這種逗號不如餵給熊貓吃掉吧！

范范真是「好範兒」，另一個事業巔峰就是為台灣大眾示範了好何謂言多必失。她日前顯然本想藉著撂英文顯示高尚以博得同情，哪知不自量力的低級英文一po出，成為負面示範，刺激全民探討英文、重拾學英文的樂趣。截圖是 Dub & Ko Language Services（來源：臉書）提供批改范瑋琪英文的範例，造成大轟動，雖然轟動的背後難免有政治立場煽風點火，但就學習語言來說，仍也是極佳的學習範例。祝這個抓緊時事脈動的英文改寫和翻譯服務事業蒸蒸日上。不過，有一個英文寫作規則必須指出。最後一句的改寫：

She who talks much, errs much.

這在今天已經不是好的英文，絕對會被英文編輯和老師視為錯誤。去掉逗點就好了。句子主詞與述詞之間的逗點，歷史上曾經出現，那是至少200年前的寫法，今日不宜，除非你是在直接引述古人的英語，否則請注意不得加逗號，無論主詞多麼長。

以下直接引述兩本權威用法指南供參：

一、Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1989) 262頁

Comma between subject and predicate.

It is no longer cricket 〔按：n. 正人君子之舉；合度的行為〕 to separate the subject and predicate with punctuation. “How,” asks Simon 1980 rhetorically, “can one possibly separate the subject... from the predicate ... by a comma?” The comma between subject and predicate is an old convention that has fallen into disuse and disfavor. It was common in the 18th century:

What Methods they will take, is not for me to prescribe —Jonathan Swift, “A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue,” 1712

The words for all that, seem too low —Murray 1795

The first thing to be studied here, is grammatical propriety —Murray 1795

This comma is now universally frowned on and tends to be found only as a vice of comic-strip writers, advertisers, and others who are not on their guard. You should avoid the practice.

二、The Sense of Styles, Steven Pinker （有中譯本《寫作風格的意識》）

Still, a few common errors are so uncontroversial—the run-on sentence, the comma splice, the grocer's apostrophe, the comma between subject and predicate, the possessive it's—that they have become tantamount to the confession “I am illiterate,” and no writer should be caught making them. As I mentioned, the problem with these errors is not that they betray an absence of logical thinking but that they betray a history of inattention to the printed page. In the hope that an ability to distinguish the logical and illogical features of punctuation may help a reader master both, I'll say a few words about the design of the system, highlighting the major bugs that have been locked into it.

可是，有幾個常見錯誤不那麼具爭議性，像連寫句（兩個主句間沒有連接詞或誤用標點）、用逗號連接兩個完整句子、複數名詞誤加撇號、主詞和述語之間誤加逗號，以及屬格誤加撇號（例如it’s〔它的〕），假如連這些都用錯了，恐怕就稱不上是個讀書識字的人，任何作者不容許在這裡犯錯。像我曾說的，犯上這種錯誤，問題不在於欠缺邏輯思考，而是對書面文字的歷史漠不關心。我期望能把標點的邏輯與非邏輯元素分開，讓讀者兩者都能掌握；我會談一下標點系統的設計，指出隱藏在系統中的一些缺失。 （江先聲譯）

這種逗號不如餵給熊貓吃掉吧！

范范真是「好範兒」，另一個事業巔峰就是為台灣大眾示範了好何謂言多必失。她日前顯然本想藉著撂英文顯示高尚以博得同情，哪知不自量力的低級英文一po出，成為負面示範，刺激全民探討英文、重拾學英文的樂趣。截圖是 Dub & Ko Language Services（來源：臉書）提供批改范瑋琪英文的範例，造成大轟動，雖然轟動的背後難免有政治立場煽風點火，但就學習語言來說，仍也是極佳的學習範例。祝這個抓緊時事脈動的英文改寫和翻譯服務事業蒸蒸日上。不過，有一個英文寫作規則必須指出。最後一句的改寫：

She who talks much, errs much.

這在今天已經不是好的英文，絕對會被英文編輯和老師視為錯誤。去掉逗點就好了。句子主詞與述詞之間的逗點，歷史上曾經出現，那是至少200年前的寫法，今日不宜，除非你是在直接引述古人的英語，否則請注意不得加逗號，無論主詞多麼長。

以下直接引述兩本權威用法指南供參：

一、Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1989) 262頁

Comma between subject and predicate.

It is no longer cricket 〔按：n. 正人君子之舉；合度的行為〕 to separate the subject and predicate with punctuation. “How,” asks Simon 1980 rhetorically, “can one possibly separate the subject... from the predicate ... by a comma?” The comma between subject and predicate is an old convention that has fallen into disuse and disfavor. It was common in the 18th century:

What Methods they will take, is not for me to prescribe —Jonathan Swift, “A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue,” 1712

The words for all that, seem too low —Murray 1795

The first thing to be studied here, is grammatical propriety —Murray 1795

This comma is now universally frowned on and tends to be found only as a vice of comic-strip writers, advertisers, and others who are not on their guard. You should avoid the practice.

