中国式英语和英语的正确表达

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:22:43

No.1 to 20 来自于：http://www.rainlane.com/list.asp?boardid=11

1. Chinese: It was so late there was no taxi.
American: It was so late that there was no taxi available.
First, "it was so late there was no tax" is a run-on sentence.(i) It is two different events that are not necessarily related: (1) it was late and (2) there was no taxi.  Adding a "that" changes "it was so late" to a condition clause.
Second: "there was no taxi", and "there was no taxi avialble" are slightly different.  Suppose there are taxis parked on the street, but the drivers have all gone home. So there would still be taxis, but none was available.
------
2. N: Your coat is broken.
P　: Your coat is torn.
This one needs no explanation. A piece of clothe --what your coat is made from-- cannot be broken, it can be torn, burned, trashed..., but not  broken.
Broken is 打破了 ﹐壞了

----
3.　Chinese: Let me help you to do your work.
　　  American: Let me help you with your work.

Yes, that is indeed the way people say it. Don't ask me what the grammatical
rule involved is, I don't know.
--
4.　　Chinese: Susan didn’t make a fault anyway.
　　 American : Susan didn’t make a mistake anyway.
I have to agree with the assessment by the author that this is Chinglish. I must have seen this incorrect use of the word "fault" over 20 times
in the last 3 years I have been surfing Chinese Web sites.

----
5.  Chinese: He becomes better.
　 American: He got better.
　"Got to (the state of) "
  "Becomes (something.)"
E.g. He becomes a monster whenever he gets angry.
( He becomes the Hulk whenver he gets angry. )　
　----
6. Chinese: I recommend you to take a long vacation.
　  American: I recommend that you take a long vacation.

I recommend you=I recommend you to someone for
something.
E.g. I recommend you to Harry for the position of branch manager.
However, "I recommend that you"= I am giving you an advice about something.
----
7.
Chinese: The last bus leaves at eleven o’clock. It’s about eleven now, Hurry up !
  American: The last bus leaves at eleven o’clock. It’s nearly eleven now, Hurry up !

Idiomatically,  it is "nearly"  when you talk about "almost to a certain time." Besides, hair-splitter would argued that "about" could be "over " or "under" :
about eleven could be 11:01 or 10:59　　　---
8 C: It was still bright outside.
A: It was still light outside.

The opposite  of dark is light, not bright.
-----
9. C: The hall can seat two hundred people.
A: The hall seats two hundred people.

This is one of those "I have no explanation for."
I know it is perfectly all right to say "The hall can
accomodate 200 people." I do not know
the reason why the first one is wrong.
Didn't I tell you already that I am not an English specialist ?
I am a learner just as you are. I am just a little bit more experienced
than you do, but that does not mean I know it all. In fact,
I know very little about the "theory part" of the language.
But that does not stop me from speaking and writing idiomatically.
All you need to achieve that is to read lots and lots. I used
to read , on the average, of two  full length English novels per week.　
---
10.　C: Anywhere will do.
   A: Any place will do.
New, just found this on the Web a few minutes ago.
anyplace, anywhere Anywhere (one word) is the preferred adverb meaning "in or to any location when it doesn't matter where.": I'm willing to fly anywhere. Use any place (two words) when place is a noun: Do you know of any place that sells red galoshes?
Source:http://garbl.home.comcast.net/stylemanual/a.htm

---
***Red is too strong a colour. I am switching to blue for my comments.
11　　Chinese Style: Wait here please, I’ll come back in a minute.
　　American Style: Wait here please, I’ll be back in a minute.
  Yes indeed. I'll be back is correct. I don't think I ever recall
myself saying "I will come back."  Some of you may recall Arnold Schwarzenegger 's famous one-liner "I'll be back" in Terminator I.
---
12　Chinese Style: I am uncomfortable.
　　American Style: I don’t feel well.
I don't know what is wrong with this one, but I do know that people
say "I FELL uncomfortable" but not "I  AM uncomfortable."

