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This
fax machine have given up the ghost.
傳真機已壽終正寢。
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Harley:This fax machine's suddenly started making a strange noise in the middle of my fax job. 哈利:我正在傳真，傳真機突然發出一些怪聲。 Julia:Look, the screen has gone blank too. 朱莉雅:看，屏幕上的字消失了。 Harley:Oh no! It's stopped dead and this is a really urgent job. 哈利:哎呀，傳真機完全停下來了，而這份傳真很緊急。 Julia:It's quite an old machine. I think it must have finally given up the ghost. 朱莉雅:這部傳真機很舊了，看來已壽終正寢。 Harley:Just my luck! What am I going to do now? 哈利:真倒楣。我現在該怎麼辦？ Julia:There's another fax on the next floor down. Why don't you try that one. 朱莉雅:下一層樓還有一部傳真機，你不妨用那一部。 |
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| 多學一點點
交出靈魂 哈利在用傳真機，忽然發覺不妙：It's stopped dead。朱莉雅說：I think it must have finally given up the ghost。To give up the ghost直譯是「交出靈魂」，那當然是「死」的意思，例如：He swallowed the poison, and with no evident suffering gave up the ghost（他把毒藥吞下，不見有甚麼痛苦，就一命嗚呼了）。這成語常用來說機器報廢了，多帶戲謔意味，例如：The car puffed and panted, and finally gave up the ghost（那輛汽車呼哧呼哧的喘氣，最後報廢了）。留意It's stopped dead一語，那個dead並不是指「死亡」。Dead作副詞(adverb)，有「完全」的意思，例如：(1) He was dead tired from running（他跑得筋疲力盡）。(2) You're dead right - he didn't come（你完全說對了－他沒有來）。Stop dead是「突然完全停下來」，例如：On seeing the snake, he stopped dead（他看見那條蛇，馬上僵住了）。現在不妨談談朱莉雅另一句話Why don't you try that one。讀者也許會問：這不是問句嗎？為甚麼one之後用句點而不用問號？ 按有些英文句子，用的是問話句式，即動詞倒置在主詞(subject)之前，但實際上卻不是問話，而是建議、要求等，用問話句式只是使句子婉委一點，說時並沒有問話語氣。這類句子之後就不用問號，例如：May I suggest that we meet again for further discussion（我建議我們再次見面，進一步商談）。Why don't you try that one也是建議，所以不用問號。 |