Hit the Nail on the HeadBy Alan Warner

选词要恰到好处作者：艾伦.沃纳

第一段

①Have you ever watched a clumsy man hammering a nail into a box? ②He hits it first to one side, then to

another, perhaps knocking it over completely, so that in the end he only get half of it into the wood. ③A skilful carpenter, on the other hand, will drive home the nail with a few firm, deft blows, hitting it each time squarely on the head. [续]①你看过笨手笨脚的人往箱子上钉钉子吗？② 他左敲敲，右敲敲，还可能会把整个钉子砸倒，以 至于最后只钉进了半截子。③但是，技艺精湛的木 匠每次都会正对着钉子，熟练果断地落锤。 [续]

④So with language; the good craftsman will choose words that drive home his point firmly and exactly. ⑤A

word [that is more or less right], a loose phrase, an ambiguous expression, a vague adjective, will not satisfy a writer [who aims at clean English]. ⑥He will try always to get the word [that is completely right for his purpose].④语言也是如此；优秀的作家会选那些能准确有力

地表达观点的词。⑤那些似是而非，模棱两可的 词、短语、表达方式和修饰方式，都不能让一位追 求纯正英语的作家满意。⑥他会一直努力思考，直 至找到他想要的那个词。

第二段

①The French have an apt phrase for this. ②They speak of “le mot juste”, the word that is just right. ③

Stories are told of scrupulous writers, like Flaubert, who spent days trying to get one or two sentences exactly right. [续]①法国人有一个很贴切的短语，可以表达这个 意思。②这就是le mot juste,意思是“恰到好处的 词”。③关于精益求精的作家，有很多传闻轶事，

比如，福楼拜(Flaubert)为了使一两个句子准确 无误，常常花费几天时间。 [续]

④Words are many and various; they are subtle and delicate in their different shades of meaning, and it is not easy to find the ones that express precisely what we want to say. ⑤It is not only a matter of having a good command of language and a fairly wide vocabulary; it is also

necessary to think hard and to observe accurately. [续]

④在浩瀚的词海中，词与词之间在意义上往往存 在着微妙精细的差别，所以要找到那些能精确表 意的词很不容易。⑤这不仅是扎实的语言功底和 相当大的词汇量的问题，还需要努力思考，准确 观察。

⑥Choosing words is part of the process of realization, of defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves, as well as for those who hear or read our words. ⑦ Someone once remarked: “ How can I know what I think till I see what I say? ⑧This sounds stupid, but there is a great deal of truth in it.

⑥而选词就是我们达到目标的一个步骤，也是为 我们自己，以及听众或读者详细描述我们的思想 感情而必须的一个

环节。⑦有人曾经说过：“在 我的思想成文之前，我怎么知道自己的想法呢？” ⑧这听起来似乎很离谱，但确实很有道理。

第三段

①It is hard work choosing the right words, but we shall be rewarded by the satisfaction that finding them brings. ②The exact use of language gives us mastery over the material we are dealing with. [续]

①找恰到好处的词，通常会很难。②但是， 如果找到了那个词，我们会很欣慰：辛劳得到了 回报。③准确地使用语言可以使我们很好地驾驭 语言材料。 [续]

③Perhaps you have been asked “what sort of a man is so-and-so?” ④You begin: “Oh, I think he’s quite a nice

chap but he’s rather…” and then you hesitate trying to find a word or phrase to express what it is about him that you don’t like, that constitutes his limitation. ⑤ When you find the right phrase, you feel that your conception of the man is cleaner and sharper…

④例如，可能有人问过你：“某某人怎样？” ⑤

你回答说：“嗯，我认为他是个不错的家伙，但 他非常…”然后你停了下来，因为你要努力找一个 词或短语来说明他哪里让你讨厌，有什么不足。 ⑥当你找到恰当短语时，你会感觉自己对他的看 法更清楚，也更精确了。

第四段

①Some English words have a common root but are used in very different senses. ②Consider human

and humane, for example. [续]①有些英语词的词根相同，但意义截然不同。

②例如，human和humane。 [续]

③Their origin is the same and their meanings are related, but their usage is distinct. ④A human action is not the same thing as a humane action. ⑤We cannot

speak of a Declaration of Humane Rights.——There is a weapon called a humane killer, but it is not a human killer.

③它们词根相同，词义也相关，但用法不同。④

human action(人类行为，译者注)不同于 humane action (人道行为，译者注)。⑤我们不能 说Declaration of Humane Rights。⑥有一种屠宰工 具叫humane killer(麻醉屠宰机或无痛屠宰机，译 者注),而不叫human killer (杀人的人或装置， 译者注)。

第五段

①We don’t have to look far afield to find evidence of bad carpentry in language. ②A student, replying to

an invitation to dinner, finished his letter: “I shall be delighted to come and I am looking forward to the day with anxiety.” ③Anxiety carries with it suggestions of worry and fear. [续]

①语言中用词不当的例子在我们身边随处可 见。 ②有一名学生被邀请参加宴会，他写信予以 回复。③他的信是这样结尾的：“I shall be

delighted to come and I am looking forward to the day with anxiety. ” ④anxiety含有忧 …… 此处隐藏：1972字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……