build、construct、found、erect、establish与set up这些动词均有“建设、建立、建造”之意。
build : 普通用词，含义广泛，可指一切具体或抽象的建造或建立。
- They're building new houses by the river.
他们正在河边建新房子。 - The birds built their nest in the tree.
鸟儿们在树上筑巢。 - These old houses are built (= made) of stone.
这些老房子是用石头砌的。 - Contractors have started building on waste land near the town.
承包商开始在离城镇不远的废弃土地上建房。
construct : 较正式用词，强调根据一定计划进行的规模较大，结构较复杂，要求较高技术的建造。
- to construct a new bridge/building
建造新桥梁／大楼 - The walls are constructed of concrete.
墙是用混凝土筑成的。 - to construct a story/sentence/argument
构思故事／造句／构筑论点
found : 侧重打下基础或创办，具体或抽象事物均可用。
- Boston was founded in 1630 by Puritan colonists from England.
波士顿是1630年由来自英格兰的清教徒殖民者兴建的。 - She left a large sum of money in her will to found a wildlife sanctuary.
她在遗嘱里留下了一大笔钱用来创建野生动物保护区。 - We are planning a dinner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company.
我们正筹划一个晚宴，庆祝公司成立50周年。
erect : 侧重指对高而垂直物的建造。使用不如build广泛。
- The war memorial was erected in 1950.
这座战争纪念碑建于1950年。 - The soldiers had erected barricades to protect themselves.
士兵们筑起了街垒用以自卫。
establish : 着重稳固地建成，可具体指国家、政府、学校或商店等的建立，也可指信仰、信用、名誉、法律、制度、规则等的建立。
- The brewery was established in 1822.
这家啤酒厂建于1822年。 - These methods of working were established in the last century.
这些工作方法是上个世纪开始采用的。
set up : 作“建立”用时，侧重于“开始”。可指具体或抽象的建立。
- The two sides agreed to set up a commission to investigate claims.
双方同意组建一个委员会来调查那些索赔要求。 - Tell us when and why you started your business and how you went about setting it up.
告诉我们你是何时出于何种原因开办了自己的企业，又是如何着手创建的。 - I set up a ginger group on the environment.
我建立了一个积极从事环保的组织。
