我和英语有个误会 zt

ontherun

I want to buy two mice <BR><BR>　　记得到公司上班不久，我用的那台电脑的鼠标坏了，恰好，同事的鼠标性能也不好，向SUPERVISOR(主管)请示后，我决定去附近的电脑商店购买。 <BR><BR>　　选好鼠标后，我对售货员说：“I want to buy two mice.”“What?”售货员一脸大惑不解。我忙扬扬手中的鼠标，“mouses.”她恍然大悟。 <BR><BR>　　回来后向公司的老美同事请教，才知道mouse作老鼠解时，复数用mice，作鼠标解时，复数应用mouses，真是弄巧成拙了。 <BR><BR>Do you have any juice? <BR><BR>　　我在一家美国人的贸易公司做事，有一次老板临时决定出差去广州。适逢广州交易会期间，各大宾馆的房间都客满了，一时订不到旅馆，几个白人同事和我以及老板正在议论此事。老板突然向我发问到：“Janet,do you have any pull?” <BR>看到我一脸茫然的样子，他换了个词说：“Do you have any juice?”我听了更是摸不着头脑，以为他想要“something to drink”，就试探着问：“What kind of juice do you want?Apple juice,orange juice?”旁边的几个白人同事和老板哈哈大笑。 <BR>后来他们向我解释说：“Pull”和“Juice”都是俚语，意思是“connection”，就是问我在广州有没有“关系”可以帮他订到旅馆。 <BR><BR>Losing my mind <BR><BR>　　有一天早晨，我到公司的办公室去复印一叠文件，复印完毕之后，正要步出办公室的时候，忽然想起来最后那一张原件还在复印机内未曾取出来。我转身回去取那张文件时，口中念念有词地说：“I am losing my mind.” <BR><BR>　　不料办公室内的三位女秘书都笑了起来。因为在一起工作多年了，我知道她们绝不是在嘲笑我。我马上向她们请教是什么地方出了毛病。其中一位告诉我说：“Yor are not losing your mind.Losing your mind means being crazy(丧失理智，发疯)。”这时我才明白，我自以为是的“创造欲”又出洋相了。原来我是想说：“我的记忆力越来越差了。”却变成了：“我要发疯了!” <BR><BR>　　同事David为了多挣钱买订婚戒指，工作十分努力，常常加班。大家都夸“He works like a dog”。当时我的英文还不够好，只是记住了美国人形容工作努力的人为“Dog”，而不是牛。 <BR><BR>　　有一天，David在工作八小时以后，又替别人加夜班，于是我就脱口夸道“David,you really looks like a dog!”话毕，我突然发现大家神色不对头，一个女同事笑着解释说：“Someone looks like a dog，意思是说此人非常Ugly(难看)。” <BR><BR>Naughty VS.Active <BR><BR>　　久未见面的老外问我：“How is your baby son?”我想说我的儿子非常顽皮活泼好动，就说：“He is very,very naughty”。 <BR><BR>　　哪知老外一听楞了，随即意会到我用词的不当，他告诉我naughty是个贬义词；形容婴儿好动可爱用active，所以我应该说：My son is very active。

emi

I am really losing my mind now...stressful

ontherun

<P>At work?</P>

emi

no,study for exams[em03]

xxzs

[em10]

红色企鹅

<P>How interesting! Hmmm...it might be embarrassing when you talk such words, however, definitely you wont make the same mistake again any more. I really like it. Learnt something today...</P>

okaylah

<DIV class=quote><B>以下是引用<I>ontherun</I>在2006-2-28 3:19:00的发言：</B><BR>I want to buy two mice <BR><BR>　　记得到公司上班不久，我用的那台电脑的鼠标坏了，恰好，同事的鼠标性能也不好，向SUPERVISOR(主管)请示后，我决定去附近的电脑商店购买。 <BR><BR>　　选好鼠标后，我对售货员说：“I want to buy two mice.”“What?”售货员一脸大惑不解。我忙扬扬手中的鼠标，“mouses.”她恍然大悟。 <BR><BR>　　回来后向公司的老美同事请教，才知道mouse作老鼠解时，复数用mice，作鼠标解时，复数应用mouses，真是弄巧成拙了。 <BR></DIV>
<P>That's another example of the difference between American and British usage.
<P><EM>Mouse</EM> as a computing device has the plural form <EM>mice</EM> in British English according to the <EM>Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary</EM> and the <EM>Longman Dictionary of Contemporary</EM> <EM>English</EM>, while the <EM>New Oxford Dictionary of English</EM> gives <EM>mouses</EM> as an alternative. In the <EM>Longman Advanced American Dictionary</EM>, the definition of the computing device with the plural <EM>mouses</EM> appears as the first entry under <EM>mouse</EM>, while that of the rodent with the plural form <EM>mice</EM> has been relegated to the secnd positon.
<P><EM>O tempora, o mores！</EM></P>