今天，我们一起来学习“燃烧”在英语中的几种表达。

burn：to produce heat and flames 燃烧

例：The fire was still burning.

火还在燃烧着。

A pile of branches was burning in the yard. 院子里一堆树枝在燃烧。

be on fire：if a building, car, piece of clothing etc is on fire, it is burning and being damaged 〔建筑物、汽车、衣物等〕着火，起火

例：

Before long, the neighbouring houses were on fire too. 没过多久，相邻的房子也着火了。

be alight：especially written【尤书面】 if something is alight, it is burning 在燃烧

例：

By the time the fire engines got there, the whole building was already alight. 等消防车到那里时，整栋大楼都已经燃着了。

be ablaze：especially written【尤书面】 if something is ablaze, it is burning with a lot of flames, so that it is seriously damaged 在熊熊燃烧

例：

Twelve hours after the bombing raid, many parts of the city were still ablaze.

空袭过了12小时后，城市里许多地方仍燃烧着熊熊大火。

blaze：to burn very brightly with a lot of flames and heat 熊熊燃烧

例：A big log fire was blazing in the fireplace. 壁炉里用原木生的火烧得正旺。

smoulder： to burn slowly and continuously, producing smoke but no flames 阴燃，闷燃

例：

A cigarette smouldered in the ashtray.

一支香烟在烟灰缸内闷燃。

TO START BURNING 开始燃烧

catch fire：to start burning accidentally 失火，着火

例：

We were worried the house would catch fire. 我们担心房子会失火。

burst into flames：to suddenly start burning and produce a lot of flames that cause serious damage 突然燃起大火

例：The plane crashed into the side of the mountain and burst into flames.

飞机撞上山腰，熊熊燃烧起来。

ignite：technical【术语】 if a chemical or gas ignites, it starts burning 〔化学品或气体〕点燃，起火

例：

The compound ignites at 450 degrees Celsius. 这种化合物在450摄氏度时燃烧。

TO BURN SOMETHING 烧某物

burn：to damage or destroy something with fire or heat 烧毁，烧坏；烫坏

例：She lit a fire and burned his letters one by one.

她点起火，把他的来信一封接一封地烧掉。

set fire to sth：(also 又作 set sth on fire) to make something start burning so that it gets damaged 放火烧某物

例：Vandals set fire to an empty warehouse. 破坏分子放火焚烧一处空仓库。

scorch：to damage the surface of something by burning it so that a dark mark is left on it 烧焦，烤焦〔表面〕

例：Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric. 熨斗温度太高会烫焦衣料。

singe： to damage hair, wool, paper etc by burning it slightly so that the ends or edges are burnt 轻微烧焦，燎〔毛发、毛料、纸张等〕

例：

The flames were hot enough to singe your eyebrows.

火焰烫得都能把眉毛燎了。

scald：to burn your skin with very hot liquid or steam 〔以高温液体或蒸汽〕烫伤

例：

The coffee was so hot it nearly scalded his tongue.

咖啡热得差点儿烫伤了他的舌头。

TO MAKE SOMETHING STOP BURNING 使某物停止燃烧

put out：to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning 扑灭；熄灭

例：It took firefighters four hours to put out the blaze. 消防员花了四个小时才把大火扑灭。

I put out my cigarette and went back into the house. 我熄灭香烟，走回屋内。

extinguish：/ formal【正式】 to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning 扑灭；熄灭

例：

He managed to extinguish the flames with his coat. 他用自己的外套设法把火扑灭了。

Customers who smoke will be asked to extinguish their cigarettes or leave the premises.

吸烟的顾客会被要求熄灭香烟或离开。

blow out：to make a flame or fire stop burning by blowing on it 吹灭

例：

He blew out the candle and went to sleep. 他吹熄蜡烛睡觉了。

The wind blew out the fire.

风把火吹灭了。