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細嚼好文：Charles Dickens 家書 – 英文由F字學起 – 蕭愷一 – Yahoo! BLOG.
話說 Dickens 三十九歲時，小女兒 Dora 患重病夭折，Dickens 就寫了這封信，把壞消息告訴妻子 Catherine。以下是信中首兩段。Dickens 為顧及妻子感受，用字十分委婉，兩段中沒提過一個「死」字。簡單的字句，流露出無限關切和愛護。希望大家慢慢細讀，用心感受。
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My Dearest Kate,
Now observe, you must read this letter very slowly and carefully. If you have hurried on thus far without quite understanding (apprehending some bad news) I rely on your turning back and reading again.
Little Dora, without being in the least pain, is suddenly stricken ill. There is nothing in her appearance but perfect rest – you would suppose her quietly asleep, but I am sure she is very ill, and I cannot encourage myself with much hope of her recovery. I do not (and why should I say I do to you, my dear?) I do not think her recovery at all likely.
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來，我們逐句看。
1. Now observe, you must read this letter very slowly and carefully.
一看這句，就心感不妙：是有甚麼壞消息吧? 這句為妻子作心理準備。留意 Dickens 是維多利亞時期（大約就是十九世紀吧）的英國佬，文筆雖算「modern」，卻仍有一點古舊氣息。「Now observe」兩字沒甚麼特別意思，像說「留心，我有話說」，現代英文口語的說法是「look」，或「listen」。
2. If you have hurried on thus far without quite understanding (apprehending some bad news) I rely on your turning back and reading again.
也是給妻子心理準備。「Thus far」怎解? 也是較舊的說法，現代英文是「so far」，整句意思大約是「假如你咁快就讀到呢度」。「I rely on your…」就是「我希望你……」的意思。
3. Little Dora, without being in the least pain, is suddenly stricken ill.
我們的小 Dora 突然病了。作者不忘補充，在她病的過程中，沒感受到任何痛苦。為甚麼 without 後面要加 -ing? Without 後面要跟名詞詞組，當然要加 -ing，說「being in the least pain」可以，說「feeling the least pain」亦可。為甚麼要「the least pain」而不寫「any pain」? 連「最少的痛苦」都沒受過，語氣肯定得多。
4. There is nothing in her appearance but perfect rest – you would suppose her quietly asleep.
她的臉上只有安祥，像靜靜睡著一樣。很婉轉，對嗎? 留意「nothing but」的用法，例句：
I feel nothing but pity for you. 我只為你感到可憐。
I love no one but you. 我只愛你一個。
另外也可留意「suppose + noun + adjective」的句式，以前談過。
5. But I am sure she is very ill, and I cannot encourage myself with much hope of her recovery.
她得很重，重得，我不敢奢望她能康復（真對不起，我的翻譯很爛！對翻譯有興趣的網友，可向這位高人請教）。這句也是很婉轉的說法。留意「encourage… with」的用法，可學。
6. I do not (and why should I say I do to you, my dear?) I do not think her recovery at all likely.
括號括著的，意思就是：「親愛的，我實在不想騙你」。留意「think + noun + adjective」的句式，感覺較舊式，看得明白就可以了。例句：「I don’t think it appropriate to…」，較現代的說法是：「I don’t think it would be appropriate to…」
詞句雖舊，但文筆絲毫不作狀，只見其感情真摯。
蕭愷一
世上最絕的分手信 – 英文由F字學起 – 蕭愷一 – Yahoo! BLOG.
What am I to imagine, Willoughby, by your behaviour last night? I demand an explanation of it.
末段更表示「如果你不愛我了，請交還我給你的那束頭髮」：
If your sentiments are no longer what they were, you will return my notes, and the lock of my hair which is in your posession.
幾天後，苦命的女主角收到這樣的回信：
My Dear Madam,
I have just had the honour of receiving your letter, for which I beg to return my sincere acknowledgements. I am much concerned to find there was anything in my behaviour last night that did not meet your approbation; and though I am quite at a loss to discover in what point I could be so unfortunate as to offend you, I entreat your forgiveness [...]. My esteem for your whole family is very sincere; but if I have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than I felt, or meant to express, I shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem. [...] It is with great regret that I obey your commands of returning the letters, with which I have been honoured from you, and the lock of hair, which you so oblingingly bestowed on me.
I am, dear Madam, Your most obedient humble Servant,
John Willoughby.
整篇意思大約是：「我跟你從來沒有甚麼關係，是你自作多情了。」
最要命的是信中措詞。信中用字極度謙卑有禮，卻同時冷酷得教人不寒而慄。這些字句，像寫給陌生人的公函多於像寫給舊愛的信：
had the honour of receiving your letter
beg to return my sincere acknowledgements
anything in my behaviour… that did not meet your approbation
at a loss to discover in what point I could be so unfortunate as to offend you
措詞愈有禮，愈教人心寒。
賤男更把責任都推在「自作多情」的女主角身上，這同樣以委婉的言詞道出：
if I have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than I felt, I shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem.
大意是：「假如我對你表現得太友善而引起誤會，我深感遺憾。」
教師基準試 dumbing down – 英文由F字學起 – siu82english – Yahoo! BLOG
他們竟然把這甚有考核作用的部份，變成了一個不用分析，不須思考的填格仔遊戲。在這新模式下，知道 which 是個 relative pronoun，知道 which clause 叫 relative clause 就能答對，連試題原文也不用瞥一眼。這評核的是考生的甚麼能力? 考試目的何在?
下年考基準試的準老師有福了。以後的學生們? 好自為之吧。
