生活英语对话 Episode 54: A mother-daughter chat

本单元是关于母女聊天的对话

Michal: Helen, this place is enormous!
Helen: It's just a house, don't get so overexcited by it. And promise me you won't treat me differently after this visit.
Mum: Hello! Just drop your bags anywhere dears. Michal, will you get daddy in from the garden? Then we'll all have a nice cup of Chinese tea together.
Michal: Of course.
Mum: Oh Helen, he's adorable! I know I said you were too young for love but that was ages ago and it's a woman's prerogative² to change her mind.
Helen: Mum, I think he's the one!
Mum: Oh me too, I watched you two coming up the path and I saw how you looked at him. Do I hear wedding bells?
Helen: Don't say that, you'll jinx us!


Vocabulary:字汇

prerogative:特权
right or privilege

Do I hear wedding bells?: 快结婚了？
Are you going to get married soon?

to jinx something: 带来坏运气
to cause bad luck or to turn good luck into bad luck

本单元的语言点是前缀，在一些子的前面加上字首，这个字的意义就改变了。 举例来说，'excited'的前面加上'over'就变成overexcited，意思是'too much' 或 'too excited'

Prefixes⁴

You can make change the meaning of some words by adding prefixes (extra letters at the beginning of words).
For example, you can change the meaning of 'excited' to mean 'too much' or 'too excited' by adding 'over' to the beginning of it to make overexcited.

Too much, more than, many and do