「服務他人是你住地球應該付出的租金。」– 穆罕默德‧阿里 (拳擊手)
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." -- Muhammad Ali, Boxer
最新消息
英語島Newsletter
Borrow me a pen借我筆,錯在哪?
動詞是串聯英文會話的關鍵,如果用錯了,語意就會走味,甚至引起誤會。英文非母語人士會用錯動詞,多半是受到中文的影響,以下試舉五例:
Debug
- The old lady kindly taught me the way to the nearest MRT station. 老太太親切地教我去怎麼去最近的捷運站。(答對率:78%)
- Are you studying in the library? Okay, I’m going right away. 你在圖書館唸書嗎?好,我馬上過去。(答對率:60%)
- Could you borrow me a pen? 可以借我一支筆嗎?(答對率:77%)
- My husband seldom plays chess, but he likes to see. 我先生很少下棋,但他喜歡看。(答對率:86%)
- Don’t worry. When you are on maternity leave, I’ll find someone to replace you. 別擔心,妳請產假的期間,我會找人暫代妳。(答對率:86%)
Debugged
- The old lady kindly told me the way to the nearest MRT station.
中文的「教」,很容易讓人以為英文就用teach,應該要用tell,表示短時間內口頭指導、說明清楚。teach多用在告知的內容較複雜、耗時,甚至需要花錢才能習得的知識。
- Are you studying in the library? Okay, I’m coming right away.
「來」叫come,「去」叫go,其實英文決定用come或go,不是指自己來或去,而是以對方為基準:朝對方走近是come,例:I’ll come to your birthday party.;從對方所在處出發,離對方越來越遠,則用go,例:I can’t stay with you. I must go now.
- Could you lend me a pen?
lend是「借出」,borrow是「借入」,區分方式看主詞,若主詞是物品的擁有者,就用lend,譬如本句,主詞you是筆的擁有者,動詞就用lend。
- My husband seldom plays chess, but he likes to watch.
see和watch都解作「看」,但前者多用在不經意的看見,例:I saw her talking to a homeless man.;後者則指「持續一段時間的觀看」。
- Don’t worry. When you are on maternity leave, I’ll find someone to substitute you.
replace和substitute都有「取代、代替」之意,在很多情況下可以互通,但在人、職務的情境中,replace通常指「完全、長久地取而代之」,substitute才是「暫時代理」。
本文收錄於英語島English Island 2019年7月號
訂閱雜誌
加入Line好友 |