「Expect」和「anticipate」兩個英文單字，乍看之下意思好像很接近，都是「預期」的意思，但仔細比較，它們在用法上卻有些微妙的差異。一般來說，「expect」著重於預期某事會發生，通常帶有較強的確定性，甚至包含了一定的必然性；而「anticipate」則更著重於預料到將要發生的事情，並為之做好準備，它所表達的確定性相對較弱，也更帶有期待的意味。

讓我們來看一些例句：

• Expect: I expect to finish my homework by 10 pm. (我預計在晚上十點前完成我的作業。) This implies a strong belief that the homework will be completed by 10 pm.

• Anticipate: I anticipate a busy day tomorrow. (我預料明天會很忙碌。) This suggests a prediction of a busy day, but doesn't necessarily imply certainty. There’s a possibility of it not being as busy as expected.

再舉一個例子：

• Expect: I expect a phone call from my parents. (我預期會接到父母的電話。) This suggests a high degree of certainty that the call will come.

• Anticipate: I anticipate the challenges of this new project. (我預料到這個新專案的挑戰。) This implies a preparedness for the challenges, but not necessarily a feeling of certain expectation that they will definitely occur.

另一個重要的區別在於，"expect" 常用於預期某人做某事，而 "anticipate" 則較少用於此。

• Expect: I expect you to be on time. (我期望你準時。)

最後，一個小技巧：如果可以替換成「等待」或「預計」，通常用expect；如果語氣較為輕鬆，帶有「預料到並準備好」的意思，則用anticipate。

Happy learning!