Give and take 妥協、協調，有互相遷就的意思，fair compromise，是人與人之間平等互惠交往之道：Give and take is for the mutual benefit of both parties。A happy marriage largely depends on give and take，美滿的婚姻很大程度取决於互敬互讓。
Give/Present/Offer/Bestow/Confer 五詞辨析
這五個詞都含有「給」的意思，letting people have things，其區別在於：
give 的含義最廣，也最常用，表示「給」、「送」、「贈」或「付」等含義，meaning to pass over, deliver, or transmit something：you give a birthday present or you give someone encouragement。
present 表示「呈獻」或「贈送」，尤指在某種儀式上頒發、授予，to give something, especially at an official ceremony。
offer 表示「願意給予」，接受的一方可能接受，也可能拒絕，to hold out to a person for acceptance or refusal。
bestow is a formal word 正式用語，表示「授予」獎品或稱號等，to give someone something of value or importance：a title or an honour bestowed on him by the Queen 女皇賜給他頭銜。
confer 也是正式用語，表示正式地把學位或榮譽稱號等「授予」某人，to officially give someone a degree or an honour especially as a reward for something they have achieved。
Take/Seize/Snatch 三詞辨析
這三個詞都可作「奪取」、「抓住」解。前兩個詞通常都可以換用，但 take 最為常用，可表示「拿」或「搶」；seize 通常强調奪取的動作迅速而有力，to take hold of something quickly, eagerly or strongly；snatch 語氣最强，側重於表示一把抓住或猛烈地强行奪取，to take quickly and violently：the thief snatched the woman’s bag 小偷一把攫取婦人的提包。另外，snatch 和 seize 還可以用來表示抓住時間或機會等，兩者可以換用，例如：to seize an offer is to take and use it eagerly 連忙接受一個提議；snatched a few hours to have a sleep 抓緊幾個小時的時間睡了一覺。
Phrasal verbs（短語動詞）指由兩個、有時是三個詞組成的動詞。第一個詞是動詞（verb）take，其後接副詞（adverb）take up 或介詞（preposition）take in（文法書稱兩者做小品詞〔particle〕），或副詞加介詞，如 take up with。有些短語動詞的含義容易猜到，因為動詞和附加的詞都保持通常的意思，例如：take weight/pounds/surplus fat off，但也有不少具有習用語的特別意思，須通過學習才明白。Some verb combinations with prepositions and particles are more idiomatic than other phrasal verbs, they need to be learned. 試舉 Give 和 Take 常見的短語動詞做例子。
Common Phrasal Verbs of Give
give away：1. 贈送；2. 頒發；3. 泄露；4. 告發；5. 喪失；6. 在婚禮上將新娘交給新郎。
give back：1. 交還；2. 使……恢復；3. 報復。
give in：1. 投降；2. 遞交；give in to something 屈服於某事。
give off：散發氣味，發出光熱等。
give over 停止或拋棄某習慣；give over to：1. 托付；2. 把……留作特定用途；3. 沉溺於……。
give up：1. 放棄 idea, hope, right, territory；2. 停止 stop doing；3. 認輸；4. 獻出生命、時間等；5. 泄露某人的躲藏處；6. 放棄尋找或治愈的希望；7. 辭掉工作；give up on something 對某事表示絕望；give oneself up 投降，投案自首。
Take in/Take off/Take up
三者都是常見的短語動詞。
take in：可以有多個意思，蒙騙 deceive a person；明白 fully understand；容納 include；僱用 employ；留宿 give accommodation；收容 take in orphan/refugee/stray dog；改窄 make a piece of clothing narrower or tighter。Passengers take in the view of the Coast Mountains in Alaska from a ferry.
take off：休假 take a period of free time as a break from work；remove clothes, glasses, make-up 脫掉衣服、眼鏡，把臉上的粉抹掉等；模仿某人 imitate a person humorously：The actor can take the queen off very well；起飛 left the ground：The aircraft/flight/pilot/passenger took off；怱忙逃跑 The thief/boy/dog took off = ran away in a hurry；漸有起色 The sales/product/economy took off = began to improve greatly, make a profit。
take up：開始 begin to pursue a hobby, a sport；從事 begin to take up a job；佔用 occupy time or fill a space；着手處理 deal with；繼續 continue a task or a story；改短 shorten a piece of clothing。
take something up with somebody 提出某事同某人討論或商量；take up with somebody 開始和某人交往或要好；take somebody up on an offer 接受某人提出的建議。
本專欄逢周二、五發表
