Hi, 最近實在是沒有精力也沒有話題來寫點東西, 發一些之前的文章吧。
這篇文章以All of Me這首歌為例子,和你分享一下如何利用英文歌來提高英文.
What would I do without your smart mouth?
would 很簡單的一個詞,在口語之中的使用非常靈活,也很有效果 – 表示客氣,推測等目的
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
Draw me in, kick me out. 例如, Mark Suckerberg/Steve Jobs drew his friends in when he’s in need, and kicked them out when he’s rich.
You've got my head spinning, no kidding,
I can't pin you down
have got 和 have 什麼區別?
看英劇的同學一定注意到have got的頻繁使用. 美國人也用have got(頻率稍低), 例如英國人更可能會說,have you got this book in stock? 美國人更可能說,Do you have this book in stock?
have got可以當作是 have的強化版本(intensive form), 且只用在現在時. 更多時候會用he got來代替 he has. (這些問題很多時候取決於習慣,和具體情景)推薦閱讀:http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/is-have-got-acceptable-english
pin down,「得到確定的答案」,例如 I tried to pin him down on a time and place, but he was so evasive. (evasive是比較地道的表達:琢磨不透)
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me,
but I'll be alright
dizzy等於上面的spinning,頭暈了可以說I feel dizzy
hit 這個詞口語中很常見, 例如 I was pulling an all-nighter last night, and the sleep just hit me.
[Pre-Chorus:]
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
對我們中國人來說「雙元音」(diphthong)很不習慣的,再加上一個」鼻音」(nasal sound) 「n」 對有些人來說是有困難的, 試練習,區分 fan fun fine, man, mind
口語練習tip: 如果你使用Iphone,可以配合siri練習;如果你使用Androird, 可以配合google練習; 如果你用Macbook, 可以利用Dictation&Speech練習. 這幾種方式的識別率沒那麼高,但是不失為一個發音的參考.
上次和大家分享了語音訓練利器(其實是從「巴別塔」這個公眾號上看到的) -- Dragon Dictation, 比siri要好用.
[Chorus:]
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
perfect 這個音的重音一定要念對, 動詞和形容的重音位置不一樣. 例句: You don’t have to perfect ( v.) your imperfections, because for me they are your perfect(adj.) idiosyncrasies.
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
end這個小詞也很好用,表示finish; 也常用end with doing =wind up
例如,某男對其小三說, honey, my wife has found out, and I have to put an end to our relationship…here’s 1 million, I love you, take care! lol
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
wingman是個很火的詞, 簡單來說wingman is the man who helps you win.
[Verse 2:]
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down,
I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
downfall 結合第十三期快船老闆的例子, 我們可以說 The downfall for Donald Sterling was the girl who released the recordings of racist remarks. 或者我們可以擬標題Donald Sterling’s Downfall with Racist Comments
走下坡路,可以說go downhill
downfall 和 muse是對應的, 我覺得可以理解為,你讓我萎,你讓我潮 … …
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you
當然,做一次這樣的筆記,費時費力,但是如果積累下去,我相信一定會有進步的. 希望您能體會到本期分享的"物盡其用",「背單詞」,「練口語」 -- 不會唱的話,讀一讀也是不錯的。
學英語有很多種學法,電影,美劇,音樂, 而且英語的學習也會持續幫助我們發現新的內容,新的興趣. 如果想「學」, 沒有捷徑,只有痛苦,痛苦到上了癮就不痛了. 如果是「樂」為主, 別糾結,have fun, enjoy!
寫在後面的話:關於英語&歌詞
這周做地鐵的時候聽了一個Podcast, This American Life. 這期的主題是break-up.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/339/break-up
其中有一個故事是女孩(Starlee Kine)分手之後非常痛苦,終日沉浸於悲情歌曲之中無法自拔。然後她想自己寫一首歌,試圖來減輕自己的痛苦,儘管她不會任何的樂器也沒什麼樂理知識. 她嘗試去寫歌.
結果她覺得「最不像歌詞」的一段話得到了她搞音樂的朋友們的認可,最後譜成了歌曲「The three of us」 (點擊閱讀原文收聽)
歌詞:
I loved you. And you loved her. And I sort of loved her, because I love everything you loved. Then, she stops, stops loving you. And glory, hallelujah, somehow you start loving me. And I don't know why I love you, I just do, I really do. And it doesn't do me any good. In fact, it does me bad. And you're oh so gone. And I'm oh so sad.如同Starlee Kine所說,有時候,突然那麼一個時刻,有那麼一首歌開始了有了意義。
我想,這也是我們學英語的意義吧: 簡單,有效的表達,加上節奏和語調 — 語言就是音樂,音樂是有關你我的故事