sure
adj
adv
ʃɔː adj
1
CERTAIN YOU KNOW STH
确信自己知道某事
confident that you know something or that something is true or correct 确信的，有把握的; not before noun 不用于名词前
‘That’s Sarah’s cousin.’ ‘Are you sure?’
“那是莎拉的表妹。”“你能肯定吗？”
‘What time does the show start?’ ‘I’m not sure.’
“表演什么时候开始？”“我说不准。”
sure (that)
I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for all this.
我确信这一切都是有合理解释的。
Are you sure that you know how to get there?
你确实知道怎样到那里去吗？
My mother, I felt sure , had not met him before.
我敢肯定我妈妈以前从未见过他。
not sure how/where/when etc
Henry wasn’t sure how to answer this.
亨利不清楚该如何回答这个问题。
not sure if/whether
I’m not sure if I’m pronouncing this correctly.
我不太清楚这个音我发得对不对。
[+ of ]
He wasn’t even sure of his mother’s name.
他甚至连他妈妈的名字都搞不清。
They were talking about her, she was sure of that .
她敢肯定他们在谈论她。
[+ about ]
‘That’s the man I saw in the building last night.’ ‘Are you quite sure (=completely sure) about that?’
“那就是我昨晚在大楼里看见的那个男人。”“你能完全肯定吗？”
2
make sure
a. to find out if something is true or to check that something has been done b. to do something so that you can be certain of the result 设法确保
‘Did you lock the front door?’ ‘I think so, but I’d better make sure.’
“你锁前门了吗？”“我想是的，但我最好还是去查看一下。”
make sure (that)
I wanted to make sure you were all right.
我想确认一下你是否没事。
First, make sure the printer has enough paper in it.
首先要确保打印机里有足够的纸张。
make sure (that)
I’ll walk you home, just to make sure no one bothers you.
我陪你走回家，就为确保没人骚扰你。
make sure of (doing) sth
Spain made sure of their place by holding Japan to a 1-1 draw.
西班牙队和日本队踢成 1 比 1 平局，确保了自己的排名。
Thomas would be sorry – she would make sure of that .
托马斯会后悔的 — 她肯定会叫他后悔。
3
CERTAIN ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS
清楚自己的感觉
certain about what you feel, want, like etc 〔对自己的感觉、要求、喜爱等〕肯定的，确实的，无疑的 not before noun 不用于名词前
sure (that)
Are you sure you really want a divorce?
你确实想要离婚吗？
[+ of ]
Carla says she is very sure of her love for Tony.
卡拉说她很确实很爱托尼。
4
CERTAIN TO BE TRUE
肯定是真实的
certain to be true 肯定真实的，肯定的，确切的
one thing is (for) sure
One thing’s for sure, we’ll never be able to move this furniture on our own.
有一点是肯定的，我们自己绝对搬不动这家具。
sure sign/indication
Those black clouds are a sure sign of rain.
那些乌云是肯定要下雨的迹象。
5
CERTAIN TO HAPPEN/SUCCEED
肯定会发生/成功
certain to happen, succeed, or have a particular result 肯定会成功的 AmE
sure to do sth
He’s sure to get nervous and say something stupid.
他肯定会紧张，说出一些愚蠢的话来。
sure way to do sth/of doing sth
There was only one sure way of finding out – and that was to visit him.
只有一种方法肯定能了解真相 — 就是去拜访他。
sure thing/bet
6
be sure of (doing) sth
to be certain to get something or be certain that something will happen 一定会（做）某事; 某事肯定会（发生）
United must beat Liverpool to be sure of winning the championship.
曼联队要稳拿冠军就必须打败利物浦队。
You can be sure of one thing – there’ll be a lot of laughs.
有一点可以肯定 — 将会笑声不断。
7
sure of yourself
confident in your own abilities and opinions, sometimes in a way that annoys other people 有自信心的; （过分）自信的
Kids nowadays seem very sure of themselves.
如今的小孩都显得很自信。
8
be sure to do sth
used to tell someone to remember to do something 一定要做某事，务必要做某事〔用于告诉某人记住做某事〕 spoken
Be sure to ring and let us know you’ve got back safely.
一定要来个电话，让我们知道你已经平安返回。
9
for sure
a. certainly or definitely b. used to emphasize that something is true c. used to agree with someone [美，非正式，口] 当然，肯定〔用于表示同意〕 informal spoken AmE informal spoken
No one knows for sure what really happened.
没有人确切地知道到底发生了什么事。
We’ll always need teachers, that’s for sure .
毫无疑问，我们永远都需要教师。
10
sure thing
10. used to agree to something [口，非正式] 当然; 没问题 spoken informal
‘Can you pick me up later?’ ‘Sure thing.’
“你过一会儿能来接我吗？”“没问题。”
11
to be sure
11. used to admit that something is true, before saying something that is the opposite [口，正式] 不能否认; 诚然，固然〔用于要说相反意见之前〕 spoken formal
It was difficult, to be sure, but somehow we managed to finish the job.
这项工作固然困难，但不管怎样我们完成了。
12
(as) sure as hell
12. used to emphasize a statement [口，非正式] 绝对肯定〔用于强调〕 spoken informal
If I could get you out of there, I sure as hell would.
如果我能让你离开那里，我一定会的。
13
have a sure hold/footing
13. if you have a sure hold or footing, your hands or feet are placed firmly so they cannot slip 抓紧/站稳
adv
14
sure enough
used to say that something did actually happen in the way that you said it would 果真，果然（如此）〔表示发生的事与预料的相符〕
Sure enough, Mike managed to get lost.
果然，迈克把自己弄迷路了。
15
YES
是的
used to say ‘yes’ to someone [口] 当然，好的 spoken
‘Can you give me a ride to work tomorrow?’ ‘Sure.’
“明天我可以搭你的车去上班吗？”“当然可以。”
16
ACCEPT THANKS
接受感谢
used as a reply when you accept thanks from someone [美，口] 不（用）谢，不（用）客气 AmE spoken
‘Thanks for your help, Karen.’ ‘Sure.’
“谢谢你帮忙，卡伦。”“不用谢。”
17
EMPHASIZE
强调
used to emphasize a statement [美，非正式] 必定，无疑 AmE informal
It sure is hot out here.
这外面真热。
I sure hope they get there all right.
我当然希望他们安全到达那儿。
18
BEFORE STATEMENT
在陈述之前
used at the beginning of a statement admitting that something is true, especially before adding something very different [口] 的确，无可否认〔用于陈述的开始，承认某事真实，尤其接着补充不同看法〕 spoken
Sure Joey’s happy now, but will it last?
的确，乔伊现在是快乐的，但这能持久吗？