  (From a dictionary)
comfortable, cozy, snug, restful. These words mean affording ease of mind or body. Comfortable implies the absence of sources of pain or distress: sleeps in a comfortable bed; wears comfortable clothes. The word may also suggest peace of mind: felt comfortable with the decision; has a comfortable income.
　　---
　　13 Chinese Style: Common students in US don’t wear a uniform.
　　American Style: The average student in US don’t wear a uniform.
　
Yes !
This  is definitely an error made by Chinese very frequently.
YOu can say "the common man" , but when referring to a person at large, you
use the word "average" : the average Joe = no one in particular, just some one
you pick from a crowd。
--
　　14. Chinese Style: Who cooked this salad ?
　　American Style: Who made this salad ?
Salad is never cooked. You may have used pre-cooked ingredient, but the salad itself is tossed . 　A  tossed/toss-salad is a mixture of veggies and other ingredients and tossed (mixed) togther. The process of the "mixing' is referred to as "tossing."

In line with this: In many instances,"Westerners" also use the word "prepare" insted of "cook". " Mommy is preparing supper" is as often used instead of  "Mommy
is cooking supper."  Many western foods are not cooked: e.g. a sandwich. That
is why you often hear "preparing lunch/breakfast/dinner" instead of "cooking　
-----
　15 Chinese Style: His restaurant attracts lots of customers.
　　American Style: His restaurant attracts lots of guests.
Customers in the hopsitality trade are referred to as  guests, and less often, as patrons. 　　Professional institutions  (banks, insurnce companies, financial investment houses, law firms,
accountanting firms...) call their customers  Clients.
--

　16　Chinese Style: My friend Tony died in a traffic accident.
　　American Style: My friend Tony was killed in a traffic accident.
nuance: died and kill　　
Just a matter of semantics.  The  nuance between: died and kill　　
I won't worry too much about this.
(The nuance is this :
"Tony died in a traffic accident" means he died during that accident but
he could have had a heart attack or any other cause of death not related
to the accident-- it just happened that he died during the time when
the traffic accident occured. On the other hand "he was killed..." means
his death was a direct result of the accident.
Once again, plenty of Americans do say "he died in an accident." I am sure their grammar teachers are not too happy about that either.

--
　17　Chinese Style: Different from me, she is proficient in English.
　　American Style: Unlike me, she is proficient in English.
I don't know how to explain this one. Perhaps someone could help me out on this.　　
My guess is that you should not say "different from me", you can say "She and I are different, she is proficient in English while I am not." (Notice I use the word "guess")

　18　Chinese Style: Little children are difficult to understand that.
　　American Style: It is difficult for children to understand that.
　syntax error
　--
　19　Chinese Style: Don’t step on the grass.
　　American Style: Keep off the grass.
　　 Signs in Hong Kong, Britain, Canada, USA all
use "keep off the grass".  With a sign that says "Don't step on the grass" you can argue that "sure, I am not stepping on the grass, I am just sitting on it."  But
with "keep off the grass", you will have no choice but to keep away from it.
--
　20　Chinese Style: I get my salary twice a month.
　　American Style: I get paid twice a month..
salary vs paid

Salary is what you are being paid. The process of receiving your money/renumeration is "getting paid."
E.g. My salary is 2600 a year and I get paid  1000 dollar once every 2 weeks .

[ 本帖最后由阿邱于 2008-7-21 23:26 编辑 ]

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:26:03

21　Chinese Style: Would you like a drink ?

American Style: Would you like something to drink ?

(Please note that in the United State , a drink can be misinterpreted as an alcoholic beverage. I made that mistake once when I offered a police officer on duty "a drink" and he turned me down.) This is another one I am not absolutely sure of. You can go up to a bar and say "Give me a drink" instead of "give me something to drink" and be perfectly understood. It is true, though, that " a drink" means "no choice." Would you like a drink ? Yes I would . Ok, here is some piss, now drink it . (Yes, I am exaggerating, but that is certainly a possible scenario.) Would you like something to drink ?Yes, I would like to have a glass of Champagne !　　　

22　Chinese Style: Let me examine your pulse.

American Style: Let me feel your pulse.

