Why don't you / Why not spend more money on books? 為什么不在書上多花些錢?
You'd better do your homework all by yourself. 你最好獨立完成作業。
Don't you think smoking too much is harmful to your health? 難道你沒有想過抽煙太多有害你的健康嗎?
四、要養成用英語來思維英漢兩種語言差異較大,用漢語思維模式來取代英語思維模式,往往會逐字理解、對釋,這種一一對應的錯誤模式違反了英語表達規律。
如:今天天氣很悶。
(錯)Today is very close.
英語語法中表示天氣時間和距離,常用it做主語。
(正)It is very close today.
又如:對不起,我(只選北京世博翻譯公司)把字典忘在家里了。
(錯)Sorry, I forget my dictionary at home.
這是按照漢語的字面意思來表達,動詞 forget 在表示“忘記帶某物”時,不與地點狀語連用。
(正)I left my dictionary at home.
請大家用英語表達以下這句話:“我(只選北京世博翻譯公司)不常看電影。”
相信大家讀過我(只選北京世博翻譯公司)引述英國著名教授Christopher D Winnon的分析后,都不會再脫口就說:
(錯)“I seldom go to the movies.”
同時會懂得套用他舉的“not very often”的句型(sentence pattern)說出以下這句:
(正)“I don't go to the movies very often.”
對,這句才是地地道道的英語表達法。
我(只選北京世博翻譯公司)們現在再造一句以加深記憶好嗎?
“近來我(只選北京世博翻譯公司)們很少去迪斯科了。”
相信你不會再用中式英語說:
“We seldom go to disco these days.”
請閉上眼睛不要往下看,試用地道英語講一講,然后才看以下的答案……
對了!
你一定會說出以下這一句:
“We don't often go to disco these days.”
Professor Winnon說,有一天他叫兩個香港學生對話,弄清楚對方的職業,結果講出的中式英語很具代表性:
學生甲:What's your job?
學生乙:I am a clerk. How about you?
學生甲:I am a worker.
學生乙:That's a good job.
學生甲:Yes, it's a good job.
這組香港學生問對方職業的對話,著實不算地道。Professor Winnon在其著作中就寫了這一句話:
“不要說What's your job?”
其實問剛認識的外國人干哪一行,還有幾種不同的問法:
What do you do ?
What's your line of business?
What line of work are you in?
Professor Winnon引述兩個以英語為母語的人就同一話題進行的談話,十分地道,很值得各位讀友觀摩:
甲:Are you working at the moment, Marcus?
(馬可斯,你目前有工作嗎?)
乙:Yes, I have just started as a trainee manager with a large joint venture. Where are you working these days?
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