afford 一字不僅口語常用，在多益托福等英檢測驗更是常考單字，不過此字在兩種情境中所用的或考的意思會稍有不同。

考點 1    

在口語（或英檢口說）中，最常表達的意思便是「買得起」。
例如：I can’t afford a new house in Taipei on my salary.，意即「光靠薪水我無法買得起在台北市的房子。」 參照〈釋義A ▶ 例1〉

考點 2    

另一個較正式的意思「提供；給予」便較常在文法選擇或閱讀單字替換中出現。
例如：The 51st floor affords unsurpassed views of the city.，此句中的 affords 便可替換為 provides，整句意思是相同的。參照〈釋義D ▶ 例8〉

 釋義A    to have enough (money) to pay for 買得起，支付得起 （金錢、物） 

例1 ▶ I would love to have my own apartment in the city, but with my current salary it is simply something that I cannot dream to afford.
我想在市區擁有自己的公寓，但以我目前的薪水，這簡直是我無法負擔的。

例2 ▶ The next available in-game item is available to be unlocked, but I still have not accumulated enough tokens to afford it.
下一個可用的遊戲道具已可解鎖，但我還沒有累積足夠的代幣來買它。

 釋義B    to be able to do something without risk of adverse consequences 承受得起（事、災）
替換字   bear, carry, sustain 

例3 ▶ This government cannot afford to have another energy crisis if we want to be supported for reelection next term.
如果我們想在下一屆連任選舉中獲得支持，本政府就不能承受另一場能源危機。

例4 ▶ It seems that the young actor can afford to have another scandal if his fanbase continues to be so forgiving.
如果這位年輕演員的粉絲群繼續如此寬容，他似乎還可以承受另一起醜聞。

 釋義C    to be able to give/spare 能抽出（時間、能力） 

例5 ▶ Although the childs family is extremely wealthy and supportive, they simply cannot afford to spend additional time to spend with him at home because of their busy schedule.
儘管這小孩的家人非常富有和支持他，但他們因為工作繁忙根本無法花額外的時間在家裡陪伴他。

例6 ▶ Because there are so many qualified students applying for the university this year, we simply cannot afford to give away each admission slot so easily.
因為今年申請大學符合資格的學生太多了，我們根本不能輕易放棄每個錄取名額。

 釋義D    to give, provide, supply, yield (a certain something) 提供；給予（資源、訊息、機會） 

例7 ▶ Building a constant, steady reading habit at a young age will afford adolescents with an extensive working vocabulary that will benefit them tremendously in their later academic opportunities.
在青少年時期養成持久、穩定的閱讀習慣將使他們擁有廣泛的工作字彙量，這將使他們在以後的學術機會中受益匪淺。

例8 ▶ The 51st floor affords unsurpassed views of the city, although being so far from the ground does take some getting used to.
51 樓可以欣賞到無與倫比的城市景觀，然而距離地面如此之遠，確實需要一些時間來適應。