英语重点难点精讲：reduce，diminish，lower，lessen和decrease
① reduce常用作及物动词，意为“减少，降低，使处于”，在表示“减少”这层意思上，有lower的含义。结构为：
reduce sth.
reduce sth. to…把……减少到，使处于……状态
be reduced to
They are reducing wages. 他们在减少工资。
She reduced the price of the coat to 50 dollars. 她把那件大衣的价格减为50美元。
For some time he was reduced to begging. 有一段时间他沦为乞丐。
The hotel was reduced to ashes. 那家旅馆被烧成了灰烬。
② reduce还可用作不及物动词，表示“减肥”。
He is trying to reduce. 他正在减肥。
She has been reducing for half a year. 她减肥已经半年了。
③ 在表示减少，强调减少结果上，diminish更确切。
The drought diminishes the supplies of vegetables. 旱灾减少了蔬菜供应。
The illness diminished his strength. 疾病使他丧失了不少体力。
④ lower表示下降，与bring down差不多。
lower the prices 降低价格
lower one's voice 放低声音
⑤ lessen表示减少，减轻，不用具体数目表示；decrease可以用具体数目表示，但往往强调变小的过程，渐变的经过。
His fever has lessened. It has decreased from 38℃ to 37℃. 他的烧退了，体温已从38℃降到了37℃。
