我们先看一看“Pact”和“Accord”这两个词。从网上(realdictionary.com)所给的简明定义来看，这两个词都是指“A written agreement between two states or sovereigns”，并无意义上的重大区别。我们从一些中型词典得到的定义是：
Pact: A formal agreement between two people or groups of people/An agreement between two or more nations or states usually less elaborate than a treaty but nearly equivalent thereto. 例句：The US and Canada have signed a free-trade pact. The Liberal Democrats may form a pact with Labour to try to beat the Conservatives in the next election.中文对应的解释是：契约、协议;条约、公约、盟约。
Accord: A formal agreement/An amicable arrangement between parties, especially between peoples or nations, a less formal agreement. 例句：An accord signed by the two sides in January brought a formal end to the war in Bougainville. On 31 May the two leaders signed a peace accord. Before 1987, the accord between the labour government and the Union was a simple affair.中文对应的解释是谅解;协议、条约。
Agreement: A compact entered into by two or more nations or heads of nations.这个定义说明“Agreement”这个词，可以用于指高层次的协议。其中文的对应的解释是：协定、协议;契约。
我们从一些新近网上获得的例子，再体味一下这几个词的用法。在第一组例句中，美国国防部部长就朝鲜问题所作的努力时，有两则报道，其中一个报道使用了“Formal Pact”而另一个报道却是使用“Formal, Written Agreement”。
Powell seeks formal pact with N. Korea.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday he is trying to satisfy North Korea securing concerns through a formal, written agreement in which that country’s neighbors would participate.
从言外之意来看，既然是“Formal X”那么，“Pact”和“Agreement”在一般情况下是非正式的用法，当然会有例外，而“Agreement”则是一个所指最宽泛的词。有时，我们又会见到“Accord”、“Pact”、“Agreement”同时出现，如下面的例子：
Debates Ethiopia and Eritrea Sign Formal Peace Accord. Ethiopia … statement. SEVERAL COMMISSIONS TO IMPLEMENT PACT. The six-article agreement commits both sides to a permanent cessation of military activities along their border.
甚至是出现在同一短语中：
For Immediate Release Statement of Senator Chris Dodd On Possible Peace Accord Agreement in Kosovo June 3, 1999, “All of us want to see a political settlement that results in peace in Kosovo. While there are promising signals out of Belgrade …”
