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单词前缀 “in-” 通常用于构成一个词的反义词。比如 “secure（安全的）” 和 “insecure（没有保障的，不安全的）”。不过，单词 “valuable” 和 “invaluable” 却不是一对反义词，并且它们的意思十分相近，都可以形容某物 “具有很高的价值”。那么这两个词究竟有什么不同呢？听节目，跟主持人 Beth 和步理辨析这对近义词。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Beth
Hello and welcome to Question and Answer of the Week. I'm Beth.

Buli
And I'm Buli. We're answering this question.

Question
我最近看到，“invaluable” 的意思居然不是 “没有价值”，而是 “极其宝贵”，那它和 “valuable” 有什么区别啊？通常 “in-” 不是作为反义前缀吗？

Beth
Great question. This can definitely be confusing! You're right that the prefix 'in-' often shows an opposite or negative. For example, it's used in words like 'incomplete' – not complete, 'incorrect' – not correct and 'inactive' – not active.

Buli
是的。不过，虽然前缀 “in-” 通常用来组成一个单词的反义词，但 “valuable” 和 “invaluable” 却并不是一对反义词。

Beth
'Valuable' can be an adjective which describes an object that is worth a lot of money. This is literal. You might own something that is valuable, like a piece of jewellery or a car. Listen to these examples.

Examples
This piece of art is extremely valuable and very rare. It will sell for a very high price.
（这件艺术品价值极高并且十分稀有。它一定能卖出高价。）

This ring is valuable. I saved up for six months before I could afford it.
（这个戒指很贵重。我攒了六个月的钱才买得起它。）

Buli
除了表示 “某物的价钱很高” 以外，“valuable” 还可以用来形容一件东西 “十分宝贵，具有很高的价值”。比如，“a valuable piece of information（一份宝贵的信息）”。这并不意味着这件信息真的能卖出很高的价钱，而通常是指 “这份信息至关重要”。来听一组例句。

Examples
My brother told me a lot of valuable information about the company before my interview, and it really helped.
（我兄弟在我面试前告诉了我许多关于这家公司的重要信息，这些信息真的很有帮助。）

Our teacher gave us valuable advice before the exam, especially about how to manage our time.
（我们老师在考试前给了我们一些宝贵的建议，特别是对于如何规划考试的时间。）

Beth
Now 'valuables' with an 's' is a noun, and they are something worth a lot to you personally, whether those things are worth a lot of money or not.

Buli
是的。“Valuables” 还是一个名词，意思是 “对一个人来说十分贵重的个人物品”，比如旅行时携带的钱包、手机，或者具有纪念意义的装饰品或照片等等。

Beth
Now let's look at 'invaluable'. We use this to express that something is worth so much that you can't put a price on it – it has value beyond money.

Buli
That's right. 和 “valuable” 不同，“invaluable” 的意思是 “十分珍贵的，无价的”，通常形容的是那些 “价值超越了金钱本身，无法用钱买到的东西”。比如，我的小外甥给我画了一幅画，虽然这幅画本身十分简单，不具有通常意义上的艺术价值，但对于我来说是非常宝贵、无可替代的东西。所以，我可以说这是一幅 “invaluable painting”。

Beth
We can also call something that can't be priced or replaced 'invaluable'. So, for example, ancient artefacts that are discovered can't be replaced by anything – they are invaluable. You can't put a price on them. Let's hear some related examples.

Examples
The work experience I did at 16 was invaluable. It taught me so much about the world of work.
（我 16 岁时获得的工作经历太宝贵了。它教给了我许多关于职场的心得。）

Spending time with my grandmother is invaluable. She's 90 now, and she's had such an interesting life.
（陪伴奶奶的时间对我来说是无价的。奶奶已经 90 岁了，她的人生十分有趣。）

Buli
总的来说，“valuable” 的字面意思是 “值钱的”，我们也可以用它来形容 “具有重要价值的东西”，比如他人提供的信息或忠告。除此之外，“valuables” 也可以作名词，意思是 “对一个人来说十分贵重的个人物品”。而 “invaluable” 虽然也有 “十分珍贵的” 这个含义，但它通常强调的是 “一件东西的价值超越了金钱本身，对某人十分重要或者无法替代，是一件无价之宝”。

Beth
Remember, if you have a question about the English language you'd like to ask us, you can send us an email to: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye, everyone.

Beth
Goodbye!