Fun with English Writing (4)

27. Fun with English Writing (4)

【英文寫作的樂趣】

【Editor’s Note: 編按】：

Ever since the series of “Fun with English Writing” was posted, I have not received any feedback or comments from readers. Most readers might bear grudge against me, feel dissatisfied with what I have been doing, or are quite displeased with the way I am doing. However, I found to my amazement that some readers’ English is indeed improving lately.  It proves that most of the readers are able to write standard English, and that they just do not pay enough attention to do so. Or their error in English writing happens to be connected with their unintentional recklessness. Based on this finding, I am confident that in so doing, this series will be helpful with readers, and continue awakening their attention to making some efforts to have their English proficiency achieved. Thank you!

26)  Prices have been going up all over the world but earning doesn’t always catch up with inflation.

Improvement: income always lags behind inflation

【中文】：全球物價一直上漲，但收入趕不及通貨膨漲。

建議更正: Prices have been up the entire world but falling income does not catch up with inflation.

27)  I actually cooked two very tasted evening meals. 

Improvement: tasty；dinners

另註：tasted被品嚐的；tasty = delicious美味的

【中文】：我真煮了兩頓可口的晚餐。

建議更正: I actually cooked two very delicious (tasty) dinners. (晚餐=supper)

若tasted不改,

**原句應因two much tasted dinners. (兩頓常被品嚐的晚餐)

28)  It has taken me a long time to actually write to you.

Improvement: It was a long time before I actually began to write to you.

註解：若原句不改，其意為『寫信花了很長一段時間，而且還未寫完』。

It is +一段時間+ before +子句…. 『經過….. 一段時間才…. 』

【中文】：幾經折騰，花了很長的時間才真正動筆寫信給你們。

建議更正: 見improvement.

29)  But whatever you feel like I have no control. 

Improvement: feel like doing；control over

註解：feel like + Ving頗欲。但feel like +名詞=感覺像: He feels like a three-year-old. 他感覺像是三歲小孩。另It feels like silk. 它摸起來像絲。

【中文】：但無論你想怎麼做，我都無法掌控。

建議更正: But I have no control over whatever you feel like doing.

或, I cannot control whatever you feel like doing.

30)  So many messages are there initiated by you with additional feedback I, at random, pick this to answer your radar.

【中文】：你所傳來的許多信息有附加回應。因此我隨便挑選出這個來回答你的問題。

註解：initiate vt. 創始(此處不適合) ；pick out挑出，與at random (漫不經心地) 不合。而radar n. 雷達，answer your radar?? (不知作者何意)

建議更正: With additional feedback, there are so many messages provided/ sent by you. And I picked this out to answer your questions.

31)  Life is full of surprises turning the corner. Your relentless passion with memory of past has added more incentive to daily dish of reality, sometimes hot, sometimes sour, all in all they are delicious

Improvement: surprises刪去，改為…Life is full of corner turnings. Your incredible memory….and all in all

註解：turn the corner即含轉機之義，有正面意思，故不必再加surprises；relentless(冷酷的)，後接passion意思不通；passion + for +名 (對…. 有喜好) ，用來修飾memory 也不通。若改用Your incredible memory of the past …. 好一些

【中文】：生活充滿令人驚喜的轉機。你那了不起的過去回憶，已對現賞的日常菜肴增加許多刺激，這些菜有時冷的，有時熱的，總之都是美味可口。

建議更正: Life is full of surprising corner turnings. Your incredible memory of the past has added up to my interest in daily reality.

32)  This article sums up every modern woman has to face.

Improvement: problems every modern woman has to face.

註解：sum up總結(應指事項，不可指人)

【中文】：本文總結了每一位現代婦女不得面對的難題。

建議更正:This article sums up whatever problems every modern woman has to face.

33)  She has to cope with so many details of her family and her kids.

Improvement: with all sorts of problems

註解：cope with應接「困難」

【中文】：她不得克服家庭與小孩大大小小的困難。

建議更正: She has to cope with all sorts of problems facing her family including her kids

34)  I wish you can get out of your computer room to attend our reunion.

Improvement: hope或把can改為could

註解：wish後接子句，屬不可能之事，應接假設語氣，若用hope則不必

試比較下列二句：

a.     I wish you could get out of your computer room to attend our reunion.

(但願你能走出電腦室來參加同學會)- 其實你不能

b.     I hope that you can (could) get out of your computer room to attend our reunion. (用could 比can 客氣，講話者認為可能)

(希望你能走出電腦室來參加同學會)

建議更正: I wish you would (你願意)/ could (你能夠)leave your computer room to attend our classmates’ reunion.

35)  We do need to exercise certain degree of caution to the possible Trojan horses.

Improvement: a certain degree; against

註解：degree (程度) 是可數名詞，應加a ~；caution against + n. 小心防範

【中文】：我們的確須要某程度地防範可能的潛伏的危機。

建議更正: We do need to take a certain degree of caution against possible Trojan horses.

Justin Lai  彙編

08/03/2015