,一般有以下规律可循:当表示“对所见所闻感到失望”时,多用at; 表示“对没有达到预期目标而失望时”,多用in〔of, with〕; 表示“对没有得到东西而失望”,多用of; disappoint by则多用于被动结构,强调“使某人失望”,此外表示“对人失望”须用介词in; 接动名词时,用at或by。试比较:

She was disappointed in the book.

她对此书失望。

She was disappointed of the book.

她对没有弄到此书而失望。

We were disappointed at his speech.

我们对他的讲话感到失望。

We were disappointed by his speech.

他的讲话使我们感到失望。

disappoint的过去分词和现在分词都可用作形容词,在句中都可用作表语。它们的区别是：

disappointed的意思是“感到失望的”,主语一般是人; disappointing的意思是“令人失望的”,主语一般是事或物。试比较:

They were disappointed at the result.

他们对结果感到失望。

The result was disappointing.

结果是会令人失望的。

这两个词都可以表示“使失望,使绝望”,但含义及用法上有很大的区别:despair是不及物动词,后面接介词of,表示“彻底失望或绝望”,口气很强,有时有“悲痛”的含义; despair of接人时,意味着厌恶和失望的感情交织在一起; disappoint是及物动词,表示“使…失望”,强调原来的希望未能实现,因而令人丧失信心,常用于系表结构中。例如:

It is said that when he was a boy his par- ents despaired of him.

据说在很小的时候他的父母对他不抱 任何希望。

Although I was disappointed,I didn't des- pair.

我虽失望了,但还没有绝望。