A pulse cannot be examined, it can only be felt.　It is not something visible.　转贴请注明来自 http://www.rainlane.com/bbs/list.asp?boardid=11

23　Chinese Style: I have no exercise talent. 　　

American Style: I am not athletic.

Incorrect usage, I guess. This is pretty obvious. "Exercise Talent" is not the proper word/phrase to use.　　

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24　Chinese Style: Don’t expect me too much. 　

American Style: Don’t expect too much from (of ) me.

Missing preposition　. I think we can all see "expect me" is incorrect. Use of "expect me" with no preposition to follow: You can say, "Don't expect me to do something..."

25 Chinese Style: I know his face. 　　

American Style: I know him by sight.

Hi face, how are you? Long time no see. Technically, you know a "person", but you don't know his "face."

26　Chinese Style: I forget my hat in the house. 　　American Style: I left my hat in the house.

Forget is a mental process: I forgot to pick up my hat, I forgot to do this, I forgot to say that, I forgot to bring my car .Having said that, I must say that even native speak do tend to say things such as I forgot my hat.

27　Chinese Style: Lend me some money, for instance 500 dollars, Lin 　　 American Style: Lend me some money, say 500 dollars, Lin

You are giving Lin a rough idea/estimate of how much you need. You are not giving him an example of something.

28　Chinese Style: I have a free time.

American Style: I am free.

You may say "When I have some free time, I will take you out for a Peking duck dinner." Here is my guess: I think it is all right to use it in a question form (no "a" though, and needs "specification" as to what the free time is for.) Do you have any free time to spend with me? Sounds perfectly fine to me. But I have never heard "Do you have a free time?"　　

29　Chinese Style: The sun rises from the East. 　　American Style: The sun rises in the East.

And sets IN the west.　　

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30 Chinese Style: The thief got in from the window. 　American Style: The thief got in through the window. 　

The word "from" in 29 and 30 are transliterations from the Chinese由. However, in English, the use of prepositions is very strict. Apparently, in most cases, there are no "rules"--it is a matter of collocation (certain words only combine with certain other words.) You just have to memorize them. In this case, however, "from" means originated from, through means "going through." The thief went from the outside to the inside of the house through the window.

---

31　Chinese Style: Let’s begin from page 10.

American Style: Let’s begin at ( on ) page 10.

Here is something interesting. If you go to google and enter the search word, (with quotation marks) "let's begin from page", all your hits are web pages containing this list. What does that show? That shows people do not use "let's begin from page..." Why ? Beats me? It must be one of these preposition imponderables. (Again, I could be wrong, as I have been numerous times before.) Here is something else I wrote about when I discussed this pair on go-lucky's web site: Preposition. As mentioned before, a lot of prepositions are built into the language and sometimes there are no explanations as to why one is used instead of another. E.g. "The famous Chinese Library at Harvard University." and not "in Harvard University." Another example: “Life begins at 30” and not “Life begins in 30.” However, there are differences among the following:

(1) "Let's start from the beginning..."and "Let's start at the very beginning..." (Remember the song Do, Rei, Me , from Sound of Music ?"

(2) "In the beginning there is light.."

(3) "At the very beginning, all is well."

In (1) we start at the beginning and goes on from there. The narrations starts from the beginning to a certain point in time. (from...to related temporal concept.)(2) "IN the beginning" = at that very moment in the beginning.(3) At the beginning=implies something else happened right afterward. At the beginning, all is well. But then, ...

　--

32 Chinese Style: Did you attend college?

American Style: Did you go to college ?

My guess is this is a matter of idiomatic vs. non-idiomatic expression.

33 Chinese Style: I wanted to go to Europe last summer, but it was too expensive so I gave up to go.

American Style: I wanted to go to Europe last summer, but it was too expensive so I gave up the idea.

It is the “idea of wanted to go to Europe” that you have given up.

--　

34 　Chinese Style: I’ll go there at three.

American Style: I’ll be there at three.

Not really an error. It depends on whether you want to say “I will be leaving here and go there at three”, or “I will be at that place at three.”

. Remember, something can be grammatically correct, but idiomatically wrong, and visa-versa.

