afford

Word family

af·ford /əˈfɔːd $ -ɔːrd/ S1 W3 verb [transitiveT]

1 can/could afford [usually negative]

a) PAY FORto have enough money to buy or pay for something 买得起

afford (to do) something

We can’t afford to go on vacation this year.

今年我们没钱去度假。

I couldn’t afford the rent on my own.

我单靠自己付不起房租。

How can she afford to eat out every night?

每天晚上下馆子她怎么能负担得起？

b) TIME/HAVE TIMEto have enough time to do something 抽得出〔时间〕

Dad can’t afford any more time off work.

爸爸没有办法再请假了。

c) CANif you cannot afford to do something, you must not do it because it could cause serious problems for you 承担得起

afford to do something

We can’t afford to wait any longer or we’ll miss the plane.

我们再也不能等下去了，否则会赶不上飞机的。

5Afford can be followed by an infinitive with to , but not an ‘-ing’ form: I can’t afford to buy (NOT can’t afford buying) a car.

Afford 之后可以接带 to 的不定式，但是不能接 ‘-ing’ 形式: I can’t afford to buy (不说 can’t afford buying) a car. 我买不起汽车。

n Grammar

Afford is followed by an infinitive with ‘to’:

I can’t afford to buy a car.

✗Don’t say: can’t afford buying | can’t afford buy

Examples from the Corpus

afford to do something• It gives them a power that shouldn't be unquestioningly afforded to any individual.• The political system can no longer afford to be indifferent to the economy.• Bill's loyalty to his apprentice had been ill rewarded this evening and no trainer could afford to be sentimental.• How much more can you realistically afford to charge in the meantime?• Proven strikers are few and far between and Ferguson can not afford to gamble on potential.• Only those who can afford to ignore these constraints feel capable of exercising a choice to retain a more traditional agricultural landscape.• On trip cancellation or interruption insurance, some people can not afford to lose even a couple hundred dollars.• We can afford to take both a larger and longer view.

2 formalPROVIDE to provide something or allow something to happen 提供，给予

The room affords a beautiful view over the city.

这房间可以俯瞰城市美景。

afford (somebody) an opportunity/chance

It afforded her the opportunity to improve her tennis skills.

这给了她提高网球水平的机会。

The new law will afford protection to employees.

新法律将为雇员提供保障。

5 —affordable adj

affordable housing

负担得起的住房

Examples from the Corpus

afford• Filling in the two charts on page 32 gives the best indication of what you can afford.• It is successful because it produces a high quality product on time at a price the customer can afford.• My parents used to say that their son would have the best education they could afford.• The window affords a beautiful view out over the city.• Helena doesn't feel she can afford any more time away from work.• Fortunately Joe's can afford for me to use chemicals and paper as I like.• No show can afford that kind of scandal, particularly a brand-new one, hungry for the ratings.• Many smaller companies simply can not afford to buy health insurance for employees and remain in business.• The School Board next week is expected to meet in executive session and determine how much it can afford to offer.

afford protection• Assists in maintaining proper bowel function and affords protection against diverticulosis, haemorrhoids and varicose veins.

Origin afford

Old English geforthian “to carry out”, from forth

af·ford verb →n GRAMMAR1

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