加油!Add oil !?【中式英文特輯】150 個你會講錯的英文日常用語–學校篇 (1)

你是否也曾在想要用英文說加油時愣住呢?
在學校想說的英文,課堂上卻沒有教?
快來跟小 V 一起學學這些超實用的校園英文用語吧!


寫功課

write one’s homework

do one’s homework

上學的時候總是被寫不完的作業淹沒嗎?沒想到在英文裡,功課竟然不是用寫的而是用做的!do one’s homework 就是「寫作業」的意思。而「寫完作業」則是 finish one’s homework。另外要注意 homework 是不可數名詞,因此不論你寫了幾份作業都不可以加 s。

Mom: Did you do your homework yesterday?
媽媽:你作昨天有寫作業嗎?
Son: Of course!
兒子:當然有!
Mom: I’ll ask you again, and you’d better think carefully about your answer this time. I just got a call from your teacher.
媽媽:我會再問你一次,然後你最好想清楚再回答我。我剛剛接到一通你們老師的電話。
Son: I’m sorry, mom.
兒子:媽我錯了。

Sally: Did you do the homework? 
Sally: 你有做功課嗎?
Sam: What homework?
Sam: 什麼功課?
Sally: Don’t you remember? Pages two to eight of the textbook?
Sally: 你不記得嗎?課本第二夜到第八頁。
Sam: Shit … If the teacher asks, I’ll just pretend I have amnesia.
Sam: Shit … 如果老師問,我會假裝我有失憶症。
Sally: How are you going to pull that off?
Sally: 你要怎麼裝?
Sam: (Pretending to be confused) Where am I? Who are you?
Sam: (假裝很困惑) 我在哪?你是誰?

歐巴馬夫婦回答孩子們的超萌問題 (President Obama & Michelle Obama Answer Kids’ Adorable Questions | PEN | Entertainment Weekly)

你有任何問題嗎?

Do you have any question/problem?

Do you have any questions/problems?

當你看到身邊的同學眉頭深鎖地盯著考卷或課本時,你可以發揮一下同學愛,問對方一句 Do you have any questions? (你有任何問題嗎?) 。在疑問句或否定句中,any 後面所帶出的名詞會是「不可數名詞」或「可數名詞複數形」。因此當你要問對方「有無任何問題或困難」的時候,用複數形的 questions/problems 才是正確的唷!要注意,雖然 problem 這個字也可以翻成「問題」,但是 problem 是偏向所遇到的「困難」,而 quesiton 則是「疑問」。

Frank: If we stick to the plan, this heist will be perfect. Do you have any questions?
Frank: 如果我們守著這個計畫,這一票絕對會很完美。有任何問題嗎?
Phil: Just one. How are we going to get around the armed guards?
Phi: 只有一個問題,我們要怎麼躲過配有武器的警衛?
Frank: Don’t worry. I have a very clever solution.
Frank: 別擔心,我有個聰明的辦法。
Phil: What’s that?
Phil: 什麼辦法?
Frank: Shoot them.
Frank: 射他們。
Phil: Oh. That doesn’t seem very clever.
Phi: 喔,聽起來不是很聰明。
Frank: But it is effective. Any other problems? 
Frank: 但是很有用啊,還有其他困難嗎?
Phil: No.
Phil: 沒有。

讓我跟你解釋

Let me explain you this.

Let me explain this to you.

如果你身邊的人遇上難題,而你剛好知道該怎麼解決,就可以自告奮勇地說「讓我跟你解釋」,Let me explain this to you. 。「向某人解釋某事」的固定說法是 explain sth. to sb.,explain 後面要接的是所要解釋的事情,而不是人唷!

Hannah: My bicycle has a puncture.
Hannah: 我的腳踏車被刺到了。
Dan: That can be fixed. Let me explain it to you. 
Dan: 可以修的,我跟你說明。
Hannah: Thanks a lot.
Hannah: 謝啦。
Dan: Actually it might be easier if I just show you.
Dan: 事實上如果我直接弄給你看會比較簡單。
Hannah: Okay.
Hannah: 好的。
Dan: But I’m only going to do it once, because I won’t be there to help you next time. So pay attention.
Dan: 但是我只會做一次,因為下次沒有人可以幫你,所以注意看。

加油

Add oil!

Break a leg! / Keep up the good work!

