放下與接受 - 淺論英文寫作
 

聆聽外語的節奏與發音，進而掌握該語言的特有腔調是很重要的，您要客觀地融入該主流社會的文化精華篇；而非那些以主觀意識來論述（這點自己是無法察覺的，要靠當地人來調教），比方說，本人當年剛到加拿大時，在入學前的一篇鑑別寫作能力的短文中，題目是很容易發揮的「第一夫人的角色」，文章是得了個40/40=100% (Content:10/10; Grammar:10/10; Spelling:10/10; Style:10/10)教授給的評語(Comments)為︰

- Good manipulation of grammar.
- Great use of transitions!
- Good paragraph structure.
- Good use of articles and capitals.
- You have presented a strong opinion - good work!

這些我都記憶猶新，可是，Erica 她說（德國裔的教授,加拿大的第三代）︰這雖然是寫的很好，但是語氣卻完全非本地的（意指是外國人的寫法）；她說︰要多揣摩本地的字彙運用，因為在寫作的時候要讓人起共鳴，就非要用本地的敘述方式才行，這也就是所謂「入境隨俗」。她又說︰你可以將文章拿去讓其他人下評語（加拿大人），這是篇典型的東方型敘述。要儘快的轉換過來，這樣才能讓你被大家接受，否則，文章寫的再好，也是篇很外國化的非主流語文；就像很多的具英文背景的加拿大本地印度英文報紙所給人的強烈語氣似的，所以這點要絕對避免的，假如你想真正的適應本地環境乃至於有良好發展的話，這些一定要改正過來﹗


當時的我很不是滋味，後來才知道她的要求是對的，在往後寫作上，她就要我特別的注意到主流社會的媒體，如電視，廣播與報紙新聞等。當年僅24歲就跳級取得碩士學位的她（很漂亮，身材178公分，藍眼珠，很迷人﹗），對我有著不同於一般人的教授方法，因為我喜歡問，她就知道我的盲點在哪，所以她就特別喜歡出難題給我練習。她說︰加拿大的主流報紙 - 環球郵報 (Global and Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ 是她最為推薦的頂級英文學習主流報紙，聽力不妨借助 CNN 的電視報導(學習語言），加拿大的國家廣播公司 - CBS （學習聽力）也都是上選。就這樣才擺脫了她所點明的中式論述。


該文稿還在我的軟磁碟 floppy disk 中，我經常拿出來回味，現在貼上來獻醜︰


The Role of the First Lady

The position of the First Lady is very unique. She has to act in many roles to fulfill various challenges, so responsibility and patience are essential.

By definition, the First Lady is the most important person next to the president. She is not only the President's wife and her children's mother, but also an obvious role model to the public. Any action performed by her could deeply affect nature itself. A positive performance is critical.

Being a First Lady is a very difficult task in many ways. First of all, she has to deal with family chores, such as taking care of her kids' education and health.

Secondly, she has to work with her husband and coordinate the President's schedule with almost every important event. Her considerate support is essential. She has to backup the President's decision to gain the whole nation's recognition.

Finally, she has to keep herself as wise as possible because any unwise and inapproapriate conversation may damage her husband's reputation.

Nevertheless, the First Lady should make every effort to associate with every issue in the country. Since the First Lady is assuming fantastic responsibilities, her full support is absolutely necessary.

Thanks for those wingless Angeles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
時隔20年後的原題重新改寫
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The role of the First Lady is an ever changing position that is constantly redefined by each woman who holds the title. As a result, it is difficult to determine if the First Lady is expected to perform certain duties and behave in a particular way. Despite this uncertainty, it is widely assumed that the role of the First Lady should be a combination of domestic duties and political responsibilities. As the wife of the President, the First Lady is expected to be a gracious hostess, as well as a dominant political figure. Above all, the First Lady needs to be an advocate for important social issues.


The First Lady should have the authority to decide on policy, and to make her own contributions to the country. For instance, Hillary Clinton embraced the role of a political and social advocate when she took it upon herself to reorganize the American health care system. In order to be successful advocate, as well as an advisor to her husband, the First Lady needs to be highly educated, naturally intelligent, and well spoken. Without these qualities, the First Lady cannot deliver the speeches and political campaigns that will ensure that her point of views is heard and respected by the American people. In short, the First Lady needs to an intelligent, personable, and flexible individual who is capable of balancing political and domestic responsibilities.

.

g兄您文章寫徥很好,不過在第一句發現了一個小問題,在我過去學習中不是這樣,所以找了些資料溫故知新,無意冒犯,請見諒

關於 unique的用法,加very是否正確?

