这组词比较奇怪，虽然严格说来，它们分别是单数和复数形式，但"faculty"却不仅仅指一件事物，而"faculties"单指一件事物。

"Faculty"指学校或者其它机构的学术人员。"Our faculty include a math department and six social science professors." “我们的学术人员包括一个数学系和六位社会科学教授。”

"Faculties"表示“心智”，或者“理智”。用于讨论脑损伤结果时，是一个很好的术语。

"Thomas Jefferson's daughter Polly caught typhoid in Paris, and it may have robbed her of some of her faculties; she was always quiet and slow after that."

“托马斯·杰斐逊的女儿波莉在巴黎患了伤寒，大病可能夺去了她的一部分心智。自此之后，她总是显得安静而缓慢。”

"After the brain is deprived of oxygen for more than ten minutes, it is possible the patient could lose some of his or her faculties. We recommend occupational therapy."

“大脑缺氧超过十分钟后，病人可能会丧失部分心智。我们建议进行职业治疗。”

"The students are so awful this year that half the faculty have lost their faculties!"

“今年的学生真是太可怕了，一半的教职员工都被弄得心力交瘁！”

所以如果你大学里的老师们都辞职了，你只是失去了你的“教职员工（faculty）”，而不是丧失了你的“理智（faculties）”。

（查看原文：http://www.letpub.com/index.php?page=author_education_faculty_faculties）