BOOKMAN BILINGUAL 雙語書林：Chinglish or Natural English? 中式英語或道地英語？

ˇ As soon as he took office, he began a series of reforms in his department.

χ As soon as he took his office, he began a series of reforms in his department.

Photo: AdobeStock l 照片:AdobeStock

註︰to take office 的 office 不是指辦公室，是抽象名詞，作「職位」解，前面不應有人稱代名詞所有格。

2. 他們拿起武器保衛城市。

Photo: AdobeStock l 照片:AdobeStock

ˇ They took up arms to defend their city.

χ They took up their arms to defend their city.

註︰high 通常指「物」的高大，to take up arms 這一慣用語中不需用人稱代名詞所有格。

3. 這是我所見過最漂亮的房子。

ˇ This is the most beautiful house I have ever set eyes on.

χ This is the most beautiful house I have ever set my eyes on.

註︰to set eyes on 這一慣用語中不用人稱代名詞所有格。

4. 時間已經不早，最好馬上回家。

ˇ It is getting dark. You had better go home at once.

χ It is getting dark. You have better go home at once.

註︰had better 或 had best 是慣用語，後面接動詞原形。儘管說的是現在或將來，had 也不可改作 have 或 has，在口語裏可以說 Better go at once. 或 Better be going.。

5. 時間到了，該回家了吧！。

ˇ It is time to go home.

ˇ It is time we went home.

χ Time is up. Let’s go home.

註︰Time is up. ＝ The time allowed is at an end. 指「所給的時間完了」。比如，考試時規定兩小時交卷，兩小時完了，學生仍不交卷，教師可以說：“Time is up. Hand in your papers, please.”。說「……時間到了」、「現在（或那時候）該……了」，常用 It is (high) time... 的句型。

It is time to go back.

It is (high) time (that) we went to bed.

It is (high) time (that) we started our work.

注意 It is time 中沒有冠詞，括弧中的 high、that 常常省去，後面從屬句中的動詞屬虛擬語氣，須用過去式。

Exercises:

A. 這是我所見過最大的畫。

This is the largest picture I have ever __________ .

1. set eyes on

2. set my eyes on

3. set eye on

4. set my eye on

B. 我們現在該就寢了。

It is _______________ time we went to bed.

1. a

2. high

3. the

4. up

Answers: A. 1 B. 2

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蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《走讀自然.花言樹語》，《英語的對與錯》，《世紀病毒：必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等。國家教育研究院中英雙語詞彙審議委員；研究領域為翻譯、術語及詞典編譯，從事植物與人文導覽數十年，亦曾應邀遠赴國外大學做植物人文導覽。