問:要說「我步行/騎腳踏車/搭巴士/搭地下列車上班」,英文除了I go to work on foot / on a bicycle / by bus / by the MTR,還有其他說法嗎?
答:「步行上班」的最簡單說法,是to walk to work,例如:He would walk to work even when it was pouring(即使大雨滂沱,他都會步行上班)。
腳踏車現在多叫cycle或bike,bicycle似乎已成為「上一輩」的用語。「騎腳踏車上班」,英文可以有多個說法,例如:To protect the environment, people should be encouraged to cycle(或bike)to work / to ride their bikes to work / to go to work by bike(或on their bikes)。
至於「搭巴士/地下列車上班」,除了說to go to work by bus / by the MTR,還可說to take a bus / the MTR to work,例如:He prefers to take a bus rather than the MTR to work(他寧願搭巴士上班,不搭地下列車)。
問:第二版《朗文當代高級英漢雙解詞典》有以下例句,句中more than之後,是不是應加一what字?──「These sorrows are more than flesh and blood can bear這些痛楚是常人所忍受不了的。」
答:這一句,改譯做「這樣的悲苦,人所難堪」,應該好一點。Flesh and blood這裏指「血肉之軀」或「人」。英文可以說This is more than I can bear(這非我所能忍受),當然也可說These sorrows are more than flesh and blood can bear。文法上,你可以說These sorrows are more than what(= the sorrows which)I can bear,但一般不會這樣說。