avail
avail — 名詞
1. the practical benefit or positive effect that comes from doing something, almost
效用；助益
做某事所產生的實際好處
the practical benefit or positive effect that comes from doing something, almost always used in negative or near-negative phrases such as 'to no avail' or 'of little avail'.
Sven shouted for help, but his cries were of no avail in the empty parking lot.
Sven 在空蕩蕩的停車場大聲呼救，卻毫無效用。
fixed pattern: of no avail
The lawyer's clever arguments were of little avail against such clear evidence.
面對如此明確的證據，律師再聰明的論點也起不了什麼助益。
of little avail + against [obstacle]
Ilya pushed the heavy door with all her strength, but her efforts were to no avail.
Ilya 用盡全力推那扇沉重的門，努力卻全無效用。
to no avail describing failed effort
Grandma Rosa's old umbrella was of little avail against the heavy rain on the way to the market.
Rosa 奶奶那把舊雨傘在前往市場的路上，對擋大雨幾乎起不了什麼助益。
of little avail + against [obstacle]
- to no avail
- of no avail
- of little avail
- of great avail (archaic)
- success
the outcome 'to no avail' fails to deliver.
文法句型
of avail
to no avail
of little avail
用法筆記
Almost always appears in fixed negative phrases ('to no avail', 'of little avail', 'of no avail'). A bare positive use such as 'the medicine was of great avail' sounds archaic and is generally avoided in modern English.
常見錯誤
of little/no avail
idiomNot helpful or useful in achieving a result.
沒什麼用處
Maya's apology was of little avail after the harsh words.
All our careful planning was of no avail when the storm hit.
to little/no avail
idiomWithout achieving the desired result despite effort.
徒勞無功
Diego tried to fix the leak, but to little avail.
Sara studied all night, yet to no avail; she failed the exam.
avail — 動詞
1. to bring real help or a useful result to a person or situation, usually appearin
助益；幫上忙
對某人或情況產生實際幫助
to bring real help or a useful result to a person or situation, usually appearing in negative sentences that say the help was not enough.
All her careful planning availed her nothing when the storm flooded the basement.
暴雨淹了地下室時，她所有的細心規劃都幫不上忙。
pattern: avail somebody nothing
It availed Sven little to argue with the referee after the final whistle.
終場哨聲響起後，Sven 再去和裁判爭辯也沒什麼用。
it avails somebody little + to-infinitive
All her training did not avail Wairimu when the new judges introduced an unfamiliar floor routine.
當新任評審推出陌生的地板動作時，Wairimu 平日所有的訓練都幫不上忙。
negative pattern: not avail + object
The old map availed the hikers nothing once the trail markers had been removed.
登山客的舊地圖在路標被拔掉之後一點忙也幫不上。
- avail somebody nothing
- avail somebody little
- will not avail you
- fail
as a verb of result; pairs with 'fail somebody' versus 'avail somebody nothing'.
文法句型
avail + somebody/something
it avails somebody (nothing/little)
用法筆記
Almost always negative or near-negative ('availed nothing', 'availed little', 'will not avail'). A flat positive such as 'his speech availed the team' is theoretically possible but sounds stiff; speakers prefer 'helped' instead.
常見錯誤
2. to take an opportunity, service, or right that is being offered to you and use i
利用；運用
把眼前的機會或服務拿來為自己使用
to take an opportunity, service, or right that is being offered to you and use it for your own benefit; nearly always reflexive in the form 'avail oneself of something'.
Guests are welcome to avail themselves of the hotel pool between seven and ten.
歡迎房客在七點到十點之間使用飯店的游泳池。
reflexive: avail oneself of [facility]
Dr. Xiomara availed herself of the free legal advice before signing the contract.
田中博士在簽約前利用了這項免費的法律諮詢。
avail oneself of [opportunity]
Few students availed themselves of the chance to study abroad last summer.
去年夏天很少有學生把握這個出國念書的機會。
negative quantifier + avail oneself of
Wren urged his neighbours to avail themselves of the new health screening at the clinic.
Wren 鼓勵鄰居們善加利用診所新推出的健康篩檢。
Stranded travellers may avail themselves of the embassy's emergency assistance after a natural disaster.
受困的旅客在天災過後可以利用大使館提供的緊急協助。
avail oneself of [official service]
- avail oneself of an opportunity
- avail oneself of a service
- avail oneself of the right
- avail oneself of an offer
- use
much more common and neutral; 'use the offer' replaces 'avail oneself of the offer' in everyday speech.
- take advantage of
very close in meaning; slightly less formal and can suggest cleverness or even unfairness.
- make use of
neutral register; the closest plain-English equivalent of this sense.
文法句型
avail oneself of + noun
用法筆記
Almost always reflexive: subject and object are the same person ('avail myself / yourself / herself / themselves of …'). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always has a thing being used after 'of'; sense 1 has no 'of' phrase and means 'be helpful to'.
常見錯誤
avail — 慣用語
to no avail
idiomwithout producing the result that was wanted, despite the effort that was put in.
徒勞無功；毫無效果
Firefighters worked through the night, but their efforts to save the barn were to no avail.
Rosa called her brother five times to apologize, all to no avail.
almost or completely useless in a situation, even though one would normally expect it to help.
幾乎無用；毫無用處
An umbrella was of little or no avail against the wind tearing across the bridge.
Years of training were of little or no avail once Wren slipped on the icy slope.
同根字
- available形容詞A2
- availability名詞B2
- unavailable形容詞B1
- unavailing形容詞C2
常見搭配
常用片語
- to no avail
- of little avail
- avail oneself of
介系詞搭配
- of (with reflexive verb)
- to (in 'to no avail')