2009.04.04Ⓣ工商時報Ⓣ用對英文俚語、連老外也折服！⑤

Debug

有些英文錯誤並不是文法錯誤，而是老外真的不會那麼說。
Debug：

1. This movie is worth being wathched.
2. These stamps worth nothing now.
3. He looked fearfully because he had seen a ghost.
4. I looked at me in the mirror.
5. I am no afraid of any threats.
6. We have not money left.
7. Tim was dangerous because his sampan had overturned.
8. You must return back the book by next Friday or you'll be fined.
9. We are not easy to find a good school in Singapore.

Debugged：

1. This film is worth watching.
2. These stamps are worth nothing now.
   
3. He looked frightened because he had seen a ghost.
4. I looked at myself in the mirror.
5. I am not afraid of any threats.
6. We have no money left.
7. Tim was in danger because his sampan had overturned.
8. You must return the book by next Friday or you'll be fined.
9. It is not easy to find a good school in Singapore.
   

2009.4.4Ⓣ工商時報Ⓣ用對英文俚語、連老外也折服！④

『豁出去了』，英文怎麼說？
"throw caution to the winds"
●I'm going to throw caution to the winds and guess that you feel like hell today.我豁出去了，我想你今天的日子也不會好過。
●John threw caution to the winds and told the boss off today.約翰 豁出去了，今天把他的老闆臭罵了一頓。

Ⓣ工商時報Ⓣ用對英文俚語、連老外也折服！③

• G20 summit

The stakes are high and rarely have so many powerful leaders gathered in one place to try to forge a common position. Although all agree united action is needed, with only a day to go before
the G20 summit, cracks are beginning to emerge , as different countries push their own priorities.France's President Sarkozy has even threatened to walk out if the tough financial regulation he wants os watered down .
Perhaps it's pre-summit bluster - more may become clear at his joint press conference this afternoon with the German Chancellor , Angela Merkel.
She's again shown her irritation at American calls for a global increase in spending to jump-start growth. China is holding out for increased clout in institutions like the IMF, and Russia backs any change that will dilute American influence .
Today's pre-summit meetings include President Obama's first face to face encounters with the Russian and Chinese Presidents where all are hoping for a fresh start. And getting off on the right foot with the new American President is high on everyone's priority .His officials say he wants to listen as well as lead in London.Gordon Brown will be hoping the Obama charm will be enough to save his summit from disappointment.
經典用字：
①The stakes are high 賭注很高、風險很大。
②cracks are beginning to emerge 問題開始浮現了。
③water down稀釋，相當於文章中也用到的 dilute。
④jump-start growth , 加速成長，jump start原意是汽車引擎熄火後重新開動。重新恢復生機。
⑤getting off on the right foot 一開始就做對，給人好印象建立良好關係。

Ⓣ工商時報Ⓣ用對英文俚語、連老外也折服！②

• 當別人聽不懂你講的英文，怎麼辦？

Dave：English is a very easy language to learn.
Susan：What do you mean?
Dave：Well, what I meant to say was that it is easy if you practice every day.
Susan：Oh, right.

• 道地的說法：

1. 重組語句，換一種說法

①What I meant to say was...
②Let me rephrase that...
③Let me put this another way...
④Perhaps I'm not making myself clear
2. 從頭再說一次
①If we go back to the beginning...
②The basic idea is...
③One way of looking at it is...
3. 如果一下子腦子打結，想不起來用英語怎麼說
①I can't find the word I'm looking for...
②I'm not sure that this is the right word , but...
③What I want to say is...
不要害怕重複你的話，如果每次解釋所說的話都有一點的差別即可讓人猜測到你要說什麼。

Ⓣ工商時報Ⓣ用對英文俚語、連老外也折服！①

世界公民文化中心編輯部 ⓪文 / Lily 章 (轉)
● Don't stand about doing-make yourself useful. = 別閑呆著-做點有用的事。
● Alone on the streets you don't stand chance. = 有成功的機會。
①He stands a good chance of getting that job. He is very qualified. = 他很有機會得到這個工作，因為他很有資格。
②You don't stand a chance of losing weight if you eat fast food everyday！= 你要是天天吃速食，是不可能減肥的。
●I hate to burst your bubble. burst one's bubble. = 打破幻想 或 潑人冷水。
①A: I dream of going to study at Princeton University. = 我夢想能到普林斯頓讀書。
B: I'm sorry to burst your bubble , but your grades are too low. You'll never get accepted to Princeton. = 你分數太低，普林斯頓不會錄取你的。
●I'm feeling a little left out. "left out" = 被遺忘了。
①I felt left out when my friends forgot to invite me to the party.他們聚會沒請我，我覺得自已被遺忘了。
●Well,you got me.難到我了。
① I took the test , but did very badly as all the questions really got me.我參加考試了，但是很糟糕，我根本就不會。
② Well, Mr.Everman, you've really got me there.艾佛曼先生，你真的考到我了。
●I'm sharp , "sharp" 注意力很集中，腦袋很靈光。
①You neet to be sharp when you negotiate.你談判的時候你可要注意力集中啊。
②The manager was so sharp that he memorized every new client's name. 這個大學教授的腦子太好用了，你能記住每個客戶的名字。
●a number of them were riding out "ride out" 忍受...,等....過去
①We are going to have to ride out this rain at the office.我們不得不在辦公室等到雨停。
②Bob was determined to become a CEO, even if he had to ride out a few years in lower positions at the company. Bob決心成為CEO ,所以他得在公司基層職位熬上幾年。
●You got a second? "have a second" 有時間嗎？
①Do you have a second to look over this proposal before I send it ?你能不能在我把計畫書寄出前幫我看看呢？
②Wait a second while I put on my shoes.在我穿鞋的時候等我一會兒。
●Are you still trying to pull something on me? "pull sth on sb" 欺騙，欺矇
①I caught them trying to pull something on me in the meeting.它們騙我的事讓我在會議上當場逮到。
②My lawyer makes sure no one pulls anything on me. 我的律師能保證沒人能騙得了我。
●You can just push around. "push around " 把....呼來換去，欺侮，擺佈。
①The company is getting pushed around by competitors.公司正被對手擺佈。
如果有人指揮你一下做這個一下做那個，你就可以用這一句：
"Hey！！Don't push me around. / Don't push me . /Don't push me any further.
●The two are pretty much the same. pretty much.幾乎。
①The result of the ballot is pretty much what we expected .投票的結果和我們預料的差不多。
②I deserve pretty much what I've got. 我到這步田地完全是咎由自取。
③His story sounds fishy. We should see if it's really true.