纺院英语词汇学11

1. 将下列矛盾修饰语译成汉语

Old news 旧新闻

student teacher 实习教师

light heavyweight 轻重量级

Peace offensive 和平攻势

growing small 越变越小

negative growth 负增长

Half naked 半裸

open secret 公开的秘密

loose tights宽松的紧身裤

Tight slacks 紧身的宽松裤

awful good极好的

same difference同样的区别

Sight unseen 看不见的景象

darkness visible看得见的黑暗

2. Point out the rhetorical devices of the following sentences 1) A hundred bayonets were marching down the street.----metonymy借代

2) She borrowed his wheel for a spin out to town. ----synecdoche 提喻

3) Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him.---personification 拟人

4) The scent of the rose rang like a bell through the garden.----simile 明喻

5) Constant dropping wears the stone.----metaphor 隐喻

6) His voice sounded like a thunder in the hall.—simile明喻

7) When industry comes in at the window, poverty goes out of the door.----personification.拟人

8) We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust and alive. But there are many mountains yet to climb. ----mataphor隐喻9) You can not change his mind any more than you can change the orbit of the moon.

----simile明喻

10) That fut coat would be beyond his miserable pocket. ----metonymy借代

11) There are hundreds of sails in the harbour. ----synecdoche提喻

12) He was such an auful teacher that whenever he recognized a spark of genius you could be sure he’d water it. ---metaphor隐喻

13) Sharp words may occasionally be spoken by unguarded or ignorant tongues.

---synecdoche提喻

14) When guns speak it is too late to argue.---personification拟人

15) A major lesson Americans need to learn is that life consists of more than cars and television sets. ----synecdoche提喻

English Idiom

1. What is an idiom?

An idiom is a fixed group of words or a single word, or even a sentence, with special meaning that cannot be guessed from its structure. That is to say, the meaning of an idiom must be learned as a whole. e.g. “to spill the beans” is not at all concerned with beans; it means “to tell sth that is secret” ; “kick the bucket----die”

2. Sources of English Idioms

1) the everyday life of the E people

To make ends meet

To play one’s last card

To follow suit

2) The Bible

The apple of one’s eye

W olf in sheep’s clothing

Do as you would be done by

3)Shakespeare’s plays

To give the Devil his due

To wear one’s heart on one’s sleeves

4) fables. Myths or legends

The lion’s share

To work like a Trojan

3. Characteristics of English idioms

1) English idioms can be very short or rather lang. Many idioms consist of two or more words; others may consist of entire sentences, e.g.

an Indian summer (sunny weather / clear day)

to cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth.

Talk of the devil and he will appear

2) English idioms take different structure

Three kinds of structures of E idioms:

a)the idiom has an irregular and illogical structure, but the

meaning is clear.

I am good friends with him.

Diamond cut diamond.

棋逢对手，将遇良才。势均力敌

b) the idiom has a regular structure, but the meaning is not clear.

To have a bee in one’s head/bonnet.

----to have a strange fixed idea about something

c) the idiom is a special group in which both structure and meaning are irregular.

through thick and thin

----- through both good and bad times

3) English idioms are structurally stable/unchangeable

a) the component parts of idioms cannot be replaced

lip service(support only in words,not in fact)

----*mouth service

The idiom “A stitch in time saves nine” cannot be changed into “ One stitch in time saves nine” or “ A stitch in time saves eight”

b) the word order cannot be inverted or changed.

By twos and threes---* by threes and twos

The lion’s share----* the share of the lion

c) the costituents of an idiom cannot be deleted or added to

out of the question(imppossible)----*out of question

in question(being considered)----* in the question

4) the meaning of an English idiom is usually unpredictable. That’s to say, meanings cannot be calculated by adding up the separate individual words.

How do you do?

--greeting used by people when they first meet.

rain cats and dogs

---- to rain very hard

wear one’s heart upon one’s sleev

----show one’s feelings plainly

Wash one’s hands of sth

---refuse to have anything more to do with

5) English idioms are usually made of commonly-used words. They are vivid in usage, brief in structure and profound in meaning.

Once in a blue moon

----once in a very long time; almost never

To put the cart before the horse

----to do things in the wrong order

4. the difference between idioms and free phrases

Free phrases are ones in which the meaning can be guessed from their components while idiomatic phrases are phrases with a special meaning that cannot be guessed from the combination of the words.

Blue sky

Blue book—an official report printed by the British government

cold winter

Cold comfort—poor consolation（不起作用的安慰）Sometimes the same phrasal verbs can be used as free phrases as well as idioms.

We get up early everyday.

The students will get up an English evening next month.

