(1) adhere to 的一个意思是“粘贴，粘(在某物上)”；另一个意思是“坚持或忠实于(意见、信仰、计划等)”。前者以物作主语，后者以人作主语。
- Wet clothes adhere to the skin.
湿衣服贴在皮肤上。 - We adhere to our original plan of climbing the mountain in spite of the bad weather.
尽管天气不好，我们仍坚持原来的爬山计划。
(2) cleave to与adhere to意思和用法差不多，但cleave to表示“忠实于”的意思时，可以接思想、原则、计划等，也可接人。
- Wet clothes cleave to the skin.
湿衣服贴在皮肤上。 - We're good friends cleaving to each other.
我们是互相忠实于对方的好朋友。 - Loyal party members cleave to their party's political line.
忠诚的党员忠实于自己党的政治路线。
(3) cling onto表示：
①抓住，抱住。
- The child clung onto its mother.
那小孩抱着妈妈。 - The climbers tried hard to cling onto the cliff.
爬山者努力设法抓住悬崖峭壁。
②试图保持，保留；不放弃。
- Whenever we move to a new house, we always cling onto far too many possessions.
每当搬新房子时，我们总是保留太多的东西不舍得丢弃。
③坚持，保持；忠实于(思想、观念等)。
- The chairman has always clung onto old-fashioned ideas.
这位主席总是坚持旧的观念。
(4) cling to表示：
①靠近，贴着。
- This material clings to the skin.
这种材料贴皮肤。 - The ship clung to the shore.
这艘船贴近海岸航行。
②抓住，抱住。
- The child clung to his mother.
那小孩抱住了妈妈。 - The climbers had to cling to the cliff.
爬山者得抓住峭壁。
③试图保持，保留，不放弃。
- Whenever we move to a new house, we always cling to far too many possessions.
每当搬新房子时，我们总是保留太多的财物。
④贴近；坚持；拿着不放；忠于(人或物)。
- She clung to the last streak of hope that her son was not dead.
她抱着最后一丝希望，希望自己的儿子没有死。 - Don't cling to those old ideas of yours.
不要紧抓着你的那些老观念不放。 - Facing the robber, she clung tightly to her possessions.
面对劫匪，她紧紧地抓住自己的财物。
(5) hold by表示“坚持，遵循，赞同”。
- Throughout the whole struggle, they held by their principles.
在整个斗争中，他们始终坚持自己的原则。 - I don't hold by some of the strange ideas you believe in.
我不赞成你所信奉的某些奇怪的思想。
(6) hold on to表示：
①抓住(不放)；抓紧。
- Hold on to my hand tightly while we cross the street.
过马路时，抓紧我的手。 - Don't panic; just hold on to that rock and I'll come and fetch you down.
不要害怕；抓住那块石头，我就来接你下来。
②保持；不要放弃/卖掉。
- It's not enough to take over the lead; we must hold on to it!
领先了还不够；我们必须保持住！ - I should hold on to these bonds; they'll surely appreciate considerably.
我们不要卖掉这些债券，它们肯定会大大增值的。
(7) ①hold to表示“坚持(意见、诺言等)；(使) 遵循”。
- He held to his beliefs in spite of cruel treatment.
尽管受到残酷的虐待，他还是坚持自己的信仰。 - If he tries to leave early, we shall hold him to the contract.
如果他试图早离开，我们会坚持让他遵守合同的。 - This man held to his first statement, notwithstanding that several persons contradicted him.
这个人坚持他最先的说法，尽管有几个人的说法与他的不一致。 - After considering various alternatives, we decided to hold to our original plan.
在考虑了各种选择方案之后，我们决定坚持原来的计划。
②有时也作“抓住；把……拴/系/固定在……上”。
- Hold tightly to the railing when you come down the steps.
下台阶时，抓紧栏杆。 - These are very poor fasteners holding the pipes to the wall, and they will soon break. 这些把管子固定在墙上的紧固件质量很差，不久就会断裂的。
(8) ①insist是“坚持要求，一定要自己或别人做某事”，常与介词on/upon连用。接从句时，须用虚拟语气，用should，或省掉should，用动词原形。
- I insist that the work be finished by the middle of June.
我坚持要这项工作在6月中旬前完成。 - I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.
我必须坚持要你给我一个直截了当的回答。 - We must insist on/upon state help being given to the enterprises worth it.
我们必须坚持国家的帮助要给予那些值得帮助的企业。 - A: You must stay for lunch.
你一定要留下来吃午饭。
B: All right, if you insist .
如果你非要留我，那好吧。
②insist还表示“强调、坚持说(……是事实)”，从句不用虚拟。
- He insisted that he saw somebody standing outside the window that night.
他坚持说那天夜里他看见有人站在窗外。 - She insisted to everyone present that he was innocent.
她对在场的每一个人坚持说他是无辜的。 - The teacher insists on the importance of being punctual.
这位老师强调守时的重要性。
(9) keep on意为“尽管有困难也坚持下去；继续做下去”，on为副词。
- Even if you fail the exam again, you must try to keep on until you pass.
即便这次考试还不及格，你一定要努力坚持下去，直到通过。 - I've never won anything yet, but I intend to keep on until I do.
我还未曾取得过什么成绩呢，但我打算坚持做下去，直到事业有成。
(10) keep to表示：
①(使) 遵循，遵守；(使) 按……行事，后接信仰、指示、计划、诺言、时间表等。
- One should keep to his promises if he wants to win confidence of others.
如果一个人想赢得别人的信任，他就应当遵守诺言。 - They keep to the custom of having their marriages only in May.
