Ally

Complimentary

發佈時間: 2018/02/23

Complimentary

港交所的香港金融博物館「貝」字牆,除出現「賺」、「贏」及「賞」等褒義詞(complimentary words)外,竟然還有「貪」、「贓」、「賄」、「賂」及「賠」等貶義詞(derogatory words),而且在金融界,這些字眼非常敏感。

Complimentary和derogatory是相反詞,前者解「讚賞的、恭維的」,後者解「貶損的、詆毀的」。用於形容字義時,它們分別解「褒義的」和「貶義的」。例句︰Her new book has been a big hit and the reviews of it have been highly complimentary.(她的新書很受歡迎,並且評論均高度讚賞。)His boss constantly made derogatory remarks against the company's competitors.(他的老闆不斷貶低公司的競爭對手。)

另外,complimentary可以解「免費贈送的」。例句︰The Valentine's Day dinner set tonight comes with a complimentary bottle of wine.(今晚的情人節晚餐套餐配有一瓶免費的葡萄酒。)The airline is planning to cut its complimentary chauffeur service for premium passengers.(該航空公司計劃削減給予高級乘客的免費司機服務。)

(本欄逢周一、三、五刊登)

撰文: Ally 最漂亮英文專業老師
欄名: WordDiscovery