区别辨析jail、prison与cell

jail、prison与cell这些名词均有“牢房、监狱”之意。

jail(英国英语旧式拼写为gaol)指收犯轻罪的人或未经判决的人的处所。

  • the country's overcrowded jails
    该国过于拥挤的监狱
  • a 13-year jail sentence/term
    被判13年监禁
  • The financier was released from jail last week.
    那个金融家上周被释放了。
  • They spent ten years in jail for fraud.
    他们因欺诈罪入狱10年。

prison : 指触犯刑律的人被关押的地方,通常指判决后的罪犯居留地。

  • Conditions in the prison are said to be appalling.
    监狱里的条件据说糟透了。
  • He's spent a lot of time in prison.
    他坐了很长时间的牢。
  • She went to/was sent to prison for six months.
    她入狱6个月。
  • It was a maximum-security prison (= intended to be especially difficult to escape from).
    这是一所戒备森严的监狱。

cell : 指单人牢房或几个人合住的小牢房。

  • 二十多名囚犯被塞在一间黑暗狭小的牢房里。
    Over twenty prisoners were crushed into a small dark cell.
  • 他被扒得一丝不挂,丢在一间牢房里。
    He was stripped naked and left in a cell.