除了以下面英文解釋用法,另有看到中文網站英語語法教學也提到沒有加very的用法
------------------------------------------------------------------
The word unique is related to a whole class of words derived from the Latin word for one, (unus) for example: uniform, unilateral, and unicorn.

Soldiers tend to look alike when they are in uniform.
Among allied states, a unilateral action is one taken by one member or “side” only. (Latin latus = side)
A unicorn has one horn. (Latin cornus = horn of an animal)

The word unique has the meaning “one of a kind.” It is a useful word and the widespread misuse of it tends to dissipate its usefulness.

Listen to any talk show and you will hear people say that something or other is “very unique,” or “rather unique,” or “somewhat unique.”

Such usage corresponds to saying that a woman is “somewhat pregnant.”

With unique (as with pregnancy) there is no middle ground.

If something is unique, that’s it. To precede the word with an intensifier like “very” or a comparative like “less” or “more,” defeats the purpose.

That is not to say that one mustn’t ever use a word to modify unique.

One CAN say that a thing is:

nearly unique
really unique
perhaps unique
in some respects unique
but never ever “very unique.”

TIP: Preserve the unique usefulness of the word unique by thinking twice before putting a modifier in front of it.


http://www.dailywritingtips.com/less...mes-to-unique/

不用客氣﹗

這就是證據，為什麼？因為英語中的語法不能有雙形容詞在一起，就如同雙動詞一樣，因為我們很容易下了雙動詞的錯誤，這文化背景的差異。


very 是形容詞，unique是名詞也是形容詞，當時在下筆時就有掙扎過，但是從BBC英語廣播中（在台時定時收聽的短波最愛英語廣播），就曾說過，這個辭的用法 still controversial, 這是一種無奈，就像美國英語被傳統英國英語所駁斥的許多語法的例子一樣，現今仍各說各話，所以各英語國就演變出自己的一套語法。事實上 Very special 與 very unique 就有異曲同工之妙，曾與教授們爭論過前述例子之正誤，但他們說 Both are right!

Reference:
Adjective: A word that is used to describe or modify a person, place, or thing(noun). In a sentence, an adjective usually comes before a noun.

感謝 Barrie 大的介入探討，好眼力﹗

我相信還有值得探討的地方，有請大大們齊來參與 ~

因為過去學習英文文法,老師都會特別聲明某些形容詞本身詞意不需用形容詞來修飾

"unique"中文是獨一無二或唯一的意思,如果加上very非常獨特,在我們哪個時代作文加上這個字老師會用紅筆劃掉

現在英文有個特性,尤其是美語越多人用的詞法,即使違反了英語文法原則也不然是錯誤

有一個寫作上可以應用的方法,就是利用google

當有些英文表達不敢肯定是否正確,手上又沒有工具書,不妨在google上尋找

如very unique,打"you're very unique",google會出現幾十萬筆資料,啊~原來不少人也這樣用,若果google出現的筆數很少很少,表示你打上去的語法錯誤的機會很大(記得要加上符號" "),注意多人用並不表示一定對,多個安心而已

以上的方法不是絕對,只是參考

這是剛搜索到，從 500 Words on Words 有關於 絕對化之字辭的討論，Barrie 兄的指教可說是相當的正確，在下文中即可證明他是對的，但是請看那些 highlight 的說明，也可見到語文演化的無奈與現實，該結論的藍色部份，力倡在正式寫作時要盡量避免，這是我當年的困惑之處。

http://500wordsonwords.wordpress.com...-unique-words/

Absolutes: Some Very Unique Words
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Can something be more than perfect? A little bit perfect? Or, if something’s one of a kind, can it be more one of a kind?

If you’re taking these ideas literally, the answer is no. Perfect, by definition, means there’s nothing better to be had. It’s as good as it can possibly be.

Perfect is what’s known as an absolute. Perfect is perfect; it doesn’t come in degrees of perfectness.

But what gets tricky, is that in everyday speech, absolutes like perfect get modified all the time. So, you may ask, is it ok to say “more perfect?”


First, what’s an absolute?
Absolutes are words that have a very specific black-and-white meaning.

Think of it this way: when you describe something as disgusting, it can vary by degrees. That milk that’s beginning to turn sour is a little disgusting. The fish your colleague is reheating in the microwave is more disgusting. The dish of sour cream that rolled out of the grocery bag in your trunk last week is extremely disgusting.

But with absolutes, it either is or it isn’t. Think of it like the word dead. No one’s more dead, less dead or marginally dead. They’re dead, or they’re alive. Two choices. It’s the same with other absolutes, which include:

unique
perfect
entirely
fatal
infinite
finite
irrevocable
As another example, think about irrevocable. It means that something’s final, unable to be changed. So by definition, something can’t be just a little irrevocable, or more irrevocable, or it wouldn’t be irrevocable at all.

