“to no effect”是一个常用的英语介词短语,核心含义是“没有效果;不起作用;白费力气”,用来描述某一动作、努力或措施未能达到预期的结果。
强调“行动与结果的反差”:即某人做了某事(如尝试、说服、抗议等),但最终没有产生任何想要的效果,相当于“with no result”或“unsuccessfully”。
“to no effect”通常作为状语(修饰动词或整个句子),常见于以下结构:
直接说明“做某事没有效果”,动作动词多为表示“努力、尝试、争取”的词(如try, attempt, argue, protest, complain, appeal等)。
He tried to persuade her to stay to no effect.(他试图说服她留下,但没用。)
They protested against the new law to no effect.(他们抗议新法律,但无济于事。)
动作涉及具体对象时,“to no effect”仍放在句末,强调对宾语的作用无效。
She applied the cream to her skin to no effect—the rash got worse.(她把乳膏涂在皮肤上,但没用——皮疹更严重了。)
The teacher spoke to the noisy student to no effect; he continued talking.(老师和吵闹的学生谈话,但没用;他还在说。)
描述“某事被做了,但没效果”。
The warning was issued to no effect—people still went swimming in the dangerous area.(警告发了没用——人们还是去危险区域游泳。)
The medication was administered to no effect; his pain didn’t decrease.(药给了但没效果;他的疼痛没减轻。)
to no effect:侧重“动作的结果无效”(强调结果);
in vain:侧重“努力白费”(强调过程无回报);
without success:更直白的“没有成功”(中性)。
例:
He worked hard in vain(努力白费) vs. He worked hard to no effect(努力没效果)。
1、 I called the customer service line repeatedly to no effect—my issue wasn’t resolved.(我反复打客服电话,但没用——问题没解决。)
2、 The team practiced for hours to no effect; they still lost the game.(球队练了几个小时,但没用;还是输了比赛。)
3、 She begged him to change his mind to no effect—he left anyway.(她求他改变主意,但没用——他还是走了。)
总结:“to no effect”是表达“行动无效”的简洁方式,适用于描述各种“努力落空”的场景,记住它常放在动作之后、句末即可。