在日文作者的著作中，常常发现因为名词 example 与 sample 混淆所造成的错误。下面，我将分别解释这两个单词的意思，并举例说明其用法。
example：从一群组相同的事物中挑选出其中之一，作为这组事物的代表。
- Japan is an example of a country whose population is presently shrinking.
- This system of equations is an example of a model that exhibits chaotic behavior.
sample：从整体中取出的其中一部分。
- The Mars Rover tested many soil and rock samples.
- We inferred our conclusions from three samples each consisting of 100 people chosen at random from the population of 23,241.
以下例句说明如何将这些单词自然地搭配使用。
- The sample we tested provides a good example of the effect of contamination on these specialized materials.
