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Substantially

“Substantially” 多用于正式语体:一是表示数量或程度上大幅度变化;二是表示实质上、本质上相同或不同;三是大体上、基本上(相当于 largely)。读新闻与报告时会频繁遇到。

  1. “Prices have risen substantially over the past year.” (过去一年物价大幅上涨。)
  2. “The two drafts are substantially identical except for the conclusion.” (两份草稿除结论外实质相同。)
  3. “The plan was substantially completed by autumn.” (该计划在秋季已基本完成。)

来自拉丁语 “substantia”(实体、本质),与 “substantial”(大量的、实质的)同源;“sub-” + “stans”(站立)构成的哲学词汇演变为“实体”之义。

形容词 “substantial” 加副词后缀 “-ly”,表示方式或程度。

法律、商业和政策文件中常用以弱化绝对断言同时又强调意义重大,是典型的书面论证用语。

  • 固定搭配: “substantially increase” (大幅增加), “substantially similar” (实质相似)

Substance 是“实体、 substantial”是“多的、实质的”,加上 -ly 就是“在实质上、狠狠地(多)变了一把”。

“After the redesign, loading times dropped substantially, and users stayed longer on the site.” (改版之后,加载时间大幅缩短,用户在网站上停留更久。)