當你的同學或朋友們即將參加一場比賽、考試,或是念書念的筋疲力竭的時候,你可以大聲地跟他說一句 Break a leg! 或是 Keep up the good work!,這兩句都是「加油!」的意思。break a leg 最開始是在劇院裡以反諷的方式祝表演者好運的說法,現在也常常被用在日常生活中鼓勵別人。keep up the good work 則有「做得很好,繼續保持」的意味。

(Jerry, a boxer, and George, his trainer, talking before the start of a fight)
(Jerry 是位拳擊手,而 George 是他的教練,兩位在賽前談話)

George: Okay, good luck out there in the ring.
George: 好,比賽順利。
Jerry: Do you really think I can beat him?
Jerry: 你真的認為我可以擊敗他?
George: Well … he’s knocked out every one of his previous opponents. But I believe in you. Just go out there and break a leg–not literally of course.
George: 這個嘛…前面的對手都被他擊敗了,但我相信你,就上去 break a leg,當然不是指針的斷腿啦。
Jerry: I’m not so sure if this is such a good idea …
Jerry: 我不確定這是不是個好主意…
George: You’ll be fine! Just stay positive!
George: 你會沒事的!保持樂觀!
(Bell rings, Jerry begins getting pummeled by his opponent)
(鈴聲響起,Jerry 開始被對手連續痛毆)
George: Go get him Jerry! Keep up the good work! 
George: 快打他啊 Jerry!幹得好!

_____怎麼拼?

How to spell _____?

How do you spell _____?

有時候我們聽到一個新單字,但是實在不確定那個字的拼法,就會忍不住問一句 How to spell…? 來表示「…怎麼拼?」雖然這句話在文法上並沒有錯誤,但並不是母語者慣用的說法。比較自然的說法為 How do you spell…?。

Paul: Where did you say you were from again?
Paul: 你說你從哪裡來的?
Sol: Milngavie
Sol: 沐蓋。
Paul: I’ve never heard of it. How do you spell it? 
Paul: 我從來沒聽過,怎麼拚呢?
Sol: M-i-l-n-g-a-v-i-e.
Sol: M-i-l-n-g-a-v-i-e。
Paul: Well that doesn’t make any sense.
Paul: 沒道理呀。
Sol: I know, right? You’d think they’d spell it “m-u-l-g-a-i” or something.
Sol: 我知道,你會以為應該是拚成 m-u-l-g-a-i 之類的。

查字典

search the dictionary

take a look in the dictionary / look up _____ in the dictionary / look _____ up in the dictionary

在知道一個單字該怎麼拼之後,你就可以拿起字典查一查這個字的解釋、用法、詞性等等。查字典的英文是 take a look in the dictionary 或是 look up a word in the dictionary。take a look 有「看一下」的意思;而 look up 則有「查閱」的意思,後面要接想查閱的目標。千萬別說成 search the dictionary!

Read this article at home. If there’s a new word, try to guess the meaning according to the context before you look it up in the dictionary.
回家讀一下這篇文章。如果有新的單字,先根據上下文猜猜它的意思,再去查字典。

Pauline: How do you spell “onomatopoeia?”
Pauline: onomatopoeia 這個字怎麼拚?
Howard: Spell what?
Howard: 什麼怎麼拚?
Pauline: Onomatopoeia–you know, a word that imitates or resembles a sound.
Pauline: onomatopoeia,你知道,就是擬聲的那個字。
Howard: Oh, like “cuckoo” or “oink”.
Howard: 喔,像是 cuckoo 或 oink。
Pauline: Yeah.
Pauline: 對。
Howard: I dunno. Look it up in the dictionary. 
Howard: 不知耶,查字典吧。

【The School of Life】成功是什麼? (What is ‘success’?)

參加考試

join an exam

take an exam

學生們最大的噩夢就是參加考試啦!雖然中文我們說「參加」,但是在英文卻不能用 join 這個動詞,而是要用 take !
另外補充 exam 通常是指比較大的考試,像是期中考、期末考。test 則是比較小型的測驗,比方說上完一個章節後的複習考。quiz 則是更小型的測驗,比方說英文課上抽背幾個單字,或是臨時的隨堂小考 (pop quiz)。

Our professor gave us two options. Either we take the final exam or hand in a 5,000-word paper.
我們的教授給了我們兩個選擇。要麼考期末考,要麼交一份 5,000 字的報告。

Greg: I was supposed to take my psychology exam this morning–but I slept in!
Greg: 我今天早上應該要去考心理學考試的,但我睡過頭!
Olive: Oh no. What are you going to do?
Olive: 喔不,怎麼辦?
Greg: My professor told me I can sit the exam again in the summer.
Greg: 我的教授要我暑假再補考。
Olive: That’s not too bad then. What was the exam on?
Olive: 還不錯啊,是考什麼?
Greg: Sleep disorders.
Greg: 睡眠障礙。
Olive: How ironic.
Olive: 還真諷刺。 

以上這些是不是非常實用呢?雖然有些用語跟中文的感覺不太一樣,不過多練習幾次就會習慣啦!Keep up the good work! 加油!

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文/ Nina Fu
審/ Eunice Lin
圖/ Canva, CC licensed
作者簡介/ VoiceTube 看影片學英語