爱华网 
【英语词汇】
suppose、assume、presume、postulate
佳中
这组动词可表示“假设”、“假定”的意思。
suppose普通用词，指对事物进行假设、设想，所假设的事可能是真实的，也可能是虚
构的（从句需用虚拟语气）。
1）Supposehe is absent, what shall we do?
假设缺席了，我们该怎么办？
2）Let’s supposethat they had not helped us.What would have happened?
假定他们不曾帮助我们，会发生什么情况呢?
3）Sopposethat one day scientists pick up a transmission which they thinkis
generated by aliens.
假设有一天科学家收到了他们认为是外星人发射的信号。
4）Myths are accounts of important events that aresupposed to have occurred
some time during a culture’sformative years.
神话是描述那些据说是发生的时间在某一个文化的形成年的代重要事件。
assume指主观上毫无根据的武断推测或不合逻辑的推理。
1）It is entirelywrong to assume that your wealth entitles you tospecial
respect.
你认为财富能使你享特特殊礼遇，那就大错特错了。
2）I assumed that he wouldnot come to attend the funeral.
我猜想他不会来参加葬礼。
3）Some people assume that thereis life on the other planets when they see
UFOs.
有些人看到了不明飞行物就想当然地推测其他的行星上有生命。
presume与assume一样，指对事物进行推测，不同的是侧重指以过去的经验或
根据现实的情况作出合乎逻揖的推测和设想。
1）We cannot presume theexistence of life on other planets.
我们不能推定其他行星上没有生物。
2）John didn’t say whenhe would return, but I presume that he’ll be backfor
dinner.
约翰没有说他什么时候回来,但我推测他将回来吃晚饭的。
3）One is presumed to beinnocent before the judge makes the final decision
thathe isguilty ofthe crime.
在法官作出最终的判决一个人有罪之前，他是被假定无罪的。
postulate多用于指证实某一说法或理论而进行的假设。
1）Scientists don't know why dinosaurs wereextinct, but sometheroies
postulate that changesin geography,climate, and sea levels were
responsible.
科学家不知道恐龙为何绝种,有些理论推测是地理变化、气候和海平面的变化造成的。
2）Evenif we postulate that he had a motive for themurder, that still
doesn’tmean he did it.
即使我们假设他有谋杀的动机，那也并不意味着是他干的。
3）Freud postulated that weall have a death instinct as well as a life
instinct.
弗洛伊德曾假定我们所有人都有生存本能和死亡本能。
