difficulty的重要用法说明及例析
1. 关于是否用作可数名词和是否用复数形式：
(1) 表示抽象意义的“困难”，是不可数名词。如：
Bad planning will lead to difficulty later.
计划不周会给以后带来困难。
Refer to your dictionary in ca of difficulty.
如果遇到难题，请参考你的字典。
(2) 表示具体意义的“困难”（如难事、难点、难题等），是可数名词。如：
Here is a difficulty for us to get over.
这儿有一个困难要我们克服。
He met with many difficulties when travelling.
他在旅行进遇到过不少伤脑筋的事。
(3) 在某些词组中是不可数名词（只用单数），如with difficulty（困难地），without difficulty （容易地）；而在某些词组中又是可数名词（且通常要用复数形式），如make difficulties（刁难），under difficulties（在困难条件下）。
(4) 在某些词组中可用作可数名词或不可数名词，有时意义相同，如make no difficulty=make no difficulties（无异议，不反对），有时意义不同，如be in difficulty（有困难），be in difficulties （手头拮据）。
2. 表示“做某事有困难”，其后不接to do sth，而接(in) doing sth，其中的in 含有while 之意，在口语中通常可以省略；由于这样用的difficulty 意思比较抽象，因此不可数，不用复数形式，也不连用不定冠词。如：
I had difficulty understanding the poems.
这些诗我感到很难理解。
I found great difficulty (in) doing the work.
做这工作我觉得很吃力。
There is much difficulty in finding his office.
没费什么劲就找到了他的办公室。
We had difficulty in finding a parking place. 我们费了很大劲才找到一个停车位。
They shouldn’t have any difficulty in finding the hou. 他们找这房子时大概不会有困难。
If you should have any difficulty in getting spare parts ring this number. 万一你买备件时遇到什么困难，请打这个电话号码。
One way of deciding what to do when you have difficulty in choosing the best cour of action is to toss a coin. 当人们遇到困难不知选什么行动方案最好的时候，一个办法就是扔硬币来决定干什么好。
注：该结构中的介词in有时可以省略。如：
I had difficulty carrying out the plan. 我执行这项计划有困难。
She was having great difficulty getting her car out, and so I had to move my car to let her out. 当时她正无法把车子开出来，所以我就移开了我的车子让她开出来。
若是后接名词，则通常用介词with。如：
I’m having difficulty with my travel arrangements.
我安排旅行遇到了困难。
Some people had difficulty with the lecture, but most understood.
有些人听讲有困难，但大部分人听懂了。
If you have the least difficulty with the arrangements for the conference, phone me at once. 如果你安排会议有什么困难，马上给我打电话。
另外，有时也可后接about (doing) sth，其中的about 隐含有“关于”之意。如：
There oughtn’t to have been any difficulty about it.
此事本不应有什么困难。
There shouldn’t be any difficulty about getting you a visa.
给你弄个签证不会有什么困难吧。
There shouldn’t be any difficulty about getting you a visa. 给你弄个签证不会有什么困难吧。此时还可用介词over表示类似意思。如：
There doesn’t em to have been any difficulty over the money question. 在钱的问题上似乎没发生什么困难。
3. difficulty后接of doing sth时，表示做某事的困难，其中介词of表示所属关系，相当汉语的“的”字。如：
He tried to explain to me the difficulty of learning to cook from books.
他向我解释照着书本学习烹饪的困难。
One of the annoyances of working here is the difficulty of parking near the office. 在这里工作有一件伤脑筋的事，就是在办公处附近很难停车。
Both “feat”and “achievement”emphasize the difficulty of accomplishing something mental or physical. feat和achievement均着重指在脑力或体力方面完成某事物的艰巨性。
注：of后也可直接跟名词作宾语，此时的介词of仍表示所属关系，意为“……的困难”。如：She has no notion of the difficulty of this problem. 她不了解这个问题的难处。
Do you understand the difficulty of my position? 你了解我处境的困难吗?
