earth、clay、dirt、land、dust、soil、mud与ground这些名词都有“土地、土、泥”之意。
earth : 多指地表带有水分的泥土，较具体。
- a clod/lump/mound of earth
一块土；一团泥；一堆土
clay : 特指潮湿时发粘，而火烤后变坚硬的泥土。
- the heavy clay soils of Cambridgeshire
剑桥郡的重黏土质土壤
dirt : 指地表的干松泥土。
- His coat was covered with dirt.
他的外套上满是泥土。
land : 含义笼统。指与河流、海洋相对的陆地，也指可耕种的土地。
- This sort of land is no good for growing potatoes.
这种地不适合种土豆。 - I always prosecute people who trespass on my land.
对擅自闯入我的领地的人我一律都要告上法庭。 - We want to buy a plot of land to build a house.
我们想买一块地盖房子。
dust : 特指土壤干燥后，飞扬于空中的细微泥土。
- The furniture was covered in dust and cobwebs.
家具上落满了灰尘和蜘蛛网。 - A cloud of dust rose in the air as the car roared past.
汽车飞驶过后扬起一阵尘土。 - coal dust
煤灰
soil : 特指适宜栽种农作物或生长各种植物的泥土。
- light/heavy/fertile soil
轻质／黏重／肥沃土 - sandy or chalky soils
沙质或白垩质土壤
mud : 指湿土，尤指雨后稀泥、污泥。
- The vehicles got bogged down in the heavy mud.
车辆陷到了淤泥里动弹不得。 - Modern houses have replaced the one-room mud huts with grass roofs that had been home to generations of peasants.
新式住房取代了农民世代居住的单间草顶土屋。 - These mud flats (= level ground near the sea) are a site of special scientific interest.
这片淤泥滩有特殊的科研价值。
ground : 通常指大地的表面，也可指土壤、泥土或场地。
- soft/stony ground
松软的／满是石头的土地 - The ground was frozen hard and was impossible to dig.
土地冻实了，根本挖不动。
