單字課 001

abide by　/əˋbaɪd/　動-遵守，依從

v., to comply with; to conform

The two parties agreed to abide by the judge’s decision.
雙方同意遵守法官的決定。

For years he has abided by a commitment to annual employee raises.
多年來他一直恪守每年幫員工加薪的承諾。

1. obey / Abide by 的差別
   obey = 主要用在rule/law/policy等等
   abide by = 可用的範圍較廣，例如一群人有不同意見，最後取得共識，便可以稱abide by the decision

agreement　/əˋgrimənt/　名-同意，協訂
n., a mutual arrangement, a contract

The landlord and tenant were in agreement that the rent should be prorated to the middle of the month.
房東與租客說好這個月的房租從月中開始算。

According to the agreement, the caterer will also supply the flowers for the event.
根據合約，運貨人會提供活動所需要的花。

1. landlord / tenant = 房東 / 房客
2. be prorated to... = pro-rate，按比例計算的意思
   有些合約上會寫 on pro-rata basis 也是指按比例分配的意思
3. carter = 運貨的人，卡車司機

詞組：

• 動 - agree
  (If both parties agree to the terms, we can finalized the contract.)
• 名 - agreement
  (As soon as the labor agreement was signed, the factory resumed production of new cars and vans.)
• 形 - agreeable
  (The parties are agreeable to the terms.)

assurance　/əˋʃʊrəns/　名-保證，自信

n., a guarantee; confidence

We should not begin the work without the assurance of a signed contract.

我們不該在在沒有簽約的保證下就開始工作。

He spoke with assurance about the skills of his contract lawyer.
他對於他的律師的能力很有把握。

1. speak with assurance = 很有把握，胸有成竹
2. assurance/guarantee的差別
   assurance = 口頭上的保證（以消除疑慮，但不一定能夠做到）
   guarantee = 實質上的保障（一定能夠做到，沒做到會有補償）

詞組：

• 動 - assure
  (I assure you that the contract was reviewed by our lawyer.)
• 名 - assurance
  (What assurance is there that the company will stay in business during the life of the contract?)
• 副 - assuredly
  (He spoke assuredly about the terms of the contract.)

cancellation　/͵kæns!ˋeʃən/　名-取消

n., annulment; stopping

Work on the project had to stop because of the cancellation of the contract.
由於合約的取消使得該專案的工作必須停止。

The cancellation clause appears at the back of the contract.
解約條款在合約的後面。

1. annulment = 廢止，無效聲明
2. cancellation clause = 解約條款

詞組：

• 動 - cancel
  (We can canceled the contract, but that will cause a number of problems.)
• 名 - cancellation
  (A cancellation fee is usually included in a writer’s contract in case the article isn’t published.)
• 形 - canceled
  (The canceled contract ended up costing our company a good deal of money.)

determine　/dɪˋtɝmɪn/　動-查明，影響，決定
v., to find out; to influence

After reading the contract, I was still unable to determine if our company was liable for back wages.
讀完合約後，我還是不清楚我們公司是否有義務負責欠發的薪資。

The skill of the union bargainers will determine whether the automotive plant will open next week.
工會談判代表的技巧，將決定下週汽車工廠是否會開工。

1. be liable for N = 有責任、有義務的
   be liable to V
   在口語上也有 可能... 的意思，例如 This article is liable to give offence to many people.(這篇文章很可能觸犯許多人。)
   此外還有 易於... 的意思，例如He's liable to get angry.(他很容易生氣)
2. back wages = 欠薪，該付卻沒付的薪水
3. union = 在這邊應該是工會的意思
4. automotive = 是automobile的形容詞，automobile是汽車，包含car、bus、truck、jeep等等。

engage　/ɪnˋgedʒ/　動-參加，捲入
v., participate; involve

Before engaging in a new business, it is important to do thorough research.
再加入一間新公司前，先作好徹底調查是很重要的。

He engaged us in a fascinating discussion about current business law.
他把我們拉進一場關於商業法的精彩討論。

1. engage/participate/join/take part的差別
   engage in 比較像是花時間作某事，可以獨自作，也可以跟群體一起。
   participate 跟 take part 比較常用在活動，且participate的場合比較正式，take part則比較口語，像平常的小活動
   join則是常用在參加群體，例如 join the Army
   attend則是常接 party、meeting、conference，有"出席"的意味在。
2. through research = 徹底的調查

establish　/əˋstæblɪʃ/　動-建立，招致

v

.,

to institute permanently; to bring about

v., to institute permanently; to bring about

When this company established, the owners signed contracts with all their employees.

