empty、vacant、hollow、blank与open这些形容词都有“空的”之意。
empty : 指空无一人或一物，或空洞无意义的。
- an empty house/street
空房／空无一人的街道 - Shall I take the empty bottles for recycling?
我把这些空瓶子拿去回收吧？ - The train was empty (= there were no passengers) by the time it reached London.
火车到达伦敦的时候，车内已经没有乘客了。
vacant : 普通用词，侧重某物或某个位置没有被占用。
- The hospital has no vacant beds.
这家医院没有空床位。
hollow : 指物体中间是空的。
- a hollow tube
空心管子 - Hollow blocks are used because they are lighter.
使用空心砖是因为它们更轻。 - a hollow log
空心的原木
blank : 指上面没有写字、印刷或做记号的空白表面，或指上面留着准备被填写的空白处。
- a blank sheet of paper
一张白纸 - a blank computer screen
空白的电脑屏幕 - Sign your name in the blank space at the bottom of the form.
在表格底部的空白处签名。
open : 指未被占有，从而可被别人得到的。
- There are still several possibilities open to you.
你还有几个不同的选择。 - The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16.
16岁以上的人都可以参加这场竞赛。 - Is the library open to the general public?
这座图书馆向公众开放吗？ - Their whole attitude to these negotiations is open to criticism (= can be criticized).
他们对这些谈判的整个态度应该受到批评。 - I'd like to think I'm open to (= willing to consider) any reasonable suggestion.
我认为自己是愿意接受任何合理的建议的。 - An accident would lay the whole issue of safety open (= cause it to be considered).
一起事故会使整个安全问题凸显出来。
