【英文寫作的樂趣】

Fun with English Writing (5)

【英文寫作的樂趣】

**【Editor’s note】:

In reviewing the following English written by some anonymous writers, I felt frustrated and shocked.  Had these English sentences been written by those who were graduates of some mediocre colleges or universities either in Taiwan or in the US, it might be acceptable or forgivable. But if they were graduates from other  departments than those of foreign languages of a prestigious university in Taiwan, it would be funny and laughable. Or, if their major were really foreign language and literature of top one university, then it would be astonishing and regrettable.

I spent several hours trying to figure out the writers’ intended meaning, and then spent another few hours correcting these “terrible” English sentences in part-5, so as to make them more intelligible.  Hopefully, the time spent and efforts made on improvement of these “sentences” shall not go to waste.

36)  What we have discussed here is really not so much a question of critical thinking; rather, it’s an article of faith.

Improvement: thinking as..

【註解】：not so much A…..as B: 與其說是A不如說是B。另rather常用在下列句型,  not…… but rather…..

It is not a fiction but rather a true story. 它並非虛構而是真實故事

【中文】：實際上我們已討論過的事，與其說是嚴厲的思考問題，不如說是有關信心的文章。

建議更正: What we have discussed here is really not so much a question of critical thing as an article on faith. (of faith-指真實的文章：on faith-指關於信心的文章)

【另註】：若原句不用so much, 僅用not a question ……; 再接but..(或rather) 亦可，但語意略有差別，含『並非……而是….. 』

*試比較下列兩句：

a.     It is not so much a question of critical thinking as an article on faith.

b.     It is not a question of critical thinking but (rather) an article on faith.

a句表示後者成分比前者大

b句表示並非前者而是後者

37)  I thought may be there is a mistake.

Improvement: I thought maybe there is a mistake. 或

            I thought there may be a mistake.

【註解】：may be與maybe不同，後者為副詞，前者為助動詞+ V, 其前面須有主詞

【中文】：本來以為也許有錯

建議更正: I thought there may be a mistake.

38)  It can not be said any better, as far as I'm concerned. 

Improvement: In my opinion, it cannot be better expressed/ stated. 或

In my opinion, you are talking best sense.

【中文】：依我看，講得再好不過了

建議更正: In my mind, it is best said. (否定語氣+比較級=最高級)

39)  Shakespeare said there is nothing good or bad but thinking made it so.

Improvement: says, the way of thinking makes it so.

【中文】：莎翁說沒有好與壞，是觀點促成的

註：莎翁所說的話含哲理的真實性，故不必用過去式。

建議更正: Shakespeare says there is nothing good or bad but only thinking makes it so.

40)  A wise wife is kind and helping others, besides husband and family, blessed with a crown to her husband.

Improvement: kind to others, helping them and her own family as well. Besides, she brings honor to her husband.

【中文】：聰明的太太對他人慈善，不僅幫助他們也幫助了她自己的家。此

外，她使其丈夫蒙上光榮。

註：原句blessed之主詞不明顯，是husband? Family? 況blessed受到祝福，

後接a crown (皇冠-有形之物) 意思不通。原句kind與helping others非平等

地位，用and連接不妥。

建議更正: A wise wife is kind to others, helping (=and helps) her husband and

family.  Besides, she brings honor to her husband.

41)  I am reserving the answer to the space of imagination. 

Improvement: for more room for imagination

【中文】：我將保留我的回答作為更多想像的空間。

【註解】：reserve+受詞+ for…為…而預留；space n. 指看得見的空見，room則指看不見的，如There is no room for doubt. 沒有懷疑的餘地。

建議更正: I am reserving (holding back) the answer for more room for imagination.

42)  The wife may have known his deed prior to the mistress.

Improvement：known something about或found out.  before the mistress had done (用had done強力動作的先後)

【中文】：其妻也許比其妾早知道其行為。

【註解】：know+受詞，指直接知道某事，know something about間接知道某事。Prior to +受詞，指時間上比…. 早，但不可接人。例：Prior to departure, he paid a visit to his uncle. 動身之前，他去看他伯父。

建議更正: The wife may have known something about what he did before the mistress had done.

【另註】：may have +p.p. = probably +過去式

43)  I used to question about the teaching of Chi-ren (man from Chi country), with one wife and mistress, the lesson in the textbook at high school. 

【註解】：question vt. 作質疑解，後面不接about，one wife and a mistress，兩名詞前有兩個冠詞，指兩者，若僅有一個冠詞，則表示同一位但具雙重身分，如a musician and professor一位音樂家兼教授。另原文意思表達欠明白。

【中文】：我過去一向質疑，高中念過的一篇齊國故事的真實性；此故事乃關於齊人擁有一妻一妾。

建議更正: I used to question the truth of a story taught at high school about a man from a state, named Chi. The man had a wife and a mistress.

44)  We grew up in a mist of a man who went out to the graveyard begging for food.

【註解】：mist n. 濃霧，原句用grew up in the mist…句意不明。(grow up成長)

原句中文意思太濃 (Chinese English) ，作者似乎要表達對某事『一頭霧水』，用grow up in a mist of….. 太好笑!

Improvement：were confused by a man’s going out…..

【中文】：對於某位去墳墓乞討食物的人的行為我們感到困惑。

建議更正: We were confused by a man’s going out to the graveyard, begging for food.

45)  One thing to remind the world regarding single man with no family as miserable.

【註解】：remind +人+ of +事情；a single man就不必再加without no family. 另as miserable前須有動詞

【中文】：提醒世人的一件事是，光棍被認為是可憐的。

建議更正: One thing to be reminded of is that a single man is regarded as miserable.

Justin Lai  編撰

8/17/2015