美國文化脫口秀 第358期:最容易被理解錯的單詞

It's your call說的不是打電話，而是做決定。Company的意思除了公司，還有陪伴?今天的節(jié)目，我們說說日常最容易被理解錯誤的英語多義詞。

關(guān)鍵詞：

相同的詞在不同句子里，意思完全不一樣?"多義詞"顧名思義是一個詞有多個意思，但在老外看來，每個不同的意思都是不同的詞。這也算是文化差異吧。

Every language has words with many meanings: 各種語言都有多義詞

Today, we're going to talk about English words with multiple meanings that seem entirely unrelated to each other: 今天我們要說的這些英語多義詞，它們的多個意思相差特別遠(yuǎn)

These words have a primary meaning that is well known to all and at least one common but lesser known meaning: 這些詞最主要的意思大家都知道，但它們另外還至少有一個常用的意思你可能不知道

Words with multiple meanings: 多義詞 (比較常見的"多義詞"在英語中的表達(dá))

Many native speakers think of it as two different words: 很多英語是母語的人會把多義詞看成幾個不同的詞

But for many English learners, they are the same word because the spelling and the pronunciation are the same: 但對很多學(xué)英語的人來說，它們拼法一樣，念法也一樣，明明就是一個詞啊

"Title"

剛打完的NBA總決賽、激戰(zhàn)正酣的歐洲杯，都會用到"title"這個詞。我們先來說說title吧，最常見的有以下三種意思：

Title:

1. name of a book, article and so forth: 書名、文章標(biāo)題等

2. description of a position, rank, status: 職稱、頭銜

3. championship: 冠軍

Job title: 工作職位、頭銜

Title of a book or article: 書名或文章的題目

In the context of sports, title means championship: 在體育相關(guān)的文本中，title指的是總冠軍

You can think of championship as something like a job title: 你也可以把總冠軍看作一個像工作職位一樣的頭銜

A person can be the president of a company while a team can be the champion of a competition: 一個人可以是公司的老總;一個球隊可以是比賽的冠軍(兩者都是頭銜)

This year, Spain is defending their Euro Cup title: 今年西班牙是歐洲杯的衛(wèi)冕球隊

"Conference"

Conference:

1. meeting: 會議、大會

2. an association of sports teams that play each other: 體育聯(lián)合會、賽區(qū)，只有NBA和NHL(全美冰球聯(lián)賽)等一些賽事才分conference

You can also see a conference as a meeting of teams : 你可以把體育賽事中的conference看作是一場球隊的集會

Eastern and Western Conference: 東部賽區(qū)、西部賽區(qū)

說完體育，說說口語中最容易造成誤解的多義詞!

最容易被理解錯的單詞

"Fine"

Fine有兩個截然不同的意思:

1. good, great: 好、棒

2. money one has to pay as punishment: 罰款、罰金 (亦可作動詞，表示對...處以罰款)

I always like talking about the word "fine", because so many of my Chinese friends say this word every day: 我覺得fine這個詞很有意思，我的很多中國朋友常把它掛嘴邊

It's one of the very first English words that people learn: Fine算是大家學(xué)英語最早接觸的詞之一了

One meaning of "fine" is "good": "Fine"的一個意思就是"好、不錯"

Right now, in Shanghai, there're so many police on the street, stopping people on their motorcycles and scooters and giving them a fine: 現(xiàn)在上海路上警察不少，專攔那些違反交規(guī)的騎摩托車、騎電動車的人，然后開罰款

I got fined today: 我今天被罰款了

Singaporeans often say that Singapore is a very "fine" country: 新加坡人喜歡說自己的國家是一個很"fine"的國家，一語雙關(guān)，一來說國家好，二來表示這個國家各種罰款很多

Spitting on the street could result in a 2000-Singapore-dollar fine: 隨地吐痰可能就要罰2000新幣

"Mean"

Mean的不同含義：

intent to convey or refer to: 表示…意思 (動詞)

unkind: 不友好的、刻薄的、兇兇的 (形容詞)

excellent: 出色的，口語中使用，形容技術(shù)、技巧高超， (形容詞)

The word "mean" really confused the hell out of me: Mean這個詞以前我真是怎么都搞不清

What does this word mean?: 這個詞什么意思?

