PETS-2語法講解 (143)

字號:

I can't praise the quality of your advice too highly.
    對話
    John: Did you get the result you were hoping for?
    Vera: Yes we did, and largely thanks to you.
    John: What do you mean?
    Vera: Well it was largely your guidance that made it possible.
    John: Well I'm sure that wasn't the most important thing.
    Vera: Yes it was, and I can't praise the quality of your advice too highly.
    約翰:你們得到想要的結果了沒?
    薇拉:得到了,真是多虧你啦。
    約翰:為什么這么說?
    薇拉:嗯,我們成功,主要是因為有你的指引。
    約翰:啊,這應該不是最主要的原因。
    薇拉:那的確是最主要的原因,你的意見真的非常寶貴。
    約翰問薇拉成功了沒有,薇拉說:Yes we did, and largely thanks to you。Thanks to somebody/something是‘拜某人/某事物所賜’的意思,有時作反話,指‘被某人/某事物所累’。這話一般會附在一子句(clause)前后,如何拜賜或受累即由該子句說明,例如:(1) Thanks to John's advice, we have succeeded(多虧約翰的意見,我們成功了)。(2) We lost the battle, thanks to his misinformation(我們被他的錯誤情報連累,打了敗仗)。No thanks to somebody/something則是說‘非某人/某事物的功勞’。I can't praise the quality of your advice too highly一語,切勿直譯做‘我不能太過稱許你的意見’。Can't.....too有‘怎樣都不能算是太過’的意思,換言之,‘我怎樣稱許你的意見,都不能算過份’。以下例句,讀者不妨仔細揣摩,以免他日誤解類似句子:(1) You cannot be too/over careful when handling electrical appliances(處理電器,必須非常小心)。(2) I cannot thank you enough(我對你感激不盡)。(3) The importance of his contributions cannot be exaggerated/overemphasized(他的貢獻非常重要)。然則‘不應太過小心’或‘不應夸張他的貢獻’,英文該怎么說?你可以用must not代替cannot:You must not be too careful、The importance of his contributions must not be exaggerated。