【mediopassive voice 】聽見一棵樹倒下的聲音
文法的使用有兩種,一種是限制,一種是解釋
例如最近學生問我這個句子
Our products sell faster when the temperature drops.
她的主管特地回她一封email,「提醒」她:...are sold faster...才對
她直覺原句沒問題,於是用我們上課談過的方式找了一些母語使用者的例句(同樣是sell faster),拿去跟主管請教,主管略過證據,跟她說這個要用passive voice,最後補了一句「不然你可以去問你英文老師」
如果採用 #全知視角 來看待學過的文法,你會以爲自己已學會語言的全貌,很容易因此限制了語言的使用,而全知視角其實是個幻覺,面對不斷演化的語言行為,文法永遠只能追著變化跑,文法是為了了解更多、解釋更多而誕生的分類,文法永遠留有一個位置給「未知」,採用 #未知視角 的文法學習者,會更能接受違例的存在,如果你學會認真看待違例,你就越能逼近真確。
然後瓦老師的回答如下
除了大部分人熟悉的active voice(主動語態)與passive voice(被動語態)以外,英文還能夠切分出更細緻的mediopassive voice來,英語裡只有些許的動詞語意(這類動詞也有類別名稱:ergative verb)能夠表現這樣的中間語態,例如
The book reads like a manual for deception.
書雖然該是「被讀」,但出現在mediopassive voice的語態中,它也同時「主動」影響了讀者的感受,同樣的例子還有
This kind of content shares well on social media.
The wine drinks smoothly.
The window opens easily.
你聽不見遠方一棵樹倒下,並不代表森林裡什麼也沒有發生
樹倒下時擠壓了空氣分子的排列,引發了震動,你的耳膜受到刺激,傳遞了神經訊息到腦裡,森林裡的巨響只是樹倒下時你能察覺的一種世界事件,你無法察覺的還有很多,你聞不到樹倒下的味道(但狗狗可以),你測不到樹倒下的音波變化(但蝙蝠可以),全知視角容易限制你,未知視角提醒你要多蒐集,慢慢拼湊真確的樣貌
#語言選物 #文法
deception動詞 在 EZ Talk Facebook 的最佳貼文
#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事 #ratVSmouse
🇺🇸 Idioms 美國生活用語:老鼠 rat╱mouse 🐁
說到美國老鼠,你會想到可愛的米老鼠,還是《料理鼠王》裡頭的老鼠?趁鼠年第一天,來介紹老美眼中的老鼠!
💪順便搞懂 rat 跟 mouse 的不同之處吧!
1⃣ rat
2⃣ rat out/on
3⃣ smell a rat
4⃣ the rat race
5⃣ quiet at a mouse
6⃣ poor as a church mouse
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As we enter the Year of the Rat, it’s a good time to think about rodents and their cultural significance. The first animal in the Chinese Zodiac, rats are associated with intelligence, diligence and ambition. And people born in the Year of the Rat can look forward to being wealthy and successful.
鼠年即將到來,正好來介紹一下鼠類跟其文化意涵。身為十二生肖排名第一,老鼠通常會讓我們想到聰明、勤勞且有野心。鼠年出生的人可望成功富有。
In America, however, rats don’t have such a positive image. They are seen as dirty pests that steal food and spread disease. It’s therefore no accident the rat-related idioms are all negative. 1⃣ First, the term “rat” itself. In colloquial American English, a rat is a deceptive, disloyal person or an informant. Ex: Don’t trust Tommy—he’s a rat!
不過在美國,老鼠可就沒有這麼正面的形象。牠們被視為髒東西,愛偷食物並且散播疾病,所以沒有意外地,跟老鼠有關的美國用語都是負面的。首先來看看 rat 這個字,在美式口語英文中,講某人是 rat,就是說他是「騙子、不忠實」,或是「告密者」。如:Don’t trust Tommy—he’s a rat!(別相信湯米,他是個騙子!)
2⃣ “Rat” can also be used in the verb phrase “rat out/on,” which means “to inform on sb.” Ex: The thief ratted out his accomplices to avoid jail time. 3⃣Another phrase is “smell a rat,” which means “to suspect an instance of wrongdoing, deception or betrayal.” Ex: The witness smelled a rat when he saw the suspect leaving the scene of the crime. 4⃣Finally, “the rat race” describes the intense competition and long hours of the urban work environment. Ex: Eric dreamed of leaving the rat race and buying a small farm.
因此 rat 也可延伸作為動詞:rat out/on,指「出賣某人」,如:The thief ratted out his accomplices to avoid jail time.(那個小偷出賣他的同夥逃避坐牢。)另一個片語則是 smell a rat,指「發覺有可疑之處」,如:The witness smelled a rat when he saw the suspect leaving the scene of the crime.(目擊者看到嫌犯離開案發現場時覺得行為可疑。)最後是 the rat race,用來形容職場競爭激烈且工時長的現象。如:Eric dreamed of leaving the rat race and buying a small farm.(艾瑞克夢想著離開這競爭激烈的工作環境,去鄉下種田。)
While the Chinese “shu” is usually translated as “rat,” it can also refer to mice. And mice have a slightly better reputation in English than rats. Mice are small, quiet and shy, so 5⃣ “quiet at a mouse” refers to someone who is shy and timid. Ex: The new student in our class is quiet as a mouse. 6⃣And if someone is “poor as a church mouse,” they’re really poor. This is because churches usually don’t usually store food, so mice who lived in them would have nothing to eat. Ex: My parents were poor as a church mouse when I was born.
雖然中文字「鼠」常常翻作 rat「大老鼠」,不過也可以指 mouse(複數形 mice)「小老鼠」。在英文中,小老鼠的形象比大老鼠稍微好些。小老鼠體型較小,安靜又害羞,所以 quiet as a mouse 可以用來形容某人「害羞膽怯的」,如:The new student in our class is quiet as a mouse.(我們班新來的學生很害羞。)要是說某人 poor as a church mouse,就是說他們「非常窮」。由來是因為教堂通常不會儲藏食物,所以住在教堂裡的老鼠根本沒東西可吃。如:My parents were poor as a church mouse when I was born.(我父母在我出生時候非常窮。)
【✍重點單字】
1. rodent「嚙齒類動物」
2. Chinese Zodiac「十二生肖」:zodiac指西洋占星的十二星座。
3. diligence「勤奮」:當名詞,形容詞 diligent。
4. it’s no accident that…「沒有意外,……」
5. colloquial「口語的」:相對於書寫文字而言,較不正式的說法。
6. deceptive「愛騙人、說謊的」:當形容詞,名詞 deception。
7. informant「告密者」
8. urban「都市的」:相反詞為 rural「鄉下的」。
9. reputation「名聲」
#鼠年行大運 #鼠錢鼠不完
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deception動詞 在 Sonny老師的翻譯&教學札記- 【華爾街日報導讀 - Facebook 的推薦與評價
deception 欺騙;欺詐 falsehood 不實敘述 mistruth 誤導言論 ... 辭職;退出(非常簡潔有力,可當及物或不及物動詞) 2️⃣ Of course, mistruths exist on a ... ... <看更多>