disappoint at, disappoint by, disappoint in, disappoint of, disappoint with
disappoint后加介词at, by, in, of, with时它们之间的差别不大,一般有以下规律可循:当表示“对所见所闻感到失望”时,多用at; 表示“对没有达到预期目标而失望时”,多用in〔of, with〕; 表示“对没有得到东西而失望”,多用of; disappoint by则多用于被动结构,强调“使某人失望”,此外表示“对人失望”须用介词in; 接动名词时,用at或by。试比较:
She was disappointed in the book.
她对此书失望。
She was disappointed of the book.
她对没有弄到此书而失望。
We were disappointed at his speech.
我们对他的讲话感到失望。
We were disappointed by his speech.
他的讲话使我们感到失望。
disappointed, disappointing
disappoint的过去分词和现在分词都可用作形容词,在句中都可用作表语。它们的区别是：
disappointed的意思是“感到失望的”,主语一般是人; disappointing的意思是“令人失望的”,主语一般是事或物。试比较:
They were disappointed at the result.
他们对结果感到失望。
The result was disappointing.
结果是会令人失望的。
disappoint, despair
这两个词都可以表示“使失望,使绝望”,但含义及用法上有很大的区别:despair是不及物动词,后面接介词of,表示“彻底失望或绝望”,口气很强,有时有“悲痛”的含义; despair of接人时,意味着厌恶和失望的感情交织在一起; disappoint是及物动词,表示“使…失望”,强调原来的希望未能实现,因而令人丧失信心,常用于系表结构中。例如:
It is said that when he was a boy his par- ents despaired of him.
据说在很小的时候他的父母对他不抱 任何希望。
Although I was disappointed,I didn't des- pair.
我虽失望了,但还没有绝望。
下面三句意思相同:
I was disappointed at not finding her at home.
I was disappointed not to find her at home.
I was disappointed that I did not find her at home.
我对在她家没能找到她而感到失望。
