41: 我觉得“formally”和“formerly”很容易混淆。请问怎么区分？

Question 41: I found that "formally" and "formerly" are very confusing. What's the difference between them?

Answer: The two words are, though similar in spelling, totally different in meaning. "Formally" means "according to accepted rules and customs".
E.g. One should be formally addressed on important occasions.
"Formerly" means "previously, in earlier times".
E.g. Formerly, he was the chairman of the committee.

问题41: 我觉得“formally”和“formerly”很容易混淆。请问怎么区分？

回答: 这两个词虽然在拼写上很相近，但意义却完全不同。“formally”意为“正式的，符合规矩和习惯的”。
如：One should be formally addressed on important occasions.
“formerly”的意思是“过去，早先的时候”。
如：Formerly, he was the chairman of the committee.