Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？
1. 我臥病三天。
✔ I stayed in bed for three days.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
✔ I kept to my bed for three days.
χ I slept in my bed for three days.
註︰動詞 sleep 通常作「睡眠」解。例如：Usually we sleep eight hours a day.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
「因病臥床」應用 to stay in bed 或 to keep to one’s bed.
2. 彼得容易傷風。
✔ Peter is liable to colds (或to catch cold).
✔ Peter is subject to colds.
χ Peter is easy to catch cold.
註︰easy 常用於事，可以說 English is easy to learn. 或 It is easy to learn English.，但不可以說 I am easy to learn English.。因為 easy 很少用於人，尤其用來指「容易」的場合。除非用在 an easy person 中，easy 在此意思是「隨和」。
另外，可以說 “It is easy to misuse the article.” 或 “The article is easily misused.”， 不可以說 “The article is easy to misuse.”。類似的形容詞有 difficult, hard, possible, impossible, dangerous 等。
3. 那個顧客再也無法掩藏他的怒氣。
✔ The customer could no longer conceal his rage.
✔ It was impossible for the customer to conceal his rage.
χ The customer was impossible to hide his rage any longer.
註︰「他不可能（做什麼）」， 英語中不可說 he was impossible，只能說 he could not (do) 或 it was impossible for him to (do)。impossible 在英語中一般是形容事物，如“The task/work was impossible.”（那任務〔工作〕當時沒有完成的可能）。如果說 “You are impossible.” 則只有解釋為「你這個人簡直不可理喻」或「你這個人簡直不可救藥」。 “The mistake is simply impossible.”意為「這個錯誤簡直荒謬」。
4. 我太太批評我不應該這麼笨。
✔ My wife criticized my stupidity.
✔ My wife criticized my stupid behavior.
✔ My wife criticized me for behaving so stupidly.
χ My wife criticized me that I should not behave so stupidly.
註︰動詞 criticize 的對象一般是人、文章等，不可接以 that 引導的受詞從屬句，也不可接抽象名詞。試比較下列中英句子：
我們批評他不應遲到。 We criticized him for being late.
他批評約翰違反學校紀律。 He criticized John for violating school discipline.
5. 今年比去年生產更多的糧食。
✔ More grain was grown this year than last year.
✔ This year we grew more grain than last year.
χ This year will grow more grain than last year.
註︰中文裏無主詞的句子在英語裏往往用被動語態表達。「今年」在句中作為副詞，不能作主詞。
Exercises
A. 喬治容易感冒。
George __________ catch cold.
1. is subject to
2. is easy to
3. is liable to
4. is easily to
B. The teacher criticized Henry _____ .
1. on being late
2. for being late
3. late
4. that he should not be late
Answers:
A. 3
B. 2
文章由書林出版公司提供：
www.bookman.com.tw
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。
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