--　　

　35 　Chinese Style: I am going back my home. 　 American Style: I am going home.

(I think the missing "to" –I am going back to my home -- is just a typo. As to why one should not say "going back to my home", I have the faintest idea. I don't see anything "legally" wrong with that. If you go for lunch from school, why can't you say "Mom, I am going back to school now"? Someone has a good idea why we should not say "I am going back to my home." other than "I am going home” is more clumsy?

------　

36 　Chinese Style: His temperature went down. American Style: His temperature came down.

Temperature goes up and comes down.

--

37 Chinese Style: I like green color.

American Style: I like green.

Green=green color.　Green color, red color...is "Chinglish" (word for word) translation:红

色 (　red+color). However , in English red=红色

.--　

38　Chinese Style: Today’s newspapers has his articles on Taiwan. 　　

American Style: Today’s newspapers carries his articles on Taiwan.

An item that is broadcasted or printed in the media is said to be "carried" by that media.　

39　Chinese Style: Give me money, if you have. 　　 American Style: Give me money, if you have any.

Same usage as "Do you have ANY money ?" instead of "Do you have money?"

---

　40　Chinese Style: You’ll have a cold if you sleep with your window open

　American Style: You’ll catch a cold if you sleep with your window open.

We are talking about the process of catching a cold.　After you have caught a cold, you "have" a cold.

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:27:25

41 to 50

41 Chinese Style: Somebody’s knocking on the door. Go and see who he is.
　　American Style: Somebody’s knocking on the door. Go and see who it is.

　　Since you have no idea who that somebody is yet, its gender is undetermined.
--
　　 42 Chinese Style: The head office is in Taipei.
　　American Style: The main office is in Taipei.
I don’t see why this is considered as incorrect. North Americans do use the term “head office” quite frequently. In fact, my impression
is that “head office” is the correct expression.　　
***You know what ? My guess is that the order is incorrect***
My guess is that the incorrect one is "main office" while the correct one is "head office."

　　43 Chinese Style: He cannot read and write.
　　American Style: He cannot read or write.
(It acutally means :he can NEITHER read NOR write, thus the use of "or" instead of "and") Notice "and'=simultaneous.E.g. He cannot read and write at the same time.　　
Another set of examples :
I cannot play the piano and sing at the same time.
I cannot play any musical instrument or sing .
---------

44 Chinese Style: Where is here .
　　American Style: Where are we.
Here is here, that’s where ! But as to where the heck are we, I don’t know !　　

---
　　
45  Chinese Style: How heavy are you ?
　　American Style: How much do you weigh ?
Here is my take on this:
The intent of the question is to find out how much someone weighs. So it is
a matter of semantics.
Technically, when someone asks you "How heavy are you ?" Your answer
should be "I am light/heavy/very heavy ." You seldom hear people being referred to as being "heavy or light"  However, a person who has a lot of muscles is usually referred to as a "heavy set" man.

　46 　Chinese Style: He was talking in a high voice.
　　American Style: He was talking loud.

For voices, the opposite of soft or low is not 'high" but "loud." For voices, high is used in [color]=#0000FF]high pitch.
--
　　47  Chinese Style: Most Westerners have high noses.
　　American Style: Most Westerners have long noses.
or big noses, pointed noses etc… but not “high noses.”
--
　48 　Chinese Style: Are you home tomorrow.
　　American Style: Are you at home tomorrow.

Missing preposition. Or :Will you be at home tomorrow. Without the "at" is informal "rough" conservation style speech. I think that is acceptable when you are in an informal conservation,
---
　49　Chinese Style: How does she look like ?
　　American Style: What does she look like ?
This is the famous "how vs what" problem. There are other examples in the list to follow on "how" and "what." Yes, indeed, I have come across numerous case of this misused by Chinese writers.
Remember : "How does..." refers to a process. "What does..." refers to an opinion or a set of facts.
What do you think ?  (Ask you for an opinion.)
How do you think ? (Ask you about the mental process of your "thinking.")
--
You may ask , what about 'How are you " ?  Isn't that about a state, an opinion ?
How are you actually means "How are you getting along ?" -- question about a "process."
And, of course there are exceptions. English is full of exceptions.