(Wow. I had a little semantic satiation incident with irrevocable.)

So what’s the issue?
The question arises when in popular speech, we say things like “He’s got a very unique personality.” Or “Each dessert is more perfect than the one before!”

The argument is that these words are absolutes, so you’re not making any sense by modifying them with very or with comparatives like more. Unique means one of a kind, without peer. So technically, nothing can be more unique or the most unique – it’s simply unique or it’s not.

Saying your dog’s habits are more unique than your cat’s is like saying great-aunt Margie is deader than great-uncle Horace.

So … can I say “more unique” or not?
Here’s my take on it. Don’t modify absolutes in academic or formal writing. It’ll help polish your writing and speech by showing you know the literal meanings of these words. No one can fault you for not modifying an absolute.

Plus, there are some easy workarounds. Just take a moment to think about what you really want to say. Instead of a vague “more unique,” choose a more specific word. Maybe it’s more peculiar. Or more awe-inspiring.

Even in everyday speech, I’d recommend avoiding saying that that movie was “soooo perfect!”

Why? Well, because words are only useful to us if we all agree on their meanings. And using words like perfect or unique – the two worst offenders – in this way waters down their meaning. The words don’t have the impact they should if we’re battering them with unnecessary modifiers.

However …
While I recommend avoiding modifying absolutes, I must admit that this is a natural part of the evolution of language. If everyone does it often enough, the meanings of the words change or broaden to show how we use them. I am a fan of descriptive linguistics, after all.
The bottom line is just to be aware of absolutes, however you decide to use them, and know that especially in academic and formal writing, modifying them is generally frowned upon.

以下為相對關鍵的英語語法學習要點，同時這也是個學習英語不錯的網站，推薦參考~

http://www.yourdictionary.com/gramma...f-Grammar.html

11 Rules of Grammar Here are 11 rules of grammar to help you reach more bravely into the scary world of sentence construction and accurate communication.


Free Grammar Checks - Find And Fix Grammar Mistakes And Improve Your Writing Now! www.EssayRater.com/Grammar_Check

Easy English Grammar - Find more sources/options for what your looking for www.webcrawler.com

Spanish Language - Start Speaking Spanish From The Moment You Begin. Register Now! www.SpanishCentre.com

Active Voice: The Most Important of the 11 Rules of GrammarEvery human language starts an active sentence with the subject, or the "doer." In English, the verb (what's being done) follows the subject. If there is an object (the receiver of the action), it comes after the verb. The formula looks like this: S+V+O. This rule is the foundation of the English language.

Here are some examples:

Mary walked the dog.

The dog liked Mary.

I did not like the dog.

SubjectivitySometimes you want to link two ideas with a second S+V+O combination. When you do, you need a coordinating conjunction. The new formula looks like this: S+V+O, COORDINATING CONJUNCTION+S+V+O.

Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember with an acronymic mnemonic device:

FANBOYS

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Coordinating CommaFANBOYS are used when connecting two ideas as one in a single sentence, but don't forget the comma.

For example:

I do not walk Mary's dog, nor do I wash him.

Mary fed her dog, and I drank tea.

Mary feeds and walks her dog every day, but the dog is still hyperactive.

The Serial CommaThe serial or Oxford comma is the most controversial of these 11 rules of grammar. Some want to eliminate it altogether while others just don't know how to use it. The serial comma is the last comma in a list, usually appearing before "and." The serial comma comes after "dog" in this sentence:

Pets R Us has lizards, dogs, and birds.

Commas separate units in a list. In the above case, each unit only has one part, so it's easy. Where people get confused is when the units are bigger, but the rule still applies:

Pets R Us has lizards and frogs, dogs and cats, and parakeets and macaws.

Notice that the serial comma comes before "and" but not the last "and" in the sentence. The "and" that follows the comma is only there because it sounds better. Grammatically, "and" is irrelevant. Only units matter.

The SemicolonA list of grammar rules has to include the scariest of punctuation marks. It might look funny, but don't be afraid of the semicolon; it's the easiest thing in the world to use! Say you want to connect two ideas but can't figure out or can't be bothered to use a coordinating conjunction. The two ideas can be separate sentences, but you think that they are so closely connected; they really should be one. Use a semicolon.

Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still.

My heart is like a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea; it's bitter and smoky.

Mary has to walk her dog every day; it is the most hyperactive dog anyone has ever seen.

