The word “work” can be a verb or noun or even an adjective. This entry looks at “work”and “works”as nouns.

　　work这个词可以作为动词、名词，甚至形容词，在这里我们只讨论work和works作为名词时的用法。

　　“Work” has several different meanings, but one of the most common is “exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labour; toil”. In this sense it is an uncountable noun and has no plural form.

　　work有好几种不同的意思，但有一点是相通的，那就是“通过努力来达到或完成某事，劳动，辛苦工作”。在这种情况下，work是不可数名词，没有复数形式。

　　E.g.1:We have a lot of work.

　　例1：我们有很多工作要做。

　　E.g.2:We will start the work as soon as we have received the signed Power of Attorney.

　　例2：我们一收到签订好的委托书后就会开始工作。

　　E.g.3:The work involved 17 hours of lawyer’s work and 5 hours of translator’s work.

　　例3：这项工作需要17个小时的律师工作和5小时的翻译工作。

　　“Works” has a different meaning. It is used to describe construction or engineering projects.

　　works有不同的意思，通常用来形容工程施工等。

　　E.g.4:There are traffic jams all over the city due to the road works in the centre.

　　例4：由于市中心在修路，现在城市里到处都是交通堵塞。

　　E.g.5:Works on the bridge were delayed by 4 weeks due to bad weather.

　　例5：由于天气原因，桥梁施工要推迟4周。

　　So you should never use “works” to describe the work you do when you’re sitting at a desk.

　　所以，works绝对不能用来表示那些你坐在办公桌前完成的工作。

　　“Works”can also be used to mean an industrial plant.

　　works还可以用来指工厂。

　　E.g. Over two hundred people are employed at the works.

　　例句：这家工厂雇佣了200多人。

　　It may be used in combination with other words, e.g. “ironworks”, “steelworks”, “gasworks”. In this sense the word has no singular form. However, you may say, e.g. “one gasworks”.

　　works还可以和其他词语一起组成复合词，比如“钢铁厂”，“炼钢厂”，“煤气厂”。这种情况下，works是没有单数形式的，但你可以说“一家煤气厂”(works单复同形)。

　　“Work”as a countable noun

　　work作为可数名词的用法

　　“Work”is used as a countable noun when referring to works of art or literature，e.g. a work of art.

　　当work指的是某个艺术作品或文学作品时，work就是可数名词，比如：一件艺术作品。

　　Idioms with “works”

　　与works相关的表达

　　1.in the works –(informal) in preparation

　　1.(非正式用法)在准备中

　　E.g. Various amendments to the Act are in the works.

　　例句：对于该提案的各种修订案正在准备中。

　　2.a spanner in the works –(informal) a problem

　　2.(非正式用法)一个问题

　　E.g. The appearance of new evidence has thrown a spanner in the works.

　　例句：新证据的出现又引发了一个新问题。

　　3.with the works –(slang) with the full range, with everything

　　3.(习语)所有事物

　　E.g. Give me a hot dog with the works.

　　例句：给我个热狗，所有配料都要加。

　　4.give somebody the works – (slang) beat somebody up, give somebody severe treatment

　　4.(习语)给某人点颜色瞧瞧

　　E.g. We took him out the back door of the bar and gave him the works.

　　例句：我们把他带出酒吧后门，给了他点颜色瞧瞧。

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）