放大圖片
■免下車餐館(drive-through restaurant)給人們帶來便利。資料圖片
■馬漪楠
作者簡介:馬漪楠,曾獲行政長官卓越教學獎(英國語文教育學習領域)(2009/2010),與岑皓軒合著暢銷書《Slang:屎爛英語1&2》。
筆者在改同學的英文作文時,經常發現他們不懂得何時加hyphen(破折號)。例如,同學寫道:「I am a 16 years old boy.」其實,在這句中,16 years old是形容詞(adjective),所以應該加上hyphen,並改寫為16-year-old才對。以下是一些同學應多加注意的hyphenated words,下次再用的時候,別忘了在字與字之間加hyphen:
by-product 副產品
cutting-edge television 尖端科技的電視
drive-through restaurant 免下車的餐館
face-lift 整容手術
in-patient 住院病人
live-in girlfriend 同居女友
low-budget project 低成本的工程
no-confidence vote 不信任票
no-go area 禁區
one-off payment 一次過的付款
Practice
試做以下練習,看看自己懂得多少hyphenated words:
1.If you have a ____________ existence, you have just enough money to live.
2.The bank is giving its old building a complete ____________ repair.
3.He is a very determined person and he will not give up easily even if he fails. He has such a ____________ attitude towards life that many people pay respect on him.
Answers
1.hand-to-mouth
2.on-the-spot
3.nerver-say-never
■編啟:11月19日本欄見報的文章《全稱後縮寫 考官印象深》中 CIA應為中央情報局,FBI應為聯邦調查局。敬請留意。
逢星期五見報
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