兩者均可表示“分開”：divide 通常指把整體分為若干部分，其后常接介詞 into；而 separate 通常指把原來連在一起或靠近的東西分隔開來，其后常接介詞 from。如：
The world is divided into seven continents. 世界被分成七大洲。
Divide the money among the six of you. 這筆錢你們六個人分。
The food was divided amongst the poor. 食物都分給了窮人。
The children divided the money among (between) them. 孩子們在他們之間把錢分了。
The money was divided into two halves. 錢被分成了兩半。
United we stand, divided we fall. 團結則存，分裂則亡。
Countable nouns may be sub-divided into two categories? 可數名詞又可分為兩類。
We’d better separate the good ones from the bad ones. 我們最好把好的和壞的分開。
She doesn’t want to be separated from him. 她不想和他分開。
The couple separated because they were not compatible. 這對夫妻因不合而分居。
The two parts of the pipe have separated at the joint. 這個管子從接口處分成兩截了。
The branch has separated from the trunk of the tree. 這個樹枝已從樹干上脫落了。
This patient should be separated from the others. 這個病人應該隔離。

注：以上區(qū)分并不十分嚴格，有時兩者可換用。如：
The field is divided [separated] into five parts. 這塊田被分為 5 塊。
The Red Sea separates [divides] Africa from Asia. 紅海把非洲和亞洲分開。

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