Simple and EasyThe simple present is the tense you use for any habitual action. The things you always do or do every Tuesday are described with the simple present, which just means you pick the first form of any verb.

Mary likes dogs.

I don't walk Mary's dog.

Mary and I drink tea every Tuesday together.

Progressive for NowThe present progressive tense is for anything that is happening right now. All of the progressive tenses are easy to spot because their verbs always end with "-ing" and get a helping verb. A helping verb is just so we know who and when we're talking about. In the present progressive, the helping verbs are the present tense conjugations of "to be."

I am drinking Lapsang Souchong tea.

The barking dogs outside are driving me crazy.

Mary is playing with her hyperactive dog.

The Simple PastWhen we talk about the past, we have to add an "-ed" to regular verbs to make the second form. Irregular verbs are tricky and have their own sets of rules. Drink, for example, turns to "drank." Most of the time, though, "-ed" will do.

I drank a lot of Lapsang Souchong tea yesterday, but Mary didn't.

The dogs stopped barking two seconds ago, and I am feeling better.

Mary played fetch with her hyperactive dog.

Perfect TimingPractice makes perfect with the perfect tenses. Here are three rules to finish the 11 rules of grammar. If you remember these, you'll be well on your way to perfection.

Present Perfect

The present perfect can be confusing for some, but it is one of the most important rules of grammar. When people talk about things that have already happened but consider the time in which they occurred to be unfinished, they use the third form of the verb with a helping verb. The helping verb for the present perfect is the present tense conjugation of "to have."

I have drunk three cups of Lapsang Souchong tea today.

Mary's hyperactive cur dog has bitten me three times so far.

Mary has walked her hyperactive poodle 100 times this week.

Unfortunately, the only way to know the third forms of verbs is to remember them.

Present Perfect Progressive

When the action as well as the time is considered unfinished, the verb loads up on third form helping verbs ("to be" and "to have") and changes to the progressive form.

Western countries have been waging wars in the Middle East for thousands of years.

I have been drinking tea all day.

Mary's dog has been barking like crazy since it was born.

Past Perfect

When two things happen in the past, we have to mark which one happened first. The one that happened first changes to third form and gets the helping verb, "had."

By the time I drank one cup of Lapsang Souchong, Mary's dog had barked a million times.

I had not yet eaten breakfast when Mary walked her dog.

Mary couldn't stop laughing; her dog had bitten me again.

客氣!
g兄所提的論點,深感贊同

我們受中文影響,英文寫作難以脫離中文思維,往往一篇四平八穩的作文,文法幾近完美,但是老外一看就覺得怪怪的

我大一英文時遇到一位美國老師剛好來台灣作客席教授一年,他也是漢學家中文程度不輸中國人(他的研究是希望在有生之年把史記翻譯成英文)

他指出我們的毛病,寫作時太貪心以至文章太囉嗦,一個簡單意思就要用複雜的句子表達,很多時三,四行才見到句號,不過其實還有一個原因,台灣學生英文寫作本來就不強,把簡單東西複雜化是用來"湊字數",久而久之成習慣改不了

美國人認為這是極差的表達方式,寫作應該是簡潔,不要害怕用simple sentense

題外話~
媒體記者也常犯一個毛病,在記者會提問題時很貪心,要求只能問一個問題,大家都不會守規矩,一口氣問一堆,結果,反而被當事人/政客避掉最難堪哪個,選擇其中最易回答的

上星期看電視轉台時,看到某節目是台北縣長與國外某知名財經大師座談會,好像是周縣長在主持,他秀英文顯示不輸給總統:on_14:,其中一段他提問花了半分鐘以上,來賓的大師聽完回了一個字"sorry?.."

意思可能是,整段問題拖太長組織不好,以至對方聽到後面搞不清縣長想表達啥?周縣長滿面尷尬再用力簡單重復之前的問題

開個玩笑,如果在台灣作文題目是"第一夫人的角色",我想用一個形容詞就能完成

greedy:on_14:

greedy for what?自己加上去:on_14:

推您的好見解~


事實上，學習語言的方法很簡單，以最直接而不矯情的論述最有效，學習之王如小寶寶們，他們的意識很清楚，需求很簡單，餓了就想吃奶，他（她）會用最簡單的句子去表達，寫作也是一樣，只要單純的說出要旨就行了，英語的書寫首重簡單句，不過在學術上就要在文筆多用苦心了，因為它的水平有別於一般的論述。


我以前有收集全世界很有名的學術論文，真是大開眼界，水準質量之高的，真是嘆為觀止﹗不知道在哪顆舊硬碟中（三十多顆的舊硬碟，資料多到自己都很煩，要找的話，會很傷腦筋。


