問:美國政府撤銷叛諜斯諾登的護照,英文報紙報道說:US officials have yanked Snowden's passport。查字典,yank沒有「撤銷」的意思,這是不是舊詞新用?
答:較正式的英文會說US officials have revoked Snowden's passport,不會用yank這樣的俗語。
查《牛津高階英文詞典》以及《朗文當代英文詞典》,yank都只有「用力猛拉」的意思。把這意思引伸,yank就是「卒然除去」。這個引伸的意思,中型字 典少見收錄,但韋氏詞典Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary的解釋很清楚:to remove in or as if in an abrupt manner。謹按yank的兩個意思,各舉一例如下:(1)The little boy yanked his sister's hair when she was not looking(那小男孩趁妹妹不留意,用力拉了拉她的頭髮)。(2)His name was yanked from the guest list(他的名字,在賓客名單上給除去)。
問:要表示「我從小就喜歡游泳」,英文可不可以說I like swimming since I was a child?
答:要說「由過去某個時候到現在」,英文動詞不可用簡單現在式,而應用現在完成式。讀者說的那句中文,英文可以譯做I have liked / have enjoyed swimming since I was a child。此外還可以說:I have been in love with swimming since I was a child 或 I started to like swimming when I was a child, and have enjoyed the sport ever since。
答:較正式的英文會說US officials have revoked Snowden's passport,不會用yank這樣的俗語。
查《牛津高階英文詞典》以及《朗文當代英文詞典》,yank都只有「用力猛拉」的意思。把這意思引伸,yank就是「卒然除去」。這個引伸的意思,中型字 典少見收錄,但韋氏詞典Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary的解釋很清楚:to remove in or as if in an abrupt manner。謹按yank的兩個意思,各舉一例如下:(1)The little boy yanked his sister's hair when she was not looking(那小男孩趁妹妹不留意,用力拉了拉她的頭髮)。(2)His name was yanked from the guest list(他的名字,在賓客名單上給除去)。
問:要表示「我從小就喜歡游泳」,英文可不可以說I like swimming since I was a child?
答:要說「由過去某個時候到現在」,英文動詞不可用簡單現在式,而應用現在完成式。讀者說的那句中文,英文可以譯做I have liked / have enjoyed swimming since I was a child。此外還可以說:I have been in love with swimming since I was a child 或 I started to like swimming when I was a child, and have enjoyed the sport ever since。