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For Life
2008.04.03

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Today's LessonCATEGORY: 混同しやすい言葉
RARE vs. UNUSUAL   珍しい vs. 普通ではない

Explanation

  • Something is rare if its numbers are small or if it doesn't often happen. For example, if there are only 200 of a particular kind of animal in the world, we can say that it's a rare animal.

    Something is unusual if it is different from the ordinary, even if it is not rare. For example, although platypuses (カモノハシ) are relatively common (= not rare) in Australia, they are definitely unusual animals!
  • rare とは、数が少ない、またはめったに起こらない、つまり、珍しい、という意味です。例えば、ある種の動物が世界に200しかいない場合、a rare animal(珍しい動物)と言うことができます。

    unusual とは、珍しくはないが、普通とは違う、という意味です。例えば、カモノハシはオーストラリアでは比較的よく見かける動物ですが、間違いなく、変わった動物です!

RARE vs. UNUSUAL

examples

  1. I found a rare 1st-edition copy of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” in a used bookstore the other day.
  2. a: A serious collector told me that this stamp is very rare.
    b: Then it must be worth a lot of money, right?
  3. A transit of Venus is a rare event that occurs only twice every couple hundred years.
  4. The disease has some very unusual symptoms. It causes hiccups that last for days, and the patient's hair turns bright green.
  5. a: Isn't this sculpture unusual?
    b: It sure is. I've never seen anything like it before.
  6. Something very unusual just happened. I was looking at a bright star in the sky, when suddenly it just disappeared - for no reason!

英会話レッスンHave a terrific day!