explain、interpret、illustrate、clarify与account这些动词均有“说明”之意。
explain : 含义广，最普通用词，指把某事向原来不了解、不清楚的人解释明白、说清楚等。
- If there's anything you don't understand, I'll be happy to explain.
如果你有什么不懂的地方，我会很乐意为你讲解。 - The teacher explained the rules to the children.
老师向孩子们说明规则。 - He explained how the machine worked.
他解释了这台机器的工作原理。 - Please could you explain why you're so late.
你能否解释一下你迟到这么久的原因？
interpret : 着重以特殊的知识、经验来解释难理解的事情。
- It's difficult to interpret these statistics without knowing how they were obtained.
不了解这些统计数字是怎样得来的就难以理解它们。 - A jury should not interpret the silence of a defendant as a sign of guilt.
陪审团不应该将被告的沉默看作是有罪的表示。
illustrate : 多指用实例或插图、图表加以说明。
- The lecturer illustrated his point with a diagram on the blackboard.
讲师在黑板上用图表来说明自己的观点。 - This latest conflict further illustrates the weakness of the UN.
最近的这次冲突进一步说明了联合国的软弱。 - The exhibition will illustrate how life evolved from water.
这次展览将展示生命是如何从水中演化而来的。
clarify : 指把已发生的事件。情况和现状说清楚。
- Could you clarify the first point please? I don't understand it completely.
请你把第一点再阐释一下，好吗？我没有完全明白。 - The position of all shareholders will be clarified next month when we finalize our proposals.
下月我们将计划书定下后，所有股东的立场便清晰明了了。
account : 说明某事物如何符合自然法则或逻辑。
- She gave a thrilling account of her life in the jungle.
她把自己在丛林中生活的经历描述得惊险刺激。 - He kept a detailed account of the suspect's movements.
他详细记录了犯罪嫌疑人的一举一动。 - Several eyewitnesses' accounts differed considerably from the official version of events.
几个目击者对于事件的叙述和官方的说法有很大出入。
