IN GENERAL1 when something is true about most situations, people, or events2 ways of expressing a general opinionRELATED WORDSsee alsoMOSTUSUALLYSUMMARIZE1 when something is true about most situations, people, or events 在大部分情况下，对大多数人或事而言是事实的in general/generally/in most cases /ɪn ˈdʒenərəl, ˈdʒenərəli, ɪn ˈməʊst ˌkeɪsz/ [adverb]use this to say that something is usually true 通常，大部分情况下 Women generally live longer than men. 女性通常比男子寿命长。 In general, jobs for temporary workers are low-paid. 一般说来，临时工所做的工作报酬都很低。 In general, students who get regular exercise do better in school. 一般说来经常锻炼的学生在学校成绩要更好些。 Inner-city schools generally achieved lower exam grades than other schools. 旧城区学校的考试成绩通常要比其他学校低。 Car theft is an increasingly common crime, and in most cases the offender is under 18. 汽车偷窃案越来越常见，作案者一般都不到18岁。generally speaking/as a rule /ˌdʒenərəli ˈspiːkɪŋ, əz ə ˈruːl/ [adverb]especially spokenuse this to introduce a statement about what usually happens or is true 【尤口】一般来说，通常 Generally speaking, bright colors make people feel happier. 总的说来，鲜亮的颜色让人感觉更愉快。 As a rule, French wines are more expensive than those from Eastern Europe. 一般来说，法国葡萄酒要比东欧葡萄酒贵。mostly /ˈməʊstli/ [adverb]use this to say that something is true about most people, things, or occasions 通常，大部分情况下 I drink sugar-free colas, mostly. 一般我都喝无糖可乐。 The students here are mostly Swiss and German, but sometimes we get a few Japanese, too. 这里的学生大部分是瑞士人和德国人，但有时我们也有几个日本人。 He mostly writes novels, but he's published a book of poetry too. 他写的大部分是小说，但也出版了一本诗集。most of the time /ˈməʊst əv ðə ˌtaɪm/ [adverb]especially spokenuse this to say that something usually happens 【尤口】大部分时间，通常 Our two-year-old is happy most of the time, but he wakes up from his naps in an awful mood. 我们两岁大的孩子大部分时候都很愉快，但他小睡醒来时脾气就很坏。 Most of the time people vote for the party that offers them financial advantages. 在多数情况下人们会投票给承诺在经济上给他们带来好处的政党。on the whole/by and large /ɒn ðə ˈhəʊl, ˌbaɪ ənd ˈlɑːʳdʒ/ [adverb]use this to say that something is true most of the time but not every time 总的说来，大致说来 By and large, print is easier to read than handwriting. 大致说来，印刷体比手写体易看懂。 The candidates that the party selected tended, on the whole, to be middle-aged, male, and white. 该党挑选的候选人总体说来都是中年白人男子。 Despite their age, the paintings are, on the whole, in very good condition. 尽管年代已久，这些画总体来看保存得很好。for the most part /fəʳ ðə ˈməʊst ˌpɑːʳt/ [adverb]especially writtenuse this to say that something is true in most cases 【尤书面】大部分情况下 The cell chemistry of these insects is, for the most part, poorly understood. 对于这些昆虫的细胞化学一般了解得很少。 Ethnic minorities have struggled to retain their cultural identity, and have for the most part succeeded. 少数民族一直在力图保持其文化特点，且大部分都取得了成功。tend /tend/ [intransitive verb]if somethingtends to happen, it usually happens or is true, but not always 倾向于，通常是tend to happen/do something Young children tend to get sick more often than adults. 小孩子通常比成年人易生病。 What tends to happen is that the poorest families end up in the worst housing. 最可能出现的情况是最穷的家庭往往居住条件最差。tend to be somebody who/that It tends to be the brighter kids who get all the teacher's attention. 老师的全部注意力往往都放在较聪明的学生身上。2 ways of expressing a general opinion 总的观点的表达法in general/generally speaking/generally /ɪn ˈdʒenərəl, ˌdʒenərəli ˈspiːkɪŋ, ˈdʒenərəli/ [adverb]spokenuse this to give your opinion about what is true, what is best, or what people should do, in most cases 【口】总的说来，一般来说 In general I like cats better than dogs. 一般来说，猫和狗相比我更喜欢猫。 Generally, t-shirts are the best things for kids to wear almost anywhere. 一般来说T恤衫几乎无论在哪里都是最适合小孩子穿的衣服。 I think generally speaking that the rural schools provide a better environment for the students. 我认为一般说来农村的学校给学生提供的环境更好。on the whole/all in all/all things considered /ɒn ðə ˈhəʊl, ˌɔːl ɪn ˈɔːl, ˌɔːl θɪŋz kənˈsɪdəʳd/ [adverb]spokenuse this when you have considered the whole of a situation, including the bad parts, and you are saying what you think or feel about it in general 【口】总体而言，总的说来 It's been a hard year, but on the whole I've learned a lot. 这一年很不容易，但总的说来我学到了不少。 On the whole we're glad we came to live in Vancouver. 总的说来我们高兴来到温哥华居住。 All in all, I think the conference was a great success. 从各方面来说，我认为会议非常成功。 All things considered, I'm sure we made the right decision. 总的来说我肯定我们作出了正确的决定。on balance /ɒn ˈbæləns/ [adverb]formal, informaluse this to give an opinion after considering all the arguments for and against that opinion 【正式，口】综合正反方意见；总的说来 On balance I think it would be better to cancel the arrangements. 总的来说，我认为取消这些安排更好。 Students have been very responsible, on balance, when choosing courses to provide a broad education. 总体而言，学生在选择通识课程时态度很认真负责。