那種的寫作方法，真是文字的最高造詣；缺點是用多數的文字去表達，這一反一般的寫作法（多為英語為母語的人所著）；事實上，只要掌握一般的正常寫作也就可以了，表達敘述要清晰有力就是好文章。

還一點小意見

作文語言技巧運用很重要,可是現代的學生不愛閱讀,腦袋空空,不要說英文寫作,中文作文都不能言之有物

小弟文筆不好,靠大量閱讀關注時事,社會各項資訊來充實自己,腦海泉源不致空泛,大學時代作文常靠與眾不同受老師關注

老師教導同一個題目寫了一千字,哪怕文法錯一半,總好過全沒錯誤卻寫不出二百字,因此技術上問題可以慢慢修正,沒有資料再換幾個題目還是寫不出有內涵的作文

個人的見解是g兄的第一夫人的角色,內容平鋪直述沒有犯任何毛病,因為要用來檢定就不需太大要求,如果是考試題目跟其他人比較,就欠缺力度

美國人喜歡舉例,如果是我的構想,會舉些例子如~老布希的太太Barbra像祖母型,Cilton的太太Hilary女強人型,現任第一夫人米雪兒..各有不同風格,因此,文章的結論是"The role of the first lady is to be her own master"做自己的主人無需被任何相夫教子的枷鎖框著(不止語法,這是美國老師的指導要學習美國人的思維寫出來的東西就比較不像中式英文)

very是副詞

副詞修飾
動詞形容詞和副詞:on_65::on_65:

多謝參與﹗

Adverb: A word that is used to describe action word (verb). An adverb provides more information about when, how, and where something happened. In a sentence, an adverb usually comes after a verb.

上述綠色部份，證明這與正統文法有別；因為它被定義的很嚴謹；形容詞用在名詞之前；副辭通常被用在動詞之後, such as he can walk(verb) quickly(adverb)。

For an article, the better is using a neutual statement, unless it is a comparative resulting, and there was no room for this purpose at the moment.

unique如當形容詞
very是副詞可以修飾他
所以文法看應是沒有錯

Barrie 大所言甚是，要寫得好就要多閱讀，現代人的寫作是在激烈的往後退，求職只要看 resume 寫的如何是沒有用的，那有可能是請人代筆的，只要來個當場臨機小寫作，隨便提個作文題目，肯定馬上見真章。

綠色部份的確是欠缺力度的，因為題目是第一夫人的角色，談的是她們連國會乃至於憲法都沒規範的額外無薪職責，她們家事、國事兩肩扛，所以就只能在談她們的辛苦、奉獻與謹言慎行的典範上予以敘述；假若用五分鐘以上的時間，來寫一篇 Comparison and Contrast Essay 的話，那還算公平，因為可分別以兩個反差很大的比較文章來寫，那麼題目應該如︰The different style of First Lady，較為適合。


我們的觀念來自出生後的背景，想法與邏輯自成一格，換句話說，老外到國內要寫出我們常用的中文，那也是很難的，除非他同時接受雙語教育，而且要真正的融入我國的生活環境，而不是身在國外。


我身處國外，對國內的很多新文化，因為在國內可能是藝人或某節目中某名人提出一個標新立異的非傳統名詞，那麼在海外無法接觸到此一資訊的我，就根本無法理解，像什麼小白；白目等等都是好例子，看的都很辛苦，所以有人會認為我的寫法有時像大陸或香港的口氣，這就是無奈的地方，一旦所有的資訊都是他們的，在海外台灣的聲音都被大陸大大的掩蓋掉了﹗


還有，就算網路有多發達與方便，投資所有時間，整天死守在電腦上網聊天，在接觸文化上，也未必能勝過真正的待在國內的方便。個人如此，那麼那些連背景都不同或根本都沒有的外國人，在台灣若寫出的中文不會半調子嗎？


相對的，我們如不極度的接觸外國文化，那麼寫出來的文章就會如同我在1988年所硬擠出來的文章一樣，對他們來說，這並不是篇當地文，而是中國思維文，死板而無生趣，哪怕是得個40/40=100%，那還是篇不成功的文章。


或許大家有興趣，可以把我那死板文給重寫一次，看能否寫得生動自然些。今天特別打電話找到 Erica，她說︰There is nothing incorrect! Says that everyone has unique for something, but there are still something unique above uniques. When we talking about the First Lady, she maybe unique for certain things, but there are somthing more or specially unique than others.

抱歉﹗早上趕著出門來不及用中文輸入，所以只能用英文輸入，還望海涵﹗

猜大所提出的是正確的，下列的說明可以證明︰

Adverbs:

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverbs. Adverbs tell: how, when, where and how much.

