本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Foreword
The English forum on Rolia is a fun place to be. I dropped by a couple of weeks ago, and now I almost visit it at least once a day. Here we can share our thoughts, get needed help, and meet friends. Sometimes I see some rolians ask various questions about English usages, here are my two cents. It is a collection of questions and answers between our fellow rolians and me, with some of my thoughts added. I hope it can get the ball rolling, and others will chip in as well. Together, we can make a difference in this community. Thanks to those who brought up these interesting topics. I also want to take this opportunity to say to those who have thanked me, “You are very welcome”. When you say “Thank you”, please understand my “you are very welcome” is automatically implied.
A.
As immigrants from China, we share common values, history and language. Here in Canada, we not only face challenges in languages, but more importantly, in culture backgrounds. To close the gap, we need patience, effort and time.
1. Business, gambling and law suits
China has a long history of not valuing trade and business. On the contrary, western world values it very much. Similarly, Chinese incline to avoid law suits and debates, while they are common to westerners. As a result, business, gambling and legal words are used in everyday language in western world.
“You bet” is such an example. It means absolutely, for sure. Here are two usages of “you bet”:
A: Thank you!
B: You bet.
A: Are you coming tonight?
B: You bet I am.
There is a similar idiom “I will bet”. I guess it is straightforward to understand it now. Other words such as “stake”, “credit” and “asset” can also be attributed to this category. Examples:
The stake becomes higher when IBM joins the game.
You do the work, he takes the credit.
MCSD an asset, but not required.
In professional life, we hear more business related words and idioms - for example, “in the black”. This phrase means profitable. The story behind this is that accountants use black color for profits, and red for losses.
Before the war against Iraq, Bush “made his case” at both the Congress and the Senate. “Make one’s case” comes from legal background. A lawyer always wants to make her/his case in the court.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
The English forum on Rolia is a fun place to be. I dropped by a couple of weeks ago, and now I almost visit it at least once a day. Here we can share our thoughts, get needed help, and meet friends. Sometimes I see some rolians ask various questions about English usages, here are my two cents. It is a collection of questions and answers between our fellow rolians and me, with some of my thoughts added. I hope it can get the ball rolling, and others will chip in as well. Together, we can make a difference in this community. Thanks to those who brought up these interesting topics. I also want to take this opportunity to say to those who have thanked me, “You are very welcome”. When you say “Thank you”, please understand my “you are very welcome” is automatically implied.
A.
As immigrants from China, we share common values, history and language. Here in Canada, we not only face challenges in languages, but more importantly, in culture backgrounds. To close the gap, we need patience, effort and time.
1. Business, gambling and law suits
China has a long history of not valuing trade and business. On the contrary, western world values it very much. Similarly, Chinese incline to avoid law suits and debates, while they are common to westerners. As a result, business, gambling and legal words are used in everyday language in western world.
“You bet” is such an example. It means absolutely, for sure. Here are two usages of “you bet”:
A: Thank you!
B: You bet.
A: Are you coming tonight?
B: You bet I am.
There is a similar idiom “I will bet”. I guess it is straightforward to understand it now. Other words such as “stake”, “credit” and “asset” can also be attributed to this category. Examples:
The stake becomes higher when IBM joins the game.
You do the work, he takes the credit.
MCSD an asset, but not required.
In professional life, we hear more business related words and idioms - for example, “in the black”. This phrase means profitable. The story behind this is that accountants use black color for profits, and red for losses.
Before the war against Iraq, Bush “made his case” at both the Congress and the Senate. “Make one’s case” comes from legal background. A lawyer always wants to make her/his case in the court.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net