国人学英语时写作和口语是难关,一方面是因为没有养成英文思维,另一方面是词汇表达不够准确生动。很多人在写作时习惯根据自己的中文思维去套用英文单词,而没有结合语义语境正确的使用单词,因而导致一些表达的不足和错误。
在美国英语中,有许多常用习语是由含有动物的单词组成的,表达生动、形象,今天给大家分享的这套分别为”101 American English Idioms”(101个美式英语习语)和“101 American English Proverbs”(101美式英语谚语)、”101 American English Idioms” (101个美式英语习语),包含了101组地道的英文习语表达,非常具有代表性的用法,类似我们中文表达中的成语和谚语,在正确使用的前提下,可以为你的英文表达润色增彩,能够快速掌握大量的词汇知识。
比如你要表达花了很大力气努力去做这件事情,常用表达是try very hard,而在这本书中就讲解了“Bend Over Backward”这个习语,因为美国人认为向后倾是要花很大力气才能做到的事,所以“Bend Over Backward = try very hard”。
不仅如此,书中还配有图片和例句讲解,帮助理解和实际应用。虽然图片是那种丑土丑土的风格,但是很形象,特别利于理解记忆:
When Joan first started teaching she was afraid that she would have a lot of trouble getting used to the kids and to the faculty. Her fears turned out to be unfounded. Since everybody bent over backwards to help her. Everyone tried very hard to help her feel comfortable and adjust to the school.
又比如你要表达一个人盛装打扮,常用dressed elegantly这个单词,而这本书中就讲解了“Dress to the Teeth”这个习语,这跟中国成语武装到牙齿有异曲同工之妙,都表示某人费尽心机着装打扮:
A: Did you see Hilda at the party last night?
B: Yes, I did. She was really dressed to the teeth!
A: Well, she had on her finest, most elegant clothing because she was out to make a good impression on Bill.
还有,如果你要形容一个人在困难的条件下作出决定性的动作,或不计安危,勇敢面对,直接面对,一般选用的表达是take decisive action in a difficult situation ,但是书中使用习语“Take the Bull by the Horns”替代,更加形象生动,因为这个含义就象擒牛从牛角入手的方法一样:
Julie has always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness(笨拙) on the dance floor. She had been putting off taking lessions, but she finally took the bull by the horns and went to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and acted decisively to correct the situation.
从这几个例子就可以看出这本书中习语的主要特点就是用特定的具象的词组来表达抽象的含义,不仅更生动形象,还在无形中拉近了距离,让听众和读者感觉更亲切。
而今天推荐这本书的另一个很重要的原因就是趣味性,在学习英语时我们使用的工具书或阅读材料大多是枯燥的,忽然发现了这本书既有意思还能了解美国英语的地道表达的书真是一股清流。如果你想要去北美学习、生活或者了解学习美国英语,亦或者你只是想在无聊时翻看有意思的英文读物,这本书都是一个很值得的选择。
“101 American English Idioms” takes the mystery out of these common U.S. expressions and explains their meanings in context.
101个美式英语习语从这些常见的美式表达中解开了谜团,并在上下文中解释了它们的含义
101 American English Riddles: Humorous riddles with comic illustrations help ESL students gain new insights into American language and culture. Each riddle is accompanied by text that helps students grasp and master the underlying linguistic and cultural reasons why the joke is funny.
101个美式英语谜语:带有漫画插图的幽默谜语帮助ESL学生获得对美国语言和文化的新见解。每个谜语都附有课文,帮助学生理解和掌握笑话之所以有趣的语言和文化根源。
101 American English Proverbs: Adding proverbs to your language skills opens up a whole new way for you to express yourself. But to translate commonly known proverbs word-for-word from your own language into another doesn’t work and may even change meaning all together.
101美式英语谚语:将谚语添加到你的语言技能中为你打开了一个全新的表达自己的方式。但是,把大家都知道的谚语逐字逐句地从你自己的语言翻译成另一种语言是行不通的,甚至可能会一起改变意思。
文件目录
- 101 American English Idioms.pdf
- 101_American_English_Idioms_CD[音频]
- 101_american_english_proverbs.pdf
- 101_american_english_proverbs_CD[音频]
- 101_american_english_riddles.pdf
非常好的资料,顶一个