很多同学在学习英语的时候，会混淆“verbal”和“spoken”这两个词。虽然它们都和“说”有关，但实际上它们的使用场景和含义略有不同。“Spoken”指的是用口头表达的，而“verbal”则范围更广，它指任何用语言表达的，包括口头和书面的。 换句话说，“spoken”是“verbal”的一个子集。

让我们来看一些例句来更好地理解它们的区别：

Spoken:

• 例句1: He gave a spoken warning to the unruly student. (他给那个不守规矩的学生口头警告。) Here, "spoken" emphasizes that the warning was delivered orally, not in writing.

• 例句2: I prefer spoken communication to written communication. (我更喜欢口头交流而不是书面交流。) This sentence highlights a preference for oral communication over written communication.

Verbal:

• 例句3: She gave a verbal agreement to the contract. (她对合同做了口头同意。) This implies an agreement communicated orally, but could potentially also be documented elsewhere later.

• 例句4: He left a verbal message on my answering machine. (他在我的答录机上留了语音留言。) This emphasizes the message was conveyed through speech, not in written form, but also can be perceived as not directly interacting.

• 例句5: The contract included both verbal and written instructions. (合同包括口头和书面指示。) Here, “verbal” includes instructions given orally, contrasting with written instructions.

需要注意的是，“verbal”有时也可以指语言能力相关的，例如“verbal skills”（语言能力）。而“spoken”则一般不会这样使用。

Happy learning!