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For Life
2004.06.18

It's great to have you back, and it's great to be just hours away from the weekend, isn't it? Here are the last of our Commonly Confused Words for the week. Crime may not pay, but it'll certainly pay to learn today's WordMaster!

Today's LessonCATEGORY: Commonly Confused Words
STEAL vs. ROB   盗む（用法の違い）

Explanation

  • To steal  something that is not yours is to take it without permission, without paying for it, and without intending to return it.

    To rob  a person or place is to steal something from them.

    Be careful:
    The object of steal  is the thing that is taken. The object of rob  is the person or place from which the thing is taken.
  • "steal  + 物"は、物（自分の物でないもの）を、断わりなく、お金を払うことなく、返すつもりもなく持って行く――つまり、盗む、という意味です。

    "rob  + 人、場所"は、人や場所から何かを盗む、という意味です。

    注意：
    steal  の目的語は、盗まれた"物"になります。rob  の目的語は、盗まれた"人や場所"になります。

examples

  1. Car thieves steal  over a thousand vehicles in this city every year.
  2. Someone has stolen  my wallet! I've been robbed!
  3. 50,000,000 yen was stolen  from Easy Loan Bank this afternoon. That's the 3rd time thieves have robbed  the bank this year.

Make this weekend your finest hour!