Kenny同志 567 Report post Posted June 20, 2011 Context: Replace your light globes with low energy light globes and with less powerful globes (hint: use a lamp). According to the definition given by the Free Dictionary Online, a lamp is “any of a number of devices that produce illumination.” How should I distinguish a lamp from a light globe/bulb? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roddy 5,437 Report post Posted June 20, 2011 Off the top of my head, a lamp will be, a bedside, desk, or reading lamp - ie, close to where you use it and movable. Not sure I've seen 'light globes' before. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anonymoose 1,582 Report post Posted June 20, 2011 In common usage, a light bulb (I never use the word "light globe" - is that American bastardised English or what?) specifically means just the glass container with the light-producing mechanism inside. A lamp, on the other hand, is the entire fixture, which has a socket for a bulb. A lamp could also produce light by burning oil or burning a candle. See this Wikipedia article for a more detailed explanation, specifically: The use of the word "lamp" to describe light fixtures is common slang for an all-in-one luminary unit, usually portable "fixtures" such as a table lamp or desk lamp (in contrast to a true fixture, which is fixed in place with screws or some other semi-permanent attachment). In technical terminology, a lamp is the light source, what is typically called the light bulb. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny同志 567 Report post Posted June 20, 2011 谢谢二位。 The source text might have been written by a non-native speaker, given the fact that the spelling is British, for example, he/she used “neighbour”, instead of “neighbor” which is American. However, overall, it’s a good writing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbradfor 681 Report post Posted June 20, 2011 In "American bastardised[sic ] English", a light globe is a specific shape of light bulb -- as you can expect, round and large. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites