relation(ship)

1.relation和relative都可以用作“亲属”解，relative比relation普通。但下面三句里的relation不可改作relative。

• Is he any relation to you?
• What relation is he to you?
• He is no relation (to me).

注意He is no relation to me里用no和to me，He is not a relation of mine里用not a和of mine。He is no relation (to me)作“他跟我同姓不宗”解。

2.relation和relative并不专指所谓“亲戚”，也包括父、母、子、女、祖、孙、伯、叔等。his（或her）relations（或relatives）通常指“他（或她）的家属”。

3.relation和relative都不指亲戚的亲戚，如你的姐夫的姐夫并不是你的relation或relative。

4.说“父子关系”、“师生关系”等用单数形式relation，如the relation of father to son和the relation between them as teacher and pupil。说人和人、店和店、国和国等之间的“关系”时则用复数形式relations。例如：

• The relations between father and son are of the best kind.
• We have very pleasant relations with the firm.
• The book is a study of the diplomatic and cultural relations of this country.

注意human relations problems和public relations officers里也用复数形式relations。

5.relationship跟relation（亲属）的关系，相当于friendship跟friend的关系。但relationship也往往用作“关系”解。