二、The Sense of Styles, Steven Pinker （有中譯本《寫作風格的意識》）

Still, a few common errors are so uncontroversial—the run-on sentence, the comma splice, the grocer's apostrophe, the comma between subject and predicate, the possessive it's—that they have become tantamount to the confession “I am illiterate,” and no writer should be caught making them. As I mentioned, the problem with these errors is not that they betray an absence of logical thinking but that they betray a history of inattention to the printed page. In the hope that an ability to distinguish the logical and illogical features of punctuation may help a reader master both, I'll say a few words about the design of the system, highlighting the major bugs that have been locked into it.

可是，有幾個常見錯誤不那麼具爭議性，像連寫句（兩個主句間沒有連接詞或誤用標點）、用逗號連接兩個完整句子、複數名詞誤加撇號、主詞和述語之間誤加逗號，以及屬格誤加撇號（例如it’s〔它的〕），假如連這些都用錯了，恐怕就稱不上是個讀書識字的人，任何作者不容許在這裡犯錯。像我曾說的，犯上這種錯誤，問題不在於欠缺邏輯思考，而是對書面文字的歷史漠不關心。我期望能把標點的邏輯與非邏輯元素分開，讓讀者兩者都能掌握；我會談一下標點系統的設計，指出隱藏在系統中的一些缺失。 （江先聲譯）

【「心機重」，英文怎麼說？】

我們的「徵字活動」開花結果了！（但想問還來得及→ goo.gl/ePCRZZ )

有人問我「有心機」、「心機重」英文怎麼講？

壞消息是，英文可能沒有一個字可以一律指稱「有心機」，得看你要強調什麼。選擇上也得看心機的「壞度」。我覺得最強烈可能是...
_______________

★ back-stabber /'bæk 'stæbɚ/ (名詞)

背叛者、出賣者的意思。back 是背，stab 就是用刀子刺，所以 back-stabber 指一個從背後刺他人的人。這個非常嚴重：

That politican is a despicable back-stabber. He’ll betray anyone after they’ve already helped him in his career.
(那個政客是個可鄙、心機重的人。他會背叛任何已經盡量幫助他的人。)
_______________

★ scheming /'skimɪŋ/ (形容詞)

字根是 scheme, 就是詭計、陰謀的意思，所以 scheming 就表示搞陰謀的。不知為何，我們不常直接說 He’s scheming, 通常會再加一個罵人的名詞！如：

He’s a scheming bastard. He’d only been at the company for a few weeks when he started spreading rumors about me, to try to take my job!
(這個心機重的渾蛋。這幾個禮拜在公司造謠，想弄倒我的工作！)
_______________

★ unscrupulous /ən'skrupjələs/ (形容詞)

是無道德的、不擇手段的意思。字根 scruple 的意思是顧忌、道德上的考慮。所以 unscrupulous 指願意用任何的方法來達到目標。

Well, I guess you could call him a successful businessman. But he’s so unscrupulous that nobody really trusts or likes him.
(嗯，我覺得你可以說他是相當成功的的商人。但他有心機，沒有人信任他，也沒有人喜歡他。)
_______________

★ cunning /'kʌnIŋ/ (形容詞)

狡猾、奸詐的意思。有時直接表示用高智力來騙人、犯罪：

He’s a cunning and resourceful criminal.
(他是個很有心機、機智的罪犯。)

不一定表示直接犯罪，但還是會有聰明的操作人的因素：

He’s a pretty cunning marketer. He really knows how to exploit people’s fears.
(這個推銷員心機很重，很會利用人們的恐懼。)
_______________

★ opportunistic /,ɑpɚtu'nɪstɪk/ (形容詞)

字根是 opportunity (機會)，但這個次表示人願意把握別人的辛苦、困境、災難來得益。意思則是機會主義的、投機取巧的。例如：

He’s a pretty opportunistic businessman. In the 2007 recession, he exploited a lot of people’s bankruptcies to buy their houses at incredibly cheap prices.
(他是投機的生意人。2007年經濟不景氣，他利用別人的破產買到很多超便宜的房子。)
_______________

★ calculating /'kælkjə,letɪŋ/ (形容詞)

字根是 calculate (計算)，比較中性的字。但 calculating 通常指那種比較自私、只管自己利益的計算。不一定表示會騙人、犯罪，但都表示很自私。

He’s so calculating. In his whole life I’m not sure he’s ever done anything that didn’t benefit his career.
(他心機很重。一生從未做過一件無利於事業的事。)
_______________

★ crafty /'kræfti/ & tricky /'trɪki/ (形容詞)

這兩個都可以說是「狡猾」的意思，但沒有 cunning 那麼強，可能是小規模的狡猾，或小智力的狡猾。做的事也不一定非常壞（也不一定是違法的）。如：

He’s a crafty old guy. He knows exactly where to hide his beer and cigarretes so his wife won’t find them!
(他是個心機重的老頭，他知道酒跟香煙藏在哪些地方，太太就不會發現的！)

The vendors in that night market are pretty tricky. They’ll put some extra water in the fish to make them heavier.
(夜市的攤販有點心機。他們會多倒一點水，讓魚重一點。)
_______________

好了。辛苦你們！
但這是個心機重的世界裡，
我們需要很多字來形容人性的黑暗面！
所以還沒講完，我們下週繼續！