經由早上的電話聯繫，知道 Erica 教授已訂婚了，她的未婚夫在多倫多的韓國現代車代理商任 Auto Service Advisor，她對韓國現代車很滿意，滿意的結果並非是她未婚夫能以員工優惠價購買（78％），據她的十個月的使用經驗，認為跟日本車一樣的好開；明年初準備結婚，她未婚夫來自美國德州，具體地點還未聊到，想到多明尼加渡蜜月。

看到小Q就如增新兵百萬，感謝您的奉獻與支持﹗:on_79::on_79::on_79:

借某位老爺爺的話一用：

一堆蚯蚓文…挖跨某啦:on_08:

沒有貢獻…只能送花:on_43:

賣假:on_61::on_61:

我只要能全看得懂就行了:on_52:

加拿大可能比較重文法

在美國, 英文早就沒有文法可言

WE DON'T GOT NO MONEY 這種亂七八糟語法早已是不分黑白, 各種族都能接受的標準英文

:on_52::on_52:

否定的否定是肯定:on_47:

ㄟ...結果是說"沒錢"

:on_14::on_14:

那直接講「no money」不是更簡單:on_13:

No money! No talk!:on_07::on_07:

one-way

和

single way

在用語上有什麼不同的地方?!

又或者兩種都是同一意思呢?!

事情是發生朋友身上

只是要搭車到某一個地方和朋友會合

一個說單程是one-way

另一個說「你的英文真爛」是single way才對

個人是覺得兩個都應該是可以都可以啦

所以...............不得不當裁判的我 來問問版上英文厲害之高手高高手:on_14:

one-way 是單向的，單程的，單行道的意思；single 在英國也當單程解，如單程車票或機票等，不過 single 與 alone 是同義字；前者較為通用。

現把二十年前的原文，來個沈澱式的重寫；其中或有瑕疵，請先進們不吝指教﹗

這將會是入境隨俗的論述方法，同時參考 Barrie 兄的意見，就把 克林頓 的老婆 喜拉利 拉下水。


The role of the First Lady is an ever changing position that is constantly redefined by each woman who holds the title. As a result, it is difficult to determine if the First Lady is expected to perform certain duties and behave in a particular way. Despite this uncertainty, it is widely assumed that the role of the First Lady should be a combination of domestic duties and political responsibilities. As the wife of the President, the First Lady is expected to be a gracious hostess, as well as a dominant political figure. Above all, the First Lady needs to be an advocate for important social issues.


The First Lady should have the authority to decide on policy, and to make her own contributions to the country. For instance, Hillary Clinton embraced the role of a political and social advocate when she took it upon herself to reorganize the American health care system. In order to be successful advocate, as well as an advisor to her husband, the First Lady needs to be highly educated, naturally intelligent, and well spoken. Without these qualities, the First Lady cannot deliver the speeches and political campaigns that will ensure that her point of views is heard and respected by the American people. In short, the First Lady needs to an intelligent, personable, and flexible individual who is capable of balancing political and domestic responsibilities.

哇，真不好意思﹗前陣子在聖誕節猛趕發員工道賀信（非制式文而是以各人狀況，各發一信予以特別的親筆書寫寄發），所以錯過了 小Q 的這段回覆。事實上，面對貴校的龐大菁英與社會貢獻，個人認為 denise 是太過謙虛了，能有機會互相切磋才是大家的福氣﹗

有點遺憾的是個人的時間越來越緊了，再也無法像以前一樣的逐一道賀，還請大家多海涵~

以上兩位大大所言甚是；那是劣幣驅良幣的代表作，連文化都在集體沈淪，不知我們所剩的為何？﹗

再來討論一篇最近鬧得沸沸揚揚的 decade 能否以複數形態出現的問題？答案是肯定的。


decade 以單數形態敘述時，它的定義為「十年的一個週期」，因為 decade 是可數名詞 (a countable noun) 所以它可以複數形態來論述或書寫。最詳細的用法應以 in the next few decades 或 in the next several decades 等這兩種敘述最為經典。


該位曾在美國任職20年的蔡教授，連這些最基本的文法都分不清楚，還強詞奪理說 decade 不能在字尾加s，真懷疑他以前的論文如何書寫的？真是留美的大人才呀﹗

在時論區有討論過這議題,找出原文外媒漏掉一個"s",不管有沒有都不是重點,而是媒體愛斷章取義,原文一段說了一大堆只抽取一個s來大作文章

國內不乏英文高手,之後有教授已經指出蔡委員離開美國太久不作功課,說人家英文文法錯誤,自己反變成笑話

in the next decades的確很少人這樣用,但也是正確的用法

中文翻譯"端視未來十年/幾十年的情勢發展",其實這句話很有意思,明年也包括在未來十年之內,當然也包括未來幾十年之內,甚至未來幾百年...所以在野黨要擴大解釋s有何意義?




