美语中,一些感叹词的意义跟字典上的解释不尽相同,要在日常生活中才能体会到。让我们看看以下几个例子:
Oh 的字典意义是“嗬;哦;哎呀”,表示惊讶、恐惧等。但将这个词连起来用,却是“糟了、坏了”的意思,比如说:
1. Oh, oh, the Ozone hole is back!
糟了,臭氧层的穿孔又出现了!
2. Oh, oh, my boss has sent for me.
坏了,老板叫我去一趟。
Whew 的字典意义是“唷”,表示惊讶、失望、厌恶,常含诙谐之意。在日常生活中,常能听到人们在遇险或干了重活以后用这个词,比如:
1. Whew, that piano was heavy! It took eight of us to move it to the next room.
咻,那架钢琴真重!我们八个人才把它抬到隔壁房间。
2. This morning on my way to work, a deer jumped out right in front of my car. I missed it by a hair, whew!
今天早上在上班路上,一只鹿突然窜到我的车前,我差一点点就撞上了,咻!
Huh 的字典意义是“嘿”,表示疑问、蔑视。日常生活中,常用来表示难言之隐,比如:
1. You agreed that I could have your car if I did this, right?
你说好的,如果我做了这件事,你就会把你的车给我,是吧?
Huh... that's not exactly what I had in mind.
哦……那不是我的本意。
还有一个字典还没收入的词——hmmm,也常用来表示这个意思:
2. If there's no objection, shall we say we'll meet every day for an hour?
如果没有异议,我们是否能定下来,每天开一小时碰头会?
Hmmm... one hour a day. Isn't that a bit too much?
这……每天一小时,是不是有些太多了?
Duh 在英语字典里是表示不理解的一种感叹词;在中英词典里表示犹豫、不快等。但在日常生活中,这个词越来越多地用来表示一种轻蔑,特别是认为某人说了很愚蠢的话后,当然也用于自嘲:
1. The new governor said in his inaugural speech, everyone has to eat, duh.
新州长在就职演说中说,每个人都需要吃饭,多新鲜啊!
2. Last night I went to a benefit concert, thinking it was free. Then at the door there was this ticket person, who told me that it was a concert to raise money for the poor and everyone was expected to donate, and it was written right on the ticket in my hand, duh.
昨晚,我去了一个募捐音乐会,以为是免费的。结果到了门口让收票的挡了,说是音乐会是为穷人募捐的,所以每个人都应当解囊认捐。其实我手中的票上写得清清楚楚,真是的。
知道这些感叹词在日常生活中的用法后,我们便可以用来附和对方说的话,常常是一个“Whew”或“Duh”就能起到事半功倍之效。
(来源:环球时报) |
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