在线英语听力室

VOA名师答疑2022--Is It Pointless or Futile?

时间：2023-01-04 07:06:59

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

（单词翻译）

Is It Pointless or Futile1?

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "pointless" and "futile."

Question:

Dear teacher,

I am Aiping from California.

I read the article "Who Brings Sand to the Beach?" I wondered what is the difference between the words "pointless" and "futile?"

Thank you! I wish you all the best!

Aiping, your loyal reader.

Answer

Dear Aiping,

These two words are often used as synonyms2 or words that can be used to mean the same thing.

But there are slight differences in usage3.

Let's start with "pointless."

Pointless

"Pointless" is an adjective that means having no point, sense or purpose. To be "pointless" is to be without meaning or aim.

For example, we can say:

It is pointless trying to talk to her... She will not listen.

Driving home right now is pointless because traffic is so heavy.

In a game or competition, "pointless" can also mean without a point scored.

The game remained pointless at the end of the first half.

Futile

"Futile" is also an adjective. It means not able to produce a desired result. It can mean ineffective or useless.

We worked on the project for hours, but failed to fix the problem. All of our attempts were futile.

Voting for that candidate would be futile as he did not win the nominating4 election.

Summary

The main difference between these two words, is that with "futile" there is a goal or aim that can not be reached by the methods attempted. With "pointless" there is no goal or aim.

Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Aiping!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

beach – n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean

synonyms – n. a word that is similar in meaning to another word

primary- n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election


分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 futile vfTz2     
adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的
参考例句：
  • They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
  • Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。
2 synonyms 61074ebd64d7f24131fd4b896f51f711     
同义词( synonym的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
  • Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。
3 usage 2jawU     
n.惯用法，使用，用法
参考例句：
  • I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
  • The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。
4 nominating cfd68bdb6fc3de90da6160f8f08cf42b     
提名…为候选人( nominate的现在分词 )； 任命； 挑选； 指定（时间、日期、名称等）
参考例句：
  • The nominating committee laid its slate before the board. 提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
  • The Nominating Committee shall select a nominee for each open Board position. 提名委员会应当为每一个公开的董事职位选择一位被提名者。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交，仅供参考，部分栏目没有内容，如果您有更合适的内容，欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。