如上图所示,sneer 最常与 at 搭配,表示对某事或某人嗤之以鼻,有动词和名词两种词性:
He sneered at people who like pop music.
他看不起喜欢流行音乐的人。
Most critics sneered at the movies, calling it dull and cheaply made.
大多数批评家都对这部电影嗤之以鼻,称其无聊,制作低劣。(v.)
A faint sneer of satisfaction crossed her face.
她脸上掠过一丝得意的冷笑。(n.)
在词尾加上 ing 就变成它的形容词:
I don't like his superior and sneering tone.
我不喜欢他说话时高高在上,连叽带讽的语气。
以 sn 开头的单词,在发音和词义方面,很多与鼻子有关,比较一下下面几组动词,你就可以发现它们的共同点:
snore:打鼾
sniff:(用鼻)吸气;不以为然地说
snuff:嗅;掐灭
snub:冷落;抵制
还有一个词性不同的 snide,形容词,"挖苦的,讥讽的"之意。
名著中的 sneer:
His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth.
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
他的眼睛闪闪发亮,嘴角挂着令人讨厌的嘲笑。
-《哈利·波特与阿兹卡班的囚徒》