----arrange

5. Classification of Idioms

Classification of idioms can be approached from different angles. According to syntactic functions, idioms can be classified into five types:

1) idioms nominal in nature

Idioms of this class have a noun as the key word in each and function as a noun in sentences, e.g.

white elephant ----sth useless and unwanted but big and costly

brain trust----a group of people with special knowledge

who answer questions

or give advice

narrow escape----a case of only just avoiding evil

top dog----a person in the highest position

flesh and blood---- human being; relatives or family

the lion’s share----the greatest part of…

Jack of all trades----a person who can do many dif kinds

of work but may not be good at any of

them.

2) idioms adjectival in nature

idioms function as adj but the constituents are not necessarily adjs, e.g.

as poor as a church mouse----having barely enough money for one’s needs.

Up in the air----uncertain

Beyond the pale----beyond the limit of proper behavior

3) idioms verbal in nature

look in ---- investigate

give somebody the bag----dismiss somebody

make ends meet----earn what it costs to live

come back to earth----stop imagining or dreaming

4) idioms adverbal in nature

Look after/into take after----look /behave like

in nothing flat----in a very little time; soon

through thick and thin----through all difficulties and troubles They threw her out of the house bag and baggage.

----with all one’s belongings

He was born in the village and worked on the farm man and boy.

----all one’s life

5) sentence idioms

All idioms of this type are complete sentences. They are mainly proverbs and sayings, including colloqualisms and catchphrases, e.g

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

How are you?

Never do things by halves.

Upon my word!

Art is long, life is short.

All is not gold that glitters.

6. English idioms around different subjects

1) idioms containing names of birds and animals

Birds of a feather flock together.

----people of the same sort

Don’t follow anyone like sheep.

----follow blindly

2) idioms containing names of parts of the human body

He went on with his work even when he was dead on his feet.

----too tired to do more

He is hand in glove with you.

----very close or friendly

The teacher told him to hold his tongue.

----to be silent

3) idioms involving colors

A motor car would be a white elephant to him, because he can’t drive.

----sth of little or no value

Whenever someone played a joke on him, he saw red.

----become very angry

4) idioms containing words related to clothes

What he said just now is another pair of shoes.

----a totally different matter.

My mother gave me a dollar in pocket money.

----money given to a person to spend

5) idioms invoving time

The train arrive to the minute.

----exactly

As he got on in years, he became quiet and thoughtful.

----grow old

6) idioms invoving flowers and plants

Say what you have got to say. I hate a man who beats about the bush.

----not to come to the point

They don’t let the grass grow under their feet in learning English.

----to waste no time in doing sth

7) idioms containing words related to fruit

So long as she was at home, everything in the house was in apple-pie order.

----in perfect order

Your proposal is a hard nut to crack.

---a problem difficult to solve

8) idioms involving food and cooking

This kind of exam is a piece of cake to him.

----sth very easy

Football is my cup of tea. I watch the game every night.

----sth which one likes

After months of unemployment, all he asked for was a chance to earn his bread.

---earn one’s living

9) idioms containing words related to shapes and measures Please drop me a line when you got to Shanghai.

----write a note

He was on top of the world when he found out that he had admitted into college.

----feel pleased and happy

What he said is beside the point.

----off the subject

7. Proverbs

According to their structures, English proverbs have the following kinds:

1) the elliptical sentences

No gains without pains.

----Nothing can be gained without effort.

Out of sight, out of mind.

----It is easy to forget someone or something not seen regularly

Easier said than done.

----It is harder to do than to talk about.

2) the simple sentence

Practice makes perfect.

----Only practice will bring success.

The early bird catches the worm.

----A person who strives early will be successful.

3) the compound sentence

Lend your money and lose your friend. 借钱失友

4) the complex sentence

Where there’s a will, there is a way.

Strike while the iron is hot. ----Seize a good opportunity.

Ex:

1 将下列成语译成英语

光阴似箭挥金如土猫哭老鼠

一模一样衣冠禽兽破釜沉舟

Column A Column B

1. Prevention is__. a). to make a quarrel. .

2. Deeds are fruits, ___. b). pound foolish

3. Don’t cro ss a bridge___. c). easy go

4. It is an ill wind ___. d) better than cure

5. If you run after two hares, ___e) to every question

6. Never put off till tomorrow __f) you will catch neither

7. Soon learnt, ________. g) in a day.

8. Penny wise, ______. h) want not

9. Good advice _______. i) soon forgotten

10. All work and no play ______j) less speed

11. Easy come____ k) but pours

12. Rome was not built ___ l) is beyond price

13. Two eyes can see ________m)so let them reap

14. Waste not, ______. n) that blows nobody good

15. More haste _______. o) what may be done today

16. There are two sides ______ p) makes Jack a dull boy

17. As they sow, _______. q) words are but leaves

18. A new broom ___ r).until you come to it

19. It takes two ____. s)more than one

20. It never rains ____ t) sweeps clean.