日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

 





 
Cutthroat, breakneck
[ 2006-12-04 14:02 ]

Whenever I have time, I like to answer questions from readers in the form of a dialogue, in detail. I enjoy imparting advice, which is a tricky business at best - one never knows what another person is thinking. Besides, I really know very little. I cannot help much even if I wanted to. Therefore, I don't take my own advice seriously - and I'm sure it's all good advice too.

I find that knowledge (that I know very little and cannot help much) very comforting, even liberating and empowering. That knowledge enables me to say what I want to say. That knowledge enables me to actually speak out and have some fun.

The following, serving as an example, is a conversation via MSN with a reader whom I happen to know pretty well (Give-and-takes like this happen with readers who are strangers as well, in one form or another):

- Reader: What is the word to describe fierce competition?
- Me: Fierce. Fierce sounds good. Why bother with another?

- Reader: I know that. I just want to use another word. Give me another one, please.
- Me: Stiff? Stiff competition.

- Reader: No, not stiff. I'm looking for a bigger word. It's right here in my mind's eye but I can't for the moment recall it.
- Me: Ruthless? Ruthless competition?

- Reader: Ruthless? It's a good one. Ruthless competition sounds really cool. But it's not the one I'm looking for. I'm looking for a bigger word, one that begins with a "b". You know what I'm saying?
- Me: I don't. And I'm not sure I know of any bigger word to describe a competition. Nor am I sure that the bigger word is a better word. Often smaller words are a better word.

- Reader: The word I'm looking for is a better word. I read it somewhere - I liked it very much. It's a vivid word to describe really, really tough competition.
- Me: "Tough competition" is good enough. Fierce competition is good. Stiff competition is good also. Ruthless competition has to be good.

- Reader: But there's the other word. Come on. You're the expert. You must know.
- Me: This is the kind of logic that threatens to take all the fun away from our conversation. You call me an expert and that way you think you will put me under an obligation. That's why I never take the word "expert" seriously. I may be an expert in your eyes but that won't stop me from saying that I don't know. I don't know.

- Reader: But you're a columnist. You must help.
- Me: Must? Fortunately, I don't share that feeling of obligation either. I want to help. But I don't know if the help I give is the kind of help you're seeking.

- Reader: Come on, I need your advice. I trust your word.
- Me: I trust my word, too. That's why I'm careful with it, lol. My advice is, forget about the big word that you read once but cannot recall. Use tough, fierce, stiff or ruthless - any one of these will do for the moment. The fact that you fail to recall the big word suggests that you're not sure of it. It might not be the right word after all. Or you might use it inaccurately anyway. Use simple words instead, words you're sure of.

- Reader: Perhaps you're right. You think "fierce competition" is good enough?
Me: Yes. To avoid repetition, you may use tough, stiff, ruthless or even cutthroat if it gets really bad.

- Reader: Cutthroat? Gee, this is the word I've been looking for. Cutthroat, it's great.
- Me: Did you not say that your word begins with a "b"?

- Reader: I don't know. I don't remember if it begins with a "b" or a "c".
- Me: Could "breakneck" be that word?

- Reader: Yes, hurrah! That's the one! Breakneck! The sound of it! See, I know you know it.
- Me: You sure sound like you don't know what you're looking for. Be careful with cutthroat and breakneck. Make sure you use them right. These words should be reserved for extreme situations that, well, cut throats and break necks.

 

About the author:
 

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: [email protected], or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

 
 
相關文章 Related Stories
 
         
 
 
 
 
 
         

 

 

 
 

48小時內最熱門

     

本頻道最新推薦

     
  Double take on success
  Home record, road record
  Double jeopardy
  Amoral, moral, immoral
  Foil or film?

論壇熱貼

     
  福娃英文名更改,為何事先不考慮好?
  男扮女裝,女扮男裝?
  請教高人:關于社保方面的詞匯
  評頭論足之妙語連篇
  常用英語口語1000句
  翻譯:老鄉見老鄉,兩眼淚汪汪




主站蜘蛛池模板: 夜夜夜操操操 | 欧美一区在线观看视频 | 久久精品国产一区二区 | 久久人人爽人人爽 | 国产日韩中文字幕 | 在线高清中文字幕 | 人成免费a级毛片 | 色综合亚洲天天综合网站 | 久久久久久黄 | 日韩在线观看视频网站 | 68久久久久欧美精品观看 | 一级激情片 | 四影虎影ww4hu55.com | 国产成人精品免费午夜 | 久久免费看少妇高潮A片麻豆 | 一级片一级片一级片一级片 | 欧美视频第一页 | 欧美精品欧美精品系列 | 亚洲国产成a人v在线观看 | 91资源在线观看 | 狠狠色噜噜综合社区 | 国产成人免费 | 国产又黄又猛又粗又爽的A片动漫 | 国产免费小视频在线观看 | www.妞干网.com| 91在线中文 | 狠狠色狠色综合曰曰 | 91涩涩视频| 久久视频在线免费观看 | 欧美日韩国产综合视频在线看 | 伦一区二区三区中文字幕v亚洲 | 九九久久看少妇高潮A片特黄 | 亚洲三页 | 成年人小视频网站 | 亚洲国产精品一区 | 久久精品国产99国产精品 | 男女性刺激爽爽免费视频 | 国产福利一区二区 | 亚洲精品久久久久一区二区三 | 激情a| 色综合色综合 |