32 at rest; breathe one’s last; die off; drop dead; go home; draw one’s last breath; go to one’s rest; go west; in the dust; kick the bucket; pass away; go to one’s account; go to one’s last home; breathe one’s last breath

● 以上词组均表“死去”，但用法、结构不尽相同。

● at rest是介词词组，一般作表语或后置定语，主要指中老年人，不指小孩。如：He is at rest after his long illness.（长期患病之后，他死去了。）The poor old man is now at rest.（这可怜的老人现在可以安息了。）After so long a sickness she was finally at rest and in her grave.（她久病之后，终于长眠地下。）

● breathe one’s last; breathe one’s last breath; draw one’s last breath这几个词组较多形容老人、病人咽下最后一口气，只强调这一短暂过程，一般不用连续性时间状语修饰。如：The old conductor gave his life to the music and breathed his last in 2001.（这位老指挥家将一生献给了音乐，于2001年离开我们。）The wounded soldier fell back on the ground and breathed his last breath.（这个伤兵倒地而死。）When you come to breathe your last, you may be sorry to have this cruelty on your conscience.（当你有朝一日要离开人世时，你也许因为良心上有这样的残暴行为而感到难过的。）He wants to do something spectacular before he draws his last breath.（他希望在死之前作一番惊人的事业。）

● die off中off为副词，意为一个个逐步死掉，直到死光，所以主语必须用复数。常译为“相继死去”。如：Those roses will die off for sure if they are not watered in time.（那些玫瑰花如果不及时浇水，一定都会枯死。）His few remaining kinfolk died off one by one. （他仅存的几个亲属也相继去世。）The buds on this plant are dying off. （这植物的幼芽相继死亡。）The birds in the forest are all dying off from disease. （这片森林里的鸟儿因病正成批死亡。）

● drop dead意为“突然倒下而死”。如：He was hit in the head and dropped dead.（他被打中头部而立即倒下去死了。）Poor Mrs. White dropped dead in the street.（可怜的怀特太太在街上死了。）“Dropping dead,”he boomed, “has no terrors for me”.（“对于暴死”他大声说，“我是毫不害怕的”。）I heard that old Jones had dropped dead in the street a month ago.（我听说老琼斯一个月以前猝然倒毙在街上。）

● go home或go to one’s last home相当于汉语中的“回老家”。如：I’m afraid old Charlie’s gone home, he’d been ill for years.（恐怕老查理已经去世了，他生病多年了。）This washing machine’s going home already, and we haven’t had it long.（这台洗衣机要坏了，可我们才买了不久。）Those old rose bushes are going home, I’m afraid.（恐怕那一丛丛老玫瑰要死了。）Poor old Joe’s going to his last home. It’s a pity he couldn’t have lived to a hundred. （可怜的老乔终于去世了，可惜他没能活到一百岁。）

● go to one’s rest或go to one’s account, rest和account前可加形容词，表“长眠” “安息”。如：He has gone to his account. God forgive him!（他已经找到他的归宿，上帝饶恕他吧！）The old man was gone to his long rest at last.（那位老人终于长眠了。）Hyde is gone to his account and it only remains for us to find the body of your master.（海德已经死了，现在剩下要做的，只是找你主人的尸体了。）

● go west含义相当汉语“上西天”“归西”，多指意外死亡，也指物质毁灭，用于英国英语非正式文体。如：I’m afraid that pilots, passengers and the plane have gone west.（恐怕飞行员、乘客和那架飞机都同归于尽了。）“There always used to be a white horse in that field.”“Fancy you remembering that, it’s a long time since he went west.” （“在那田野里，过去总有一匹白马。”“真想不到你还记得那件事，那马好久以前就死了。”）There was a fire, and five years of research work went west.（失了一场火，五年的研究工作毁于一旦。）My new camera has gone west after only three months.（我的新相机买到才三个月就完蛋了。）

● in the dust，意为回归尘土，因为人来自尘土。强调状态，因此可用持续性时间状语修饰。可用be dead换。如：He has been in the dust for five years.或He has been dead for five years.（他死了五年了。）She has been in the dust for ten years, no one knows how she died.（她去世十年了，没人知道她是怎么死的。）

● kick the bucket中bucket总用单数，译为“翘辫子”，词组可用die替换。如：I mean in plain English that I am likely to shuffle off long before you kick the bucket.（说得明白点，在你翘辫子之前，我可能早就走不动了。）None of her children have any love for the old woman. They would be pleased if she kicked the bucket tomorrow. （这个老人的孩子们没有一个爱她，如果她明天死了，他们会高兴的。）［这里的kicked the bucket可用died替换。］Old Mr. Jones kicked the bucket just two days before his ninety-fifth birthday.（老琼斯先生刚好在95岁生日前两天咽气。）They sleep so well. I think that every scruffy head’s kicked the bucket in the night, and I’m the only one left. （他们睡得这么香，我想这些邋遢的东西在晚上一个个都睡死了，我是唯一醒着的。）

● pass away中away是副词，上下文明确时，away可省，该词组属褒义，主要指好人自然死去，译为“去世”。如：Mr. Richard Williams passed away at the great age of ninety years.（理查德·威廉斯先生在九十岁高龄时离世了。）Miss Kettering passed away peacefully in her sleep last night. （凯特琳小姐昨夜在睡眠中安详地离开人世。） I’m sorry to hear that your uncle passed away lastweek.（很遗憾，听说你叔叔上周去世了。）My grandmother had passed away before I telephoned.（我还没来得及打电话，我祖母就去世了。）The news of his passing （away） came to us as a terrible blow.（他逝世的消息传来，对我们是个极大的打击。）