名人教英文：coma & vegetative state
人称「车神」的前f1车手舒密加不幸在滑雪时发生意外，脑部严重受创，送院时已进入昏迷状态。报道指出：
he suffered serious brain trauma (严重脑部创伤) and was in a coma (昏迷) on arrival. to treat bleeding and bruising (挫伤) on his brain, doctors have put him in a medically-induced coma (由医药引起的昏迷状态).
coma是名词，「陷入昏迷」是fall into a coma，comatose（昏迷的）则为形容词。
例如：he has been comatose for nearly two months. people worry that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.（他已经进入昏迷状态接近两个月，恐怕他在余生也会继续成为植物人。）
有些人把「植物人」直译为vegetable person或vegetable，大错特错。正确说法为so-and-so is in a vegetative state。虽然vegetable可以指因伤病而不能正常活动或思考的人，但却是极无礼的说法，不宜使用。
「植物人」亦不能译为vegetarian。vegetarian解作「素食主义者」或「素食的」。例如：the prevalence (盛行) of vegetarianism (素食主义) can be attributed to (归因于) research that suggests vegetarians (素食主义者) are less prone to (易发 ) heart diseases. doctors also endorse (支持) vegetarian diets (素食主义的饮食习惯) because of their health benefits.
至于西方流行的veganism（严格的素食主义），不单是一种饮食习惯，更是生活哲学。vegans（严格的素食主义者）认为人类不应剥夺动物的生命及权益。vegans不但不吃肉，而且不会食用鸡蛋及奶类制品，有些vegans甚至避免使用其他动物制成品，例如皮草和羊毛制的衣物。
veget- 还可以演变出其他字，包括vegetate及vegetation。vegetation（植被）用以总称覆盖某一地域的植物。vegetate可解作像植物般生长或者在一个范围内种植植物，最常用的用法却是指人无所事事，如：he has been vegetating at home in front of the tv since he lost his job.