他们遵守着只在5月份嫁娶这一风俗。 - Having once made a plan, you should keep to it.
一旦制订了计划，你就应遵守它。 - I shall keep you to your promise to come and see us next year.
我将要你遵守诺言，明年过来看我们。
②坚持不辍(做某事)。
- He had more than once kept to his task for a week at a stretch.
他曾不止一次连续一周执行任务。 - Keep to your studies. You must not stop till you obtain your diploma.
坚持你的学业，不要停止，直到取得文凭。
③留在(某处)，待在(……里面)；待在某处；向(某处) 运动。
- Jack was obliged to keep to his bed because of a fever.
杰克因为发烧，不得不卧床休养。 - During the winter, a lot of old people are forced to keep to the house, the weather being so cold and treacherous.
冬季里，天气那么寒冷又变化莫测，许多老年人被迫待在屋里。 - Traffic in England keeps to the left.
在英国，车辆是靠左行驶的。 - If you keep to the main road you won't get lost.
只要你不离开这条主道，就不会迷路。
④(使)不离开(主题)。
- Do let's keep to the subject; we're trying to reach an agreement, not have a conversation.
咱们别离开话题，咱们是在设法达成一项协议，而不是交谈。 - It's part of the chairman's duty to keep each speaker to the point, to save time.
使每位讲话者不偏离话题，从而不浪费时间，是会议主席责任的一部分。
(11) persevere表示“坚持，固守”，尤其用于困难、令人厌倦的事，强调坚忍、孜孜不倦、不屈不挠，与in， at， with连用。
- If you persevere at/in your search for a job, you're sure to find something suitable in the end.
如果你坚持找一份工作，你最终总会找到某个合适的差事的。 - It's not easy to persevere with such dull work, but it has to be finished.
坚持做这种乏味的工作是不容易的，但必须完成它。 - So long as you persevere in/with your studies, you'll succeed in time.
只要你孜孜不倦地钻研下去，最终你会成功的。
(12) ①persist意为“坚持、继续(做某事)”，侧重指“尽管有争议、反对、失败、困难等，也不改变信仰或所做之事”，多与in连用，可用被动结构。
- Why does the boy persist in his troublesome behavior?
为什么那个男孩坚持他那令人厌烦的行为？ - If this behavior of yours is persisted in , it could lead to serious trouble.
如果你坚持这种行为不改，可能会导致严重的麻烦。 - Why do you persist in interrupting me when I have repeatedly asked you to stop?
为什么我一再让你别这么做，你还老是打断我？ - Despite hardships, Mary persisted in her efforts to get a college education.
尽管有许多艰难困苦，玛丽还是继续努力接受大学教育。
②persist还表示“坚持说，反复说”，与insist用作此义时相近。
- She persisted that Jack was innocent of the crime.
她坚持说杰克没有犯罪。 - He persisted to everyone at the party that he was quite recovered.
他反复对参加聚会的每个人说，他的身体已恢复得很好了。
(13) stand by也可表示“忠于(某人)；支持；站在……一边；遵守；坚持”。
- Ours are all developing countries and should stand by one another.
我们都是发展中国家，应该互相支持。 - A real friend is one who will stand by you through thick and thin.
一个真正的朋友应是与你同甘共苦的人。 - One should always stand by his promises.
一个人应永远遵守诺言。 - Do you still stand by what you said yesterday?
你仍然坚持昨天说的话吗？
(14) stand on也可表示“按……行事；坚持”，on为介词。
- I stand on my rights in this matter, and will take the matter to court if necessary.
对这件事，我将坚持自己的权利，必要时将诉诸法律。 - Do you still stand on your original point of view?
你仍然坚持你原来的观点吗？
(15) stay with也可表示“坚持，继续使用”。
- Shall we stay with the present arrangements until a better plan is thought out？
我们是否坚持目前的方案直到想出一个更好的计划？ - How long have you stayed with this method?
你坚持用这种方法多久了？
(16) stick by表示“忠于(某人)；遵循(思想、原则、诺言等)”。
- His family can be trusted to stick by him whatever happens.
不论发生什么事，都可以相信他的家庭忠于他。 - We are good friends sticking by each other in good times or bad.
我们是不论在顺境还是逆境都能互相忠于对方的好朋友。
(17) stick to可表示：
①黏或贴在……上。
- The mat seems to be stuck to the floor, I can't move it.
这个垫子似乎牢牢地黏在了地板上，我无法移动它。
②靠近，顺着(路线或方向)。
- Stick close to me and you won't get lost.
紧跟着我，你就不会迷路。 - The ship had to stick to shore because of the heavy mist.
因为大雾，轮船只好贴着海岸航行。
③按照……做/讲；遵循；忠于(某人、思想、原则、诺言等)。
- When you're asked to give an account of the accident, do stick to the fact, don't guess.
当叫你来说明这场事故时，一定要实事求是，不要主观臆想。 - When writing an article, stick to one style throughout.
在写文章时，自始至终要遵循一种风格。 - His family can be trusted to stick to him always.
他的家庭非常忠于他，这一点是可以信得过的。
④试图保住，保持。
- He made every effort to stick to the job he had.
他千方百计试图保住他那份工作。 - The old ladies were determined to stick to their homes in spite of the new road going through.
尽管新道路从中穿过，这些老太太还是决心保住自己的家园。
⑤坚持做(某事)。
- If you stick to practicing the piano every day, you'll certainly become quite a good musician.
如果你坚持每天练习弹琴，你肯定会成为一名非常优秀的音乐家。 - Learning any skill is largely a matter of sticking to it until you can do it better.
学习任何一门手艺大致上都是个熟能生巧的问题。