Mean Girls: 一部美國電影，講的是一群很刻薄的高中女欺負(fù)其他同學(xué)

My mom makes a mean Lasagna: 我媽做的千層面特別好吃

He plays a mean guitar: 他吉他彈得特別棒

When talking about a person's skills, "mean" is a compliment that suggests he or she is high-skilled: 如果mean形容的是一個人的技巧、技能，那這個時候mean其實是說這個人做得特別好、特別棒

Maybe it's a slang. Maybe it's not. But people say it: 不管算不算是俚語，這個用法現(xiàn)在依然流行

Jenny records a mean podcast: Jenny的播客做的特別好

When referring to skills, "mean" is good; when referring to personalities, "mean" is bad: 講一個人的技術(shù)、技能，用mean是褒義的;提到一個人本身或其性格，mean就是個貶義詞了

"Neat"

Neat的意思：

1. clean and tidy: 干凈整潔

2. very good, cool: 極好的

For a lot of you who have learned the word "neat", you might know it means "clean and tidy": 學(xué)過neat這個詞的人都應(yīng)該知道neat有干凈整潔的意思

It's a really nice, simple word to use in everyday spoken English to mean "cool": 在日常英語口語中，用neat代替cool特別好用

That's neat: 好的，不錯，真棒

You can also replace "good" with "neat": 想說good的時候也可以用neat來代替

"Correct"

Correct的主要意思:

1. (adj.) right: 正確的

2. (verb) put right; make right: 修正、糾正

I think about this word every time I use the bank machine: 我每次用ATM機(jī)的時候都會想到這個詞

Especially when I need to pay the rent, I need to put in so many numbers: 付房租的時候我要往ATM機(jī)里輸好長一串?dāng)?shù)字

landlord's bank account/bank card number: 房東的銀行賬號/銀行卡號

Sometimes I make a mistake: 有時候不小心輸錯了

I look at the button on the side and it says "correct": 我看到旁邊的一個按鈕寫著"correct"

But this word can have two different meanings: 但這個詞有兩個意思

That's correct: 沒錯 (表示信息正確)

If you made a mistake, then you need to correct it: 如果出錯了就要將其改正

Have you figured it out?: 你最后搞清楚了嗎?

I just use the Chinese. It's much easier: 我就直接看中文，反而比看英語輕松

"Note"

note作為名詞的主要兩個意思：

1. a piece of paper with information written on it: 紙條

2. banknote, paper money: 紙幣

to write someone a note: 給某人寫紙條、留便條

Some students take notes in class while some pass notes to each other: 上課的時候，有些同學(xué)記筆記，有些同學(xué)互相傳小紙條

banknote: 紙幣

coins and notes: 硬幣和紙幣

In monetary terms, notes refer to paper money: 講貨幣的時候，notes指的就是紙幣

This machine can only provide five-dollar notes: 本機(jī)只提供面值5美元的紙幣

*說到紙幣，note在英式英語里更常用;而美國人更習(xí)慣用bill這個詞。也是多義詞，除了賬單，還有一個意思是紙幣。如: five-dollar bills五元紙幣"

"Company"

Company的主要兩種意思：

1. a firm or business: 公司

2. the state of being with someone: 他人的陪伴

I'm very lonely. I could use some company: 我好孤單，要有人陪陪我就好了

Adam, you are great company: Adam, 有你陪伴真好

to keep somebody company: 陪某人

You're the company you keep: 近朱者赤，近墨者黑

Party

Party的意思:

1. a social event: 派對

2. a group of people: 一群人，一個團(tuán)體

As you go into restaurant, the waiter/waitress might ask you "How many people in your party?": 進(jìn)餐廳的時候服務(wù)員會問你"請問幾位?"

The bride, bridegroom, groomsmen and bridesmaids are collectively known as the wedding party: 新郎新娘伴郎伴娘一行人統(tǒng)稱wedding party

The party after the wedding is actually called the wedding reception: 婚禮后的宴會不叫wedding party，叫做wedding reception

"Call"

Call的兩個意思：

1. a telephone call or to make a telephone call: 電話、打電話

2. decision: 決定

You make the call/Your call: 你拿主意，由你決定

That's a good call/Good call: 好主意!

to make bad calls or wrong calls: 吹黑哨

Where are we going to dinner tonight?: 今晚去哪吃?

It's your call: 你來決定

We don't really say "Bad call" to our friends: 朋友之間不太會把call作貶義用

That was a terrible call: 這個球吹得太爛了 (在看足球、籃球賽的時候經(jīng)常說)