assistance

/əˈsɪstəns/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈsɪstəns/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈsi-stən(t)s/ (ame, mw)

assistance — noun

1. the act of supporting someone who is struggling with a task, problem, or difficu

1.名詞B2
釋義

the act of supporting someone who is struggling with a task, problem, or difficult situation, so that the work becomes easier or possible to finish.

例句

Mei needed assistance with her tax forms, so she called the local advice centre.

assistance with [task]

The hikers reached the summit with the assistance of an experienced guide from Nepal.

with the assistance of [person]

同義詞
  • help

    everyday and neutral; assistance sounds more formal and official

  • aid

    often used for emergency or large-scale support, e.g. medical or foreign aid

  • support

    broader — can include emotional or financial backing, not only practical help

反義詞
  • hindrance

    something that gets in the way and slows progress

  • obstruction

    more deliberate blocking, often by a person or rule

文法句型

assistance with [task]

assistance from [person/group]

with the assistance of

用法筆記

More formal than 'help'. Common in workplace, government, and customer-service contexts (e.g. notices, manuals, support lines). Almost always uncountable — say 'a lot of assistance', not 'an assistance' or 'assistances'.

常見錯誤

❌She gave me an assistance with the report.
✅She gave me assistance with the report.
💡assistance is uncountable; no 'a/an' and no plural.
❌Thank you for your assistance to fix my computer.
✅Thank you for your assistance in fixing my computer.
💡use 'assistance in + -ing' or 'assistance with + noun', not 'assistance to + verb'.

2. in fixed polite phrases, especially in shops, hotels, or offices, used to talk a

2.名詞C1
釋義

in fixed polite phrases, especially in shops, hotels, or offices, used to talk about the action of helping a particular person at a particular moment.

例句

Good morning, sir — may I be of assistance?

be of assistance — polite shop or hotel formula

The new map proved to be of great assistance to the lost tourists in Kyoto.

be of great assistance to [person]

同義詞
  • service

    as in 'at your service' — similarly polite and old-fashioned

  • use

    as in 'be of use' — same pattern, slightly less formal

文法句型

be of assistance (to someone)

be of great/little/no assistance

用法筆記

Almost always appears inside the fixed pattern 'be of (great/little/any/no) assistance', not as a free noun. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names help in general ('I need assistance'); sense 2 frames a single act of helping inside a polite formula.

常見錯誤

❌Can I do you an assistance?
✅Can I be of assistance?
💡the fixed phrase uses 'be of', not 'do' or 'a/an'.