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: 国产精品日日摸夜夜添夜夜av | 久久久综合| 99国产欧美久久精品 | 久久精品小视频 | 九色国产 | 性色av免费在线观看 | 蜜桃传媒一区二区亚洲AV | 超碰3| 四虎影片 | 十六以下岁女子毛片免费 | 欧美一区二区三区久久久 | 521色香蕉网站在线观看 | 日日骚网 | 九九久久久 | 日本三级久久 | 亚洲一区在线观看视频 | 伊人伊人伊人 | 亚洲欧美日韩中文字幕久久 | 日韩 欧美 自拍 | 欧美伦妇高清免费 | 天天干天天天天 | 做羞羞视频 | 91激情视频| 欧美日韩一级视频 | 国产精品久久久久久久午夜 | 国产中文精品无码欧美综合小说 | 国产精品成人免费视频不卡 | 大毛片 | 人人人人人爽 | 激情婷婷成人亚洲综合 | 古装三级在线观看 | 精品久久久久久无码中文字幕 | 国产亚洲成av人在线观看导航 | 欧美精品3atv一区二区三区 | 亚洲欧美日韩高清一区二区三区 | 国产成人自拍一区 | 国产老女人精品毛片久久 | 久久精品国产清自在天天线 | 国产精品一区视频 | 国产萝控精品福利视频免费观看 | 精品国偷自产在线 |