這家公司成立時老闆跟所有的員工都簽了約。

The contract established a relationship between the company and the service provider.
合約確立了公司跟服務提供者之間的關係。

obligate　/ˋɑblə͵get/　動-負有責任或義務

v., to bind legally or morally

The contractor was obligated by the contract to work 40 hours a week.
按照合約，承包商有義務每週工作40小時。

I felt obligated to finish the project even though I could have exercised my option to quit.
雖然我可以選擇離開，但我還是覺得有義務完成這個專案。

1. morally =道德上地

詞組：

• 動 - obligate
  (The terms of the contract obligate us to work for at least one more month.)
• 名 - obligation
  (According to the contract, the company has the obligation to provide child care for employees’ families.)
• 形 - obligatory
  (Agreeing to the terms of the contract is obligatory if you want to work here.)

party　/ˋpɑrtɪ/　名-參與者，當事人

n., a person or group participating in an action or plan; the persons or sides concerned in a legal matter

The parties agreed to a settlement in their contract dispute.
雙方同意他們的合約糾紛達成和解。

The party that prepares the contract has a distinct advantage.
準備合約的一方，擁有明顯的優勢。

1. agree 的用法：
   agree TO 事 = 同意
   agree WITH 人 = 同意、適合(The climate there doesn't agree with her)
   agree ON 事 = 達成共識
2. settlement =調解、和解
   settlement IN 事
3. dispute = 爭吵、爭論 (The couple dispute where to spend the holiday)
4. distinct = 明顯的、有區別的
   distinct 跟 different都是指"不同的"，但語氣、語感有些許不同。
   distinct除了表示兩者不同外，同時也強調各自的獨特之處。
   比如說，My house can be separated into 4 distinct space vs My house can be separated into 4 different space。用different的時候，只是這4個空間不同；用distinct的時候，人家聽起來，就會知道說這4個空間有個自的獨特之處。

provision　/prəˋvɪʒən/　名-準備，條款，供應

n., a measure taken beforehand; a stipulation

Carefully read all the provisions of the contract before signing it.

在簽署合約前要子細閱讀合約的所有條款。

The contract contains a provision to deal with how payments are made if John loses his job.

合約涵蓋了如果John失去工作，薪資要怎麼計算的條款。

1. stipulation = 規定
   stipulation跟provision的差別：比起provision，stipulation有"一定要"的意味。比如說，He's will had a stipulation that $10,000 of his money should be given to charity.跟He's will had a provision that $10,000 of his money should be given to charity.相比，前者stipulation強調"一定要給"，後者用provision則強調"想給"

詞組：

• 動 - provide
  (Since the machine is very reliable, why don’t we cancel the service contract the provided?)
• 名 - provider 提供者
  (We must negotiate a new contract with our Internet service provider.)
• 名 - provision 規定；條款
  (The provision for canceling the contract is in the last clause.)

resolve　/rɪˋzɑlv/　動-解決，決定　名-決心

v., to deal with successfully; to declare; n., conviction

The mediator was able to resolve the problem to everyone’s satisfaction.

調解人有能力解決問題，讓所有人都滿意。

The businessman resolved to clean out all the files by the end of the week.

商人決定在一週結束前，清除掉所有資料檔。

1. to one's satisfaction = 讓...滿意
2. by the end of week = 在禮拜天晚上12:00之前
   by the end of weekend = 在禮拜五晚上12:00以前　
   at the end of week = 在禮拜天開始作

specific　/spɪˋsɪfɪk/　形-具體的，特別的
adj., particular

The customer’s specific complaint was not addressed in his e-mail.
他的信中並沒有提到顧客的具體抱怨。

In a contract, on specific word can change the meaning dramatically.
在合約中，只要一個字改變，可以讓整個意思都改變。

1. specific 跟 particular的差別：以一個句子為例，He's very particular about the style of shoes he wears.跟He's very specific about the style of shoes he wears. 前一遇用particular，表示他雖然比較喜歡那種鞋子，還是有可能穿別種樣式的；但用specific時，他就只穿單一樣式。兩者與感還是有些許差異。

詞組：

• 動 - specify
  (The contract specifies an annual salary raise.
• 名 - specification
  (The work was done according to the specifications of the contract.
• 形 - specific
  (There is no specific part of the contract that prevents us from hiring extra help.)