Ally

"I inherited a mess!"

發佈時間: 2017/02/20

特朗普上任四個星期,外界的批評甚多。他的完美辯解是:「I inherited a mess!(我繼承了一盤爛攤子。)」因此,當然需要時間處理爛攤子所遺留下來的各種問題。

「爛攤子」,英文可以叫a mess。名詞mess可以描述局面又或者人,指「困境、一團糟」,充斥着棘手的問題。例句:Our economies and politics are in a mess.(我們的經濟和政治都是一團糟。)I got myself into a mess by telling one lie after another.(我說了一個謊言又一個謊言,弄得自己一團糟。)Everything in his life was a mess - children, marriage, work, physical condition, etc.(他生活中的一切都是一團糟:孩子、婚姻、工作、身體狀況等等。)

想描述「把某事情弄糟」,可以說make a mess of something,又或者mess up something。前者的mess是名詞,後者是動詞。例句:They made a real mess of the place;there was rubbish everywhere.(他們把地方弄得一團糟,到處都是垃圾。)I got panic and completely messed up the piano exam.(我驚慌失措,完全搞砸了鋼琴考試。)

(本欄逢周一、三、五刊登)

撰文: Ally 最漂亮英文專業老師
欄名: WordDiscovery