日常阅读中已经养成一种习惯:碰到自己感觉比较陌生的语汇短语句型,都会停下来,查清楚,看例句,想想它们与母语对否有异同之处,甚至练习把它们应用到自己的造句中。虽然这样做会拖慢阅读速度,但积累起真正属于自己的语言储存,写作时笔下便游刃有余了。我向大家推荐这种“朝花夕拾”式的英语学习方式,日积月累,必有聚沙成塔之功。
今天拾到下面两棵小花朵,与大家分享:
1. Truth be told(说实话):
Even if they are us, which, truth be told, they occasionally are.
即使他们就是我们。说实话,偶尔他们还真就是我们。
He was known to imbibe a bit--OK, a lot. And when he did , which was often, he became even more morose than he was sober, which, truth be told, he hardly ever was--sober, that is.
大家都知道他爱喝几口--好吧,他喝得很厉害。他经常喝高,而每逢喝高,他比清醒时还更沮丧。说实话,这种情况不多,我指的是他清醒的时候不多。
(我们比较熟悉的说法是: to Tell the truth。 “Truth be told”则比较罕见。)
2. As(定语/状语)...as (从句)
She became a staunch advocate of capitalism, holding on to its principles as desperately as she thrusts away those of communism.
她成为资本主义最卖力的吹鼓手。她坚守其宗旨的那股倔劲儿,不亚于她抛弃共产主义信条的那般决绝。
"This Is Not My Beautiful Life" is as absurd as it is grounded.
《这并非我的美丽人生》这本书虽荒唐却又接地气。
(我们比较熟悉的“as...as...”句型是属于比较或比喻的句型,如: He is as flexible as a steel pole.[他灵活性犹如一根钢管一样。] 这种句型的构成通常是as+形容词as+名词。 )
(上面两个例句中的as...as...不同于比喻句型,而是因为有一个定语或状语可供两个不同分句共享。 它们不属于比喻关系,而属于并列修饰关系。)