1.这个价格对我挺合适的。
✘ The price is very suitable for me.
✔ The price is right.
suitable(合适的、相配的)最常见的用法是以否定的形式出现在告示或通知上。
2.这周五,你愿意参加我们的聚会吗?
✘ Would you like to join our party on Friday?
✔ Would you like to come to our party on Friday?
join 往往是指参加俱乐部或者协会,比如:join a health club; join the Communist Party.事实上,常常与party搭配的动词是come 或者go。如:go a wild party或者come to a Christmas Party.
3.我的英语很糟糕。
✘ My English is poor.
✔ I am not good at English.
有人开玩笑说,中国人最擅长的一句英文是:My English is poor.但在外国人眼中,用poor形容自己的水平,是一种极度自卑的体现。
4.用英语怎么说?
✘ How to say in English?
✔ How do you say this in English?
How to say 是在中国最为泛滥成灾的中国式英语之一,但这绝不是地道的英语说法。
5.现在几点钟了?
✘ What time is it now?
✔ What time is it ,please?
What time is it now是一个直接从汉语翻译过来的句子,讲英语的时候没必要说now,因为你不可能问What time was it yesterday,或者What time is it tomorrow?所以符合英语习惯的说法是:What time is it?
6.我想我不行。
✘ I think I can’t.
✔ I don’t think I can.
中文说“我想我不行”,会把否定放在后面,但英文中会把否定提前,变成“我不认为我行”,这在语法上叫做否定前置。
7.价格很昂贵/便宜。
✘ The price is too expensive/cheap.
✔ The price is too high/ rather low.
这就是直译带来的错误,用来形容 price (价格)的时候,英语中一般都会用high/low 而不用 expensive/cheap.或者可以说It is too expensive.
8.我没有英文名。
✘ I haven’t English name.
✔ I don’t have an English name .
许多人犯这样的错误,从语法角度来分析,可能是语法功底欠缺,因为have 在这里是实义动词,而并不是在现在完成时里面那个没有意义的助动词,所以这句话由肯定句变成否定句要加助动词。
再例如:
我没有钱:I don’t have any money.
我没有兄弟姐妹:I don’t have any brothers or sisters.
我没有车:I don’t have a car.
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