PETS-2語法講解(141)
Your work is absolutely first-class.
對話
Greg: Do come in and sit down. How are you?
Heather: I'm fine thanks. Have you had a chance to look at my proposal?
Greg: Yes, I have, that's what I mainly want to talk about.
Heather: I wasn't sure whether it was exactly the kind of thing you wanted.
Greg: Oh, have no worries. It's precisely what we need and your work is absolutely first-class.
Heather: Well I must say that's a great relief.
格雷哥:進來坐坐吧。近來還好嗎?
希瑟:很好,謝謝。你有空看我那份建議書了嗎?
格雷哥:看過了,我主要就是要談這個。
希瑟:我不能確定這份建議書是否符郃你的要求。
格雷哥:啊,別擔心,這正是我們要的。你做得好極了。
希瑟:嗯,那我就放心了。
格雷哥稱贊希瑟:Your work is absolutely first-class。First class、second class、third class本是火車、輪船分頭、二、三等的用語,但second class、third class漸漸有了‘低賤’的含義,於是‘三等’現在往往改稱爲economy class(經濟艙)或tourist class(旅客艙),‘二等’則變成business class(商務艙)、standard class(標準艙)等。此外,first class和second class、third class常引申來說‘優秀的’和‘低賤的’,例如:(1) She took legal action against the company for treating women employees as second-class citizens(她控告公司對待女雇員猶如二等公民)。(2) Service is first-class in that hotel(這家旅館的服務是一流的)。作形容詞,first-class等往往加連字號(hyphen)。稱贊人家的工作,除了說Your work is first-class和八月九日曾介紹過的一些說法,你還可以說:It couldn't be better(不能再好了),例如:"How do you like my proposal?""Oh, it couldn't be better."(‘你認爲我的建議書怎樣?’‘啊,好極了。’)‘建議’除了叫proposal,還可叫proposition,例如:They have accepted my proposal/proposition to restructure the personnel department(他們接受了我改組人事部的建議)。但請畱意:男女之間,proposal和proposition的意思完全不同。Proposal是名詞,指‘求婚’;proposition是動詞,指‘求歡’。
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