argument、debate、dispute、controversy

argument “争论”、“辩论”、“争执”、 “争吵”，普通用词，指有分歧意见的争论

（a disagreement or the process of disagreeing）

例句：

The children had an argument about/over what game to play.

孩子们为了玩哪个游戏吵了起来。

He got into an argument with Jeff in the pub last night.

昨晚他和杰夫在酒馆里起了争执。

My sister always sides with my father against me in my argument with him.

当我和爸爸发生争执时，姐姐总是站在爸爸那一边。

The argument was so fierce that the meeting broke up in disorder.

争论是如此的激烈，至于会议在混乱中中断。

After a long argument, we resolved their differences and finally reached an

agreement.

经过长时间的争论，我们消除了分歧，终于达成了协议。

She is neutral in their argument; she doesn't care who wins.

在他们的辩论中她保持中立，不在乎谁赢谁输。

argument 还可表示 “论点”、“论据” 的意思。

例句：

He disposed easily of the argument of his opponent at the meeting.

在会议上轻而易举地驳倒了他对手的论点。

You’d better add some statistics to enforce your argument.

你做好再添加一些统计数据来支持有没有支持你的论点。

Now that we've heard all the arguments for and against the proposal, let's vote on it.

既然支持和反对这项提议的所有理由我们都已经听过了，现在投票表决吧。

debate “争论”、“辩论”，侧重指对某一问题展开的不同观点的辩论，通常争辩激烈，语气

比 argument 强。

例句：

Endless debate aroused angry dissension and made the conference in a compete mess.

没完没了的争论引起愤怒的争执，致使会议在一片混乱中结束。

The debate about the origins of the universe has been going on throughout recorded

history

关于宇宙起源的争论自有记载的历史以来一直存在。

The discussion turned into a heated debate with recriminations flying back and forth.

讨论变成了激烈的争论，互相指责。

The new drug has become the subject of heated debate within the medical profession

这种新药已成为医学界热烈讨论的话题。

State mental compensation for damages has been a debate for a long time in

academic circles.

国家精神损失赔偿在已学术界已争论了很常时间。

For nearly an hour the debate continued, with more opposition surfacing and alternative

deas being put forward.

辩论继续了将近一个小时，又提出了一些反对意见和替代方案。

With GM technology, the debate regarding our dependence or otherwise on nature,

far from abating, has intensified

有了转基因技术，关于我们是否依赖自然的争论非但没有减少，反而愈演愈烈。

dispute “争论”、“争端”、“纠纷”， 侧重指长时间，言词激烈，针锋相对的争论，常引

申出 “争端”、“纠纷” 等意思。

例句：

We need an independent body to mediate in the dispute between the two sides.

我们需要一个中立的团体来调停双方的争端。

The two brothers had been on bad terms since their father died and there was a

constant dispute over the will.

自从父亲死后兄弟俩关系恶化,对父亲的遗嘱一直有争议。

Their efforts toward the settlement of the border dispute are praiseworthy.

他们为解决边界争端所作的努力是值得赞扬的。

The firm is involved in a legal dispute with a rival company.

该公司与竞争对手公司发生法律纠纷。

The settlement of disputes between participants in a company may also prove

awkward.

解决公司参与者之间的纠纷也可能会很棘手。

controversy “争论”、“辩论”、“论战”，多指在群体之间意见分歧大的争论，或指引起

广泛兴趣或意义重大的的争论和辨论。其形容词是controversial。

例句：

Cloning technique is an important means of modern biology project which develops

rapidly with much controversy now.

克隆技术是一种现代生物工程的重要手段,目前发展迅猛, 且争议甚多。

There's been a bitter controversy over the policy ever since it was introduced.

这项政策一经引入就引发了激烈的争论。

The episode created a political storm, deepening thecontroversy over the withdrawal

plan.

这一事件引发了一场政治风暴，加深了对撤军计划的争议。

Despite the controversy over the vote recount in Florida, the next US president will

soon be on the center stage.

尽管佛罗里达州重新计票引发了争议，但下一任美国总统将很快成为焦点。

Much of this controversy stemmed from the argument of mechanism versus vitality.

这一争论主要源于机制论与活力论之争。

While homeschooling offers an alternative to the school environment, it has become

a controversial issue.

虽然在家自教孩子是为学校教育环境提供了一种替代形式, 但仍然是一个有争议的问题。

Undoubtedly, another reason why the first heart transplant was so controversial

was the fact that we associate so many personality traits with the heart.

毫无疑问, 第一次心脏移植引发这么大的争议的另一个原因是：我们把人的性格特与脏

联系在一起。