「down」會降低、記錄、減少、故障

Down 是很忙的 particle，因為「降低」這個想法可以往很多方向延伸。你可以 sit down, turn down the heat, write down a number, cut down on coffee, calm down, shut down a computer，或 break down in tears。同一個 particle 可以降低身體、音量、速度、情緒、數字，甚至信心。

這個家族看起來很大，但多數意思都來自一個畫面：某物變得更低、更小、更安靜、更弱、更固定，或完全停止。

快速答案

Down 的核心概念是「降低或使其受控制」。在 phrasal verbs 裡，它常表示：

• 移到較低位置：sit down, lie down, put down
• 減少：turn down, cut down, slow down, bring down
• 記錄：write down, note down, take down
• 拒絕或批評：turn down, put down
• 冷靜或控制：calm down, settle down
• 停止或故障：shut down, break down, close down
• 摧毀或移除：tear down, take down

問題是：什麼被降低？身體、聲音、數字、情緒、系統，還是一面牆？

Down 表示實際降低

最字面的意思最容易開始。

• Please sit down.
• I need to lie down for a few minutes.
• She put down her bag by the door.
• He set down the box carefully.

這裡 down 表示朝較低表面移動。受詞可以是你的身體，也可以是你拿著的東西。

Put down 聽起來簡單，但它還有好幾個意思，所以情境很重要：

• Put down the glass. = 把它放在表面上
• The vet had to put down the old dog. = 結束動物痛苦
• Don't put down your classmates. = 貶低或羞辱

因為同一片語帶有很不同的語氣，決定意思前要看完整句子。

Down 表示減少

如果某物太高、太快、太大聲或太多，down 會把它降低。

• Could you turn down the music?
• We need to cut down on expenses.
• Please slow down; I can't follow you.
• The new process brings down the error rate.
• Prices went down after the holiday rush.

Turn down 可用於機器、音量、溫度、燈光和提議。受詞決定意思：

• She turned down the radio. = 調小聲
• She turned down the job. = 拒絕工作

同一片語，兩條路：降低設定，或透過拒絕降低一個機會。

Cut down on 表示減少某個習慣或反覆出現的量：

• I'm trying to cut down on sugar.
• The office wants to cut down on paper waste.

說出習慣時，這個模式通常不要省略 on：

• 正確："cut down on coffee"
• 一般日常用法中不要說："cut down coffee"

Down 表示記錄

這個意思一開始會讓人驚訝。為什麼 write down 表示記錄？

想像資訊從你的腦中或別人的聲音裡，往下移到紙上、手機裡或表格上。

• Write down your password hint, not the password itself.
• I noted down the address.
• The officer took down my name and phone number.
• Can you jot down the main points?

這些都表示把資訊記錄下來，以免消失。Jot down 聽起來快速且隨意。Write down 中性。當有人記錄細節時，take down 可以聽起來較正式。

這些片語可分開：

• Write the number down.
• Write it down.
• Take the details down.
• Take them down.

使用代名詞時，把代名詞放中間：write it down，不是 "write down it."

Down 表示冷靜或安定

情緒可以感覺很高、很大聲或很失控。Down 讓它們降低。

• Please calm down. We can fix this.
• The children finally settled down after dinner.
• The crowd quieted down when the speaker began.
• My nerves settled down after the first question.

小心 calm down。它文法上很有用，但社交上有風險。如果有人正在生氣，"Calm down" 可能聽起來像是在否定對方感受，彷彿問題是他的情緒。較柔和的說法常更有效：

• "Let's slow this down."
• "Let's take a minute."
• "I want to understand what happened."

這個 phrasal verb 本身不粗魯，但時機很重要。

Down 表示拒絕或批評

Turn down 可以表示拒絕。

• She turned down the offer.
• They turned down our request.
• He asked for a raise, but his manager turned him down.

提議像是被降低或送走。有受詞時，這個意思可分開：

• They turned down the proposal.
• They turned the proposal down.
• They turned it down.

Put down 可以表示羞辱或讓某人覺得自己變小：

• Don't put yourself down.
• He is always putting down other people's ideas.

這裡 down 是情緒上的降低。某人的信心或地位被往下推。

Down 表示停止或故障

機器、系統、企業和身體都可能 go down, shut down, break down。

• The website went down during the sale.
• My car broke down on the highway.
• The company shut down the old factory.
• The restaurant closed down last year.
• The printer is down again.

Break down 有幾個常見意思：

• 機器停止運作："The elevator broke down."
• 人失去情緒控制："She broke down in tears."
• 流程被拆成部分："Let's break down the costs."
• 溝通失敗："Talks broke down after midnight."

共同概念是完整系統不再維持。它可能故障、拆成部分，或失去控制。

Shut down 表示停止運作，可以是字面或組織上的：

• Shut down your laptop before packing it.
• The city shut down several unsafe buildings.

Down 表示移除或摧毀

如果牆、柱子、頁面或結構 comes down，它就從原本位置被移除。

• They tore down the old theater.
• The workers took down the signs.
• Please take down the notice after Friday.
• The storm brought down several trees.

Take down 有點 tricky，因為它可以表示記錄，也可以表示移除：

• The assistant took down the address. = 記下
• The assistant took down the poster. = 拿下

受詞會告訴你哪個意思啟動。地址和筆記會被記錄。海報、招牌和裝飾會被移除。

常見錯誤

• "Write down it." 較好："Write it down." 可分片語遇到代名詞時，代名詞放中間。
• "I need to cut down coffee." 較好："I need to cut down on coffee." 習慣模式通常用 on。
• 想表示分析時說 "The meeting broke down the costs"。較好："We broke down the costs in the meeting." 通常是人拆解資訊，會議本身不常這樣做。
• "She turned down the music" 和 "She turned down the job" 都可以，但意思不同。檢查受詞。
• "The site closed down for ten minutes." 較好："The site went down for ten minutes." Close down 通常用於企業或營運結束。

小練習

選出最適合的片語：turn down, write down, cut down on, calm down, break down, shut down, take down, put down。

1. Please _____ your email address so I don't forget it.
2. I am trying to _____ late-night snacks.
3. The laptop froze, so I had to _____ and restart it.
4. She _____ the invitation because she was busy.
5. The car _____ twenty miles from home.
6. Don't _____ yourself just because you made one mistake.
7. The sign is outdated; can you _____ it?
8. Let's _____ and discuss the problem one step at a time.

答案

1. write down。記錄資訊用 write down。
2. cut down on。減少習慣用 cut down on。
3. shut down。停止機器或系統。
4. turned down。拒絕邀請。
5. broke down。機器或車輛停止運作。
6. put down。羞辱或貶低。
7. take down。移除標誌、海報或公告。
8. calm down。降低情緒熱度。

超短總結

看到 down 時，尋找「降低」：位置降低、音量降低、數量降低、情緒降低、地位降低，或系統從正常運作中掉下來。

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