--
　50　Chinese Style: This is the way how I did it.
　　American Style: This is how I did it. or This is the way I did it.
　　
"How" is the process.  How=the way.
This is the way how I did it=this is how how I did it=this is the way the way I did it

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:28:21

51 to 60
51　Chinese Style: How do you think about Taiwan.
　　American Style: What do you think about Taiwan.
The misuse of "what and how" are quite common among Chinese learners of English.       "How do you think..."= "In what way does your thinking process work ?" (E.g How does this work ?)                                                                                                                            "What do you..." =What kind of opinion you have of ...
For more about what and how:
http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=11&id=10179&replyID=44423&star=2&skin=
---
　　
　52　Chinese Style: How can I do ?
　　American Style: What can I do ?
You cannot say 'How can I do ?" but you can say "How can I do this correctly?" if
you want to ask about a "process"-- the process of how this can be achieved.
(See reference under #51 above.)
What can I do means  “what are the things I can do, allow to do, should do etc.. .”-------------

　　

　　53  Chinese Style: “ How long have you been in Taiwan ?“
　　“ Six months “
　　“ How about Chinese food ?“
　　American Style: “ How long have you been in Taiwan ? “
　　“ Six months “
　　“ Do you like Chinese food ?“
“How about” is not a “stand alone” question. See below:
“Monica, let’s go out for some ethnic food tonight.”
“Sure, Bill, what kind of food do you have in mind ?
“How about (some) Chinese food ?”
--
54 Chinese Style: I visited her ill mother in the hospital.
　　American Style: I visited her sick mother in the hospital.
  When you are ill, you are a sick person, not an ill person.　
---　
　　55  Chinese Style: There is a limit in my patience.
　　American Style: There is a limit to my patience.
　　
“Limit to” As in Calculus. Limit  x goes to x1.
The preposition is "to":  Limit to...

---

　56 　Chinese Style: Please wait inside the white line.
　　American Style: Please wait behind the white line.

You have to be pretty small to fit on  or inside that white line !　(Unless
that white line is 8 inches wide !)　

--
　　57 Chinese Style: Is your house insured for fire ?
　　American Style: Is your house insured against fire ?

Your insured against something happening : fire , theft, vandalism, santa getting
stuck in the chimney, big mac attack etc…　　

　　58 Chinese Style: I introduce Mr. Smith to you !
　　American Style: May I introduce Mr. Smith to you !

You are asking for permission to do something.
Yes, you need the word "may", it is alway "May I.": May I do this.
this=introduce Mr.Smith to you ,
　　---
　　59 Chinese Style: She was first prize.
　　American Style: She took first prize.

I don't think anyone will make that kind of a mistake. Well,may be not. But your English has to be pretty bad to say "She was first prize."　　
--
　　60 Chinese Style: Do you have any automatic camera ? Yes I have it .
　　American Style: Do you have any automatic camera ? Yes, I have one.

NO, I have none. Yes I have one, two, three, a thousand….
=

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:28:52

61 to 70
61　Chinese Style: That was a traffic accident on my way here. It is why I was late.
　　American Style: That was a traffic accident on my way here. That is why I was late.

That=that is the reason. Chinese, in general, use "it" in many places where "that" should have been used.
　　
　62 　Chinese Style: She is wearing blue jeans pants.
　　American Style: She is wearing blue jeans.
牛仔裤 is blue jeans, not blue jeans pants.　　

63 　　Chinese Style: Keep the right.
　　American Style: Keep to the right.
Take it and keep it ! Keep the entity "right", and if you still want some more, take and keep the left too. Ha Ha. Keep to the right (side)
　　

　64　Chinese Style: Last night I didn’t keep my diary.
　　American Style: Last night I didn’t write anything in my diary.

You are keeping a diary but you write something onto it.　　
Isolated from the rest of the context, I don't "keep" my diary would mean you did not "keep " it(the diary book itself) in some place .
---

　65 Chinese Style: The train was late about an hour.
　　American Style: The train was about an hour late.

Missing preposition
I think it is OK to say “The train was late FOR/by about an hour.”
--
66 Chinese Style: Leave your hand from the end of the wire.
　　American Style: Let go of the end of the wire.

