词汇对比与辨析
核心差别
punishment 强调惩罚是指因违反规则或法律而施加的处罚，penalty 则侧重penalty 指因违反规则或法律而受到的正式处罚
使用场景对比
| 对比方面 | punishment | penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 核心含义 | 惩罚是指因违反规则或法律而施加的处罚，通常用于法律、教育或纪律场景。 | penalty 指因违反规则或法律而受到的正式处罚，如罚款、刑罚或体育比赛中的罚球，也可引申为不利后果。 |
| 词性 | 名词 | 名词 |
| 使用语域 | 常用作不可数名词，表示抽象概念；也可作可数名词，指具体处罚行为。常与动词如'impose'、'receive'等搭配。 | 常用句型包括 'impose a penalty on'（对...施加处罚）、'pay a penalty for'（为...支付罚款）和 'face a penalty'（面临处罚），这些结构强调处罚的施加、接受或面对过程。 |
对比例句
The teacher gave him extra homework as punishment for being late.
老师给他额外作业作为迟到的惩罚。
If you break the rules, you'll face punishment.
如果你违反规则，你将面临惩罚。
If you park here, you'll get a penalty ticket from the traffic police.
如果你把车停在这里，交警会给你开罚单。
He received a penalty for speeding on the highway last week.
他上周在高速公路上超速行驶，收到了处罚。
常见误用提醒
使用 punishment：He got a punishment from his boss. → He received punishment from his boss. (中文常说'得到惩罚'，但英语中'get punishment'不够正式，'receive punishment'更符合英语表达习惯。)
使用 punishment：The punishment to the crime is too light. → The punishment for the crime is too light. (表示惩罚的原因应用介词'for'，而不是'to'，'punishment for something'是固定搭配。)
使用 penalty：He got a penalty because he didn't finish his homework. → He got a punishment because he didn't finish his homework. (penalty 通常指正式或规则性的处罚（如法律、体育），而 punishment 更通用，可用于非正式场合如家庭或学校；这里用 punishment 更合适。)