ps:g兄真是有心人重寫20年前的文章,更見有力:on_02:

冠詞（Article)之在英文中被運用於被敘述的名詞之前，在英文中的冠詞 a, an 與 The的用法為︰ a（用在子音開頭的名詞前）與 an (被用於母音開頭的名詞前），前者只的是 廣義 (general indicate something or someone)的敘述，如 I found a coin yesterday; 而後者為 狹義（specific indicate something or soemeone)的敘述法如︰緊接上例，如再在原文書寫或提起時，這時候就不能以 a coin 來提起了，此時必須使用 The coin........（第二次以後的重提就要以 The 而非 a 來運用，否則會讓瞎疑猜到底在說什麼？這些看起來很不顯眼，但在說、寫上就要定義清楚（正確的使用），否則會很困惑人。




.

以下是篇敘述文，簡單的的勾畫出家中寵物的獨特個性。

Dress-Up Your Pet


Dogs are a man′s best friend. They have many good characteristics, such as sincerity, loyalty, alertness and the ability to cope with their owners. Dogs work very hard to get compliments and to show their honour.


As positive feedback for their achievements, dogs may be reward with new clothes. For example, my wife always makes new clothes for our pet "Cookie". He feels very happy and fresh when he wears a colourful new dress. In the summer, short sporty clothing makes Cookie very agile. He can run very fast and his movements are quick, just like a flash. In the winter, he usually gets a sweater or a coat. All of Cookie's clothes are made by my wife. When my wife started to measure Cookie, he become very excited. This was evidence that Cookie appreciated his new image and that he was eager to show his friends. After Cookie puts on his new clothes, he walk very proud. It looks like he is a model showing off his new dress.


Based on my pet's reaction, I believe that a pet can earn its dignity by wearing a new dress. So why don't we let our pets dress up? Remember, once Cookie gets a new dress he performs funny actions to amuse us. Therefore, animals, like dogs, know how to show their appreciation.



.

再來一篇當年的每日晨間的寫作練習（時間30分鐘）- 題名為"I Have a Dream"，當時的教授很欣賞本篇，特別用她充滿關愛的眼神望著我，一直想試探我是否退休以後真的要去作慈善或傳教事業；她給的評語是︰This is a very nice piece. Very insightful.（寫得好；洞悉力強﹗）註︰以自己的體驗寫的當然寫的得心應手；虛構的文章寫的自己裡外不是人。


Isn't this world disturbing enough? People kill people and warfare is never ending. Many countries are very poor, and there are many starving people who constantly worry about their next meals. Don't we have any solutions for these problems?


It is not wise to deal with challenges only through the government. Basically, politicians only care about their own interests. They are the most selfish creatures in the world. They bounce their cheques by giving excuses; push all of the responsibility on to others, and pretend they are the innocent ones. Instead of these non-productive organizations, I prefer to support Non Government Organizations. For instance, I have found that many religious groups are far better than any government organization. People trust non-profit organization and accept their generosity and fairness. They can work anywhere in the world without encountering political barriers. These organizations do their jobs well, and they can go anywhere in the world because of their positive reputations. These positive reputations are a convenient passport to enter the most needed areas. Thus, I have a dream. When I retire, I am going to do something similar to those religious charity groups. I would like to see people become happier, healthier and more hopeful.


In my life, I have been helped by many religious organizations. From their selfless contributions, I have learned about true love, faith and hope. We don't see any of these actions being performed by the government. Peaceful minds can only come from God and his teachings. If we follow God, we won't get lost!



.

g大您好,我請教您一下,由於工作需求我打算到美語補習班上課,練習會話與聽力,因為可能會跟外國人接觸談公事,請問您要怎麼樣短時間之內增加自己英文聽力與會話呢??
謝謝您
祝福您新的一年都心想事成

解答全在標題裡，請再三體會 ~


放下「放空中文思維」與接受「全心全意的接受新語文」，當您說寫英語文時，若需要在腦內多做一道預先的中文翻英文的話，那就代表沒有確實的掌握好該語文的真實能力。


在說中文的時候有人喜歡夾著幾句英語來說，這在語文邏輯上是屬於半調子的，要就全中文頻道；要不就全英文的表述，這就顯示出偷吃步，語文跟練拳一樣，要意到神隨，李小龍的學習能力很驚人，他說了句很有哲學意涵的話，你不倒掉杯中的水，你怎能盛裝另外的飲料，真誠以對才會領會新學問。