Leave you hand means "leaving your hand !"　　

67　　Chinese Style: I was ten minutes late for the English lesson.
　　American Style: I was ten minutes late for the English class.
You go to a class for your lessons. However, when no “class” is involved, you can use just the word lesson as in : “I was ten minutes late for my piano lesson.”　　

　68　Chinese Style: How many Chinese letters do you know ?
　　American Style: How many Chinese characters do you know ?

Chinese do not use letters, they use individual characters. Letters are letters of alpabets: Greek letters, Russian letters (alphabets) etc...　　

　　69 Chinese Style: He is fighting for his life.
　　American Style: He is fighting for his bread.

This is definitely unclear. The first one (Chinese style) "fighting for his life" could mean he is critically ill or wounded and is "fighting for his life."
However if it is "livelihood" that you are talking about, then it should be
"fighting for his bread." (or for Chinese, probably, fighting for his rice !)
　　
　　70 Chinese Style: Why do you say like that.
　　American Style: Why do you say that.

OK if it is "why do you say something like that". (But that has a different meaning

阿邱 · 发表于 2008-7-21 23:29:08

71 to 80 n= not proper (what the original author called Chinese style)
p=proper (what the original author called American Style)

71　　n: I have no house to live.
　　 p: I have no house to live in.
The usual problem with prepositions.
However, there is a school of thought that considers placing a preposition at the end of a sentence as something to be avoided.
Reference:http://www.hfac.uh.edu/English/c ... s/prepositions.html

72　n: What a dirty face ! Look at the mirror.
　　 p: What a dirty face ! Look in the mirror.
Sure I am looking at the mirror, but what am I supposed to see.
Image vs mirror
Look at the mirror =look at the “mirror” itself.
Look in the mirror= look in the mirror, that’s where the image of you is.　　
--
　　73 n: He lost conciousness for a long time.
　　 p: He was unconcious for a long time.
Quick, let’s go look for it. Did he lose it in the bank, at the church, or his girl friend’s bedroom ? (Just kidding)　　
Update: For details, read message 29 on page 2.
--
74　　n: He made a world record
　　 p: He set a world record.
Records are set and then broken by someone else.
　　Records are not made. Phonograph records, on the other hand, are made. Ha, Ha. Just a bit of pun there.
--
　75　n: Her marriage was happy.
　　 p: Her married life was happy.

I don’t know about this one. I have heard a lot of native speaker
who said “they have a happy marriage” etc.
I think the author here is being very technical, distinguishing the difference between “marriage” the process, and “married life” , the life you live as a married person.　　

　　76 n: Maybe I think so.
　 p: I think so.
I think so does not mean I firmly believe it to be so. “I think so” is
a weak statement meaning “that is what I think to be true, but I am not sure.”
The tone implies the idea of “may be”　　

　77 　Chinese Style: The club’s members are 55.
　　American Style: There are 55 members in the club.
55 what ? 55 years old. 55 dogs and cats ?
55 can be an age???　　

-
　78　n: They didn’t understand my mind.
　　 p: They didn’t understand what I was thinking.
　
　Mind is the abstract faculty of the brain, “thinking” is the process
that is going on in the mind. Psychologist tries to understand the
workings of the mind, but all your friend wanted was to understand
what you were thinking.

　　79 n:: This is where you mistake.
　　 p:: This is where you are mistaken.
When showing someone where his/her mistake(s) lies, you say “This is where your mistake is” or “This is where you have made a mistake.”
　　 However, if you want
to say that someone has misunderstood or misinterpreted
an intent, then it should be “This is where you are mistaken.”

80 　　Chinese Style: I felt good mood.
　　American Style: I am in a good mood.

You are IN a certain mood. You do not “feel” a certain mood.　　

There is a famous Jazz tune entitled "In the Mood". Let me see if I can find it.
But not tonight, darling, I have a headache. Ha Ha. Actually, I am going to bed.
It is very late.

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[英语漫谈] 中国式英语和英语的正确表达