ev‧i‧dence 1 S2 W1 AC / evəd ə ns, evɪd ə ns / 名词

1 [不可数名词] facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true

evidence of

At present we have no evidence of life on other planets.

evidence for

There is no evidence for these claims.

evidence that

Do you have evidence that this treatment works?

2 [不可数名词] information that is given in a court of law in order to prove that someone is guilty or not guilty :

Murrow’s evidence was enough to convict Hayes of murder.

He refused to give evidence at the trial.

evidence against

There was very little evidence against the two men.

in evidence

The documents may be used in evidence at the trial.

3 be in evidence formal to be present and easily seen or noticed :

The police are always in evidence at football matches.

→ king’s evidence , Queen’s evidence , State’s evidence

Grammar

Evidence is an uncountable 名词 and has no 复数形式 form. Use a singular 动词 after it :

Vital evidence was destroyed.

COLLOCATIONS

动词

have evidence Do the police have any evidence against him?

find evidence ( also obtain evidence formal ) The authorities failed to obtain enough evidence to convict him.

gather/collect evidence Police experts are still collecting evidence at the scene of the crime.

look for/search for evidence The investigation will look for evidence of financial mismanagement.

hide evidence The killer may have tried to burn the bodies in an attempt to hide the evidence.

plant evidence (= deliberately put evidence somewhere to make someone look guilty ) He claims the evidence was planted there by the police.

produce evidence (= find evidence and prepare it for a court case ) The case was adjourned to allow the police time to produce further evidence.

give evidence (= tell a court about what you have seen or know to be true ) Ms White has agreed to give evidence at their trial.

consider/examine/study the evidence Having considered all the evidence, the court found him not guilty.

形容词

good/clear/strong evidence There is clear evidence that smoking causes heart disease.

hard evidence (= very clear evidence which proves that something is true ) They have no hard evidence to support their claim.

fresh evidence (= new evidence ) The police say they may have found fresh evidence which proves Tilly was at the scene of the crime.

medical/scientific evidence There isn’t any medical evidence to support the claim.

reliable/credible (= which people can trust or believe ) Do you think their evidence is reliable?

flimsy (= not good enough to make you believe something ) Their conclusions are drawn from some very flimsy evidence.

convincing/compelling (= making you feel sure that something is true ) The data provides compelling evidence that the climate is changing.

overwhelming (= when there is so much evidence that you are sure that something is true ) The evidence against him was overwhelming.

conclusive/incontrovertible/irrefutable evidence (= very strong evidence which cannot be disproved ) We need irrefutable evidence before making an arrest. | The government claims it has conclusive evidence of the country’s nuclear weapons programme.

conflicting evidence (= pieces of evidence that support different conclusions ) With so much conflicting evidence, it’s almost impossible to make a decision.

incriminating evidence (= making someone seem guilty of a crime ) The robbers were careful not to leave any incriminating evidence behind.

damning evidence (= proving that someone has done something wrong ) Her testimony proved to be the most damning evidence against him.

circumstantial evidence (= evidence which makes something seem likely, but does not prove it ) His barrister claims the case against him is based on circumstantial evidence.

anecdotal evidence (= based on what people believe, rather than on facts ) Anecdotal evidence suggests that gang-related violence is on the increase.

empirical evidence (= based on scientific testing or practical experience ) Where is the empirical evidence to back up these claims?

admissible evidence (= acceptable in a court of law ) Her lawyer advised that the tape would not be admissible evidence in court.

短语

a piece of evidence The study produced one interesting piece of evidence.

not a scrap/shred of evidence (= no evidence at all ) There is not one scrap of evidence against our client.

COMMON ERRORS

► Do not say ’ true evidence ‘. Say reliable evidence .

THESAURUS

sign [可数名词] an event, fact etc that shows that something is happening or that something is true or exists : The curtains were still drawn and there was no sign of activity. | A score of 80 or more is a sign that you are doing very well.

indication [可数名词] a sign. Indication is more formal than sign : Recently there have been several indications of improving relations. | There was no indication the killings were related to the drug trade.

evidence [不可数名词] facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true, especially something that you are trying to prove : Scientists are hoping to find evidence that there was once life on Mars. | There was not enough evidence to convict him of the murder.

symptom [可数名词] a sign that someone has an illness or that a serious problem exists : The first symptoms are tiredness and loss of weight. | Is this a symptom of the decay of Western civilization?

indicator [可数名词] a sign that shows you what is happening or what is true – used about a process, or about the state or level of something : There are a number of indicators of economic slowdown. | The tests are considered a good indicator of intelligence.

signal [可数名词] a sign that shows that you should do something, or that you have a particular attitude : Severe chest pain is a warning signal that cannot be ignored. | Legalizing drugs could send the wrong signal to young people.

mark [可数名词] a sign, especially that you respect or honour someone : People stood in silence as a mark of respect. | It was a mark of her popularity that so many colleagues and friends attended the presentation.