answer
1.answer the letter, answer the question和answer him比answer to the letter, answer to the question和answer to him普通。answer the purpose比answer for the purpose普通。answer the description和answer to the description都普通。
2.answer (to) the letter通常跟reply to the letter相同（注意reply后面的to不可省去）。但有时answer有“答复…的内容”的意思，如复信里说I have your letter, but as I am very busy,I cannot answer it at present。明明在复信，还说不能answer。不过有时answer只有“报告收到（信）”的意思而reply to才有“答复…的内容”的意思。例如：I answered your letter by sending a postcard last Monday and have since been waiting for time to reply to it.
3.answer（名词）跟reply对比，往往有“中肯的答复”的意思。例如：Your reply is not an answer.（你的答复不中肯，你答非所问。）
4.He answered her not a word和He answered her nothing里的answered作“把…作为回答”解。He answered her not a word是“他连一个单词都没有回答她”，不是“他对于她的问题里的所有单词连一个也不回答”。
5.answer后面有时接以that引导的从句。例如：He answered that he could not go. 有时在answer后面另有宾语。例如：He answered me that he would not go.
6.answer有时被用作抽象名词，如The letter is still awaiting answer 和Please let me have a few lines of answer。
7.商业复信的开首往往用In answer to your letter...。在一般通信里该避免。
