Appendix

Common Idioms

常见惯用语

惯用语是指将几个单字放在一起时会产生不同意思的词句。让我们来看看「piece of cake」这个短语。如果我说「I want a piece of cake」，我的意思是，我想要甜点。但如果我说「Learning English with EnglishConnect is a piece of cake」，我的意思是，透过EnglishConnect学习英文很容易。惯用语“piece of cake”的含意是「容易」。

使用惯用语是一种轻松的说话方式，可以让你听起来更像母语人士。惯用语会在我们的脑海中创造出画面，并给予我们某种感受。在英文中，当每个人都处于同样的情况时，我们会说「We’re all in the same boat」；这会创造出一个人们在船上一起努力到达某个地方的画面。说“We’re all in the same boat”可以营造一种共融感和理解。

认识和使用惯用语非常有趣！下方列出英文中常见的惯用语。

如何学习惯用语：

1. 查看这个惯用语，学习其定义和例句。

2. 思考你的语言中类似的惯用语。

3. 想办法使用这个惯用语。

4. 用这个惯用语写句子，并将这个惯用语用在对话中。

5. 在读或听英文时留意这个惯用语。

惯用语	定义	例句
惯用语 a piece of cake	定义 容易的	例句 That test was a piece of cake!
惯用语 a blessing in disguise	定义 乍看之下似乎很糟糕的好事	例句 She lost her job, but it was a blessing in disguise. She found a better job.
惯用语 all in the same boat	定义 每个人都处于同样的情况	例句 Nobody can leave this room. We’re all in the same boat.
惯用语 barking up the wrong tree	定义 试图完成某件事但方法错误	例句 If you think I’m going to loan you more money, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
惯用语 better late than never	定义 晚发生总比不发生好	例句 A: He didn’t repay the money until last week. B: That’s okay. Better late than never.
惯用语 birds of a feather flock together	定义 性格、态度、兴趣或品味相似的人往往聚在一起	例句 I was right that Paul and Ben would get along. Birds of a feather flock together.
惯用语 no use crying over spilled milk	定义 担心或回顾那些无法改变的过错是没有帮助的	例句 We can’t get the money back, so let’s make a new plan. It’s no use crying over spilled milk.
惯用语 don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched	定义 你不确定某件事会发生，所以还不应为此计划	例句 A: I will probably get a raise soon, so I bought a new bed! B: Well, don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. You might not get the raise.
惯用语 get all your ducks in a row	定义 安排好一切并为下一步作好准备	例句 We have to get all our ducks in a row before the family comes for a visit. Let’s start cleaning and cooking right now.
惯用语 give me a hand	定义 帮助我	例句 I can’t lift this sofa on my own. Can you give me a hand?
惯用语 hang in there	定义 不要放弃	例句 I know learning English is very difficult. Hang in there.
惯用语 it takes two to tango	定义 参与某行为或涉及某过失的双方都有责任	例句 It is partially my fault that we were fighting. It takes two to tango.
惯用语 keep an eye on	定义 仔细观察	例句 My son has been misbehaving a lot lately, so please keep an eye on him to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
惯用语 let the cat out of the bag	定义 不小心或故意泄漏秘密	例句 I heard that someone let the cat out of the bag, so I might as well tell you myself—I’m pregnant!
惯用语 out of the frying pan and into the fire	定义 从一种糟糕的情况转向另一种更糟糕的情况	例句 He didn’t like his previous job, so he quit, but now he can’t find a new job. He’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.
惯用语 go out on a limb	定义 尝试一些可能会让自己处于不利位置的冒险行为	例句 I’m going to go out on a limb here and invest some money in this project, even though I don’t know if the project will be successful.
惯用语 preaching to the choir	定义 试图说服已经同意你观点的人	例句 They are already going to vote for him. He’s just preaching to the choir.
惯用语 rub salt in the wound	定义 让对方感到内疚或想起他们所犯的错，使情况变得更糟	例句 I know I shouldn’t have done it. You don’t have to remind me and rub salt in the wound.
惯用语 so far, so good	定义 到目前为止，一切都很顺利	例句 This first month, they haven’t had any problems building the house. So far, so good.
惯用语 the straw that broke the camel’s back	定义 会产生大后果的小问题，因为它是一连串问题中的最后一个	例句 We had a terrible week. Everything was going wrong. So when we missed the bus, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
惯用语 you’re pulling my leg	定义 试图以逗趣的方式让某人相信一些不正确的事情；捉弄他们	例句 No, that celebrity isn’t calling me. You’re pulling my leg.

Note

备注

学员喜欢学习惯用语。以下是有助于他们学习的几项建议。

• 每天选择一个惯用语来教导学员，解释其含意并谈谈例句。

• 让学员轮流向小组成员讲介一个惯用语。他们可以从上面的清单中选一个惯用语，也可以选另一个他们熟悉的惯用语。每个学员可以单独讲介，也可以两人一组。

• 请学员将这些惯用语与他们自己语言中的惯用语进行比较。例如，若要为身陷困境的人打气，美国人会说：「Hang in there!」在学员的母语中，哪些表达方式具有相同的含意？