成功來自自我的忠誠，連自己都不老實以對的人，他的態度學什麼都是二二六六的，換句話說就是軟手軟腳的四不像。

環境與氛圍是個營造學習的最佳場所，到美語班上過課的人何其多，但是能學到真本事的就要靠自己了。學習的態度很重要，學習的方法更重要。態度指的是你在學習中全神的投入，並在千錘百煉的練習後，以最短的時間展現出青出於藍的成效來。這種 Mental Attitude （借用 李小龍的話）是一般人所難以確實掌握的，但它卻是一切的成功之本。


找對學習方法比靠人提攜要來的實在可靠。學習靠的是興趣，只有興趣你才不怕吃苦。東方人學西洋拳時，我們就要暫時的放棄自己的國術功底，先放空自己，填滿新知識，你才能充分的吸收別人的真髓。等待學習到了一定程度，你會悟出什麼是最有效，最有用，最富價值與意義的真諦。到那時一切都又彷彿回到原點，心態有如嬰兒般的自然投入，沒有主觀排斥，只有客觀的接受。這樣的學習不會有任何的束縛，學習效果最佳。


談公事就應先聚焦在您的本職專長上，基本上，外國人到台灣已放慢速度在跟國人溝通了，那種放慢速度的妥協，就如我們在與外國人解釋國語樣的費勁。如果會話不是很犀利的話，您很難讓對方有意願與您周旋，要說話說到對方的心坎裡，你要用的是對方國的貼心語言，而不是不倫不類的中式英語。這點我經常聽到老外在抱怨，尤其是身居海外的華人，雖然他們的子女口音較為輕淡了，但還是不很投入主流，這要靜待第三代後才能解決了。口音不是主要問題，就連老美那麼多州也都各有各的腔調，但是他們能溝通的好是因為他們應用的俚語很透徹，這如同居住在台灣各地的人，再怎有地方的腔調，你還是能聽得懂他們在說什麼。所以，學習要廣泛的吸收新知，我每天看八份英文報，要學習的東西還很多，若我整天鬼混，那我就落伍了﹗在這個知識爆炸的世界裡，我深感時間的不足；閱讀是我的嗜好，我每天讀大量的文件與資料，有時候我很想對國內的年輕人說上兩句，我們已經落後別人很多了，知識就是力量。


要走捷徑的話，不要上什麼補習班，找個外國英文家教從口音，文法，發音與寫作來做個總提煉，但是這種投資要看值不值得？值得的話，銀子就花下去吧﹗若想圖方便兼免費的話，交個外國女孩子也是個好方法。聽廣播、看電視、電影等全神投入英語的環境裡，自我創造條件，正確抉擇與實在吸收；不要像上星期還聽到咱們台灣來的人在跟加拿大人聊，還用什麼個 FU，經我解釋後人家還一直在懷疑那是罵人的 Fxxx U呢﹗國內的俗語也太離譜了吧？Feeling 這個字再怎揣摩也沒有 FU 的影子，真是有夠扯的。 不管是 fu 或 FU，從來沒有人會發成 fju 的這種怪音的﹗全世界有許多說英語的國家，不妨試著把這兩個字母（先解釋在先是要問發音的，別讓人飽以老拳﹗）請教別人怎發的音；那兩個字母無論如何都發成「負、富、賦」音的，走遍天下都一樣。以英語的語法習慣，除非在 FU 之後還有其他音節，並在字尾是以靜默的 E 字母結尾的，那才能讓 FU 的音發成 fju（原字母的U音）。這點已經貽笑大方了，習英語者不得不慎﹗






.

也談一下個人的感想與學習的技巧~


個人對大陸移民的內地特有的口音很有意見，他們可能因為曾經在鎖國的狀態下無法真正的接觸到英語，所以導致英語發音的深具地方口音的遺憾；不過，他們的孩子們（還不說他們是在國外出生的），就那些國小的孩子們來這後，英語就溜的不得了，一反他們父母親的很難了解的發音法（通常他們的教育程度都很高，讀寫與理解文章能力也不錯；但是一開口就好像是很難懂的外星語﹗），所以，環境的造就與放下傳統的框架，在學習過程是極度關鍵的。也就是說，在家使用中文，在外使用英文，然而不管如何，在學習時的讀、寫、說、聽等四大關鍵，就要真正的專心投入，精益求精，止於至善。多讀、多寫、多說、多聽，真正掌握各種工具，發揮它們的最大威力。盡性埋樁，不怕犯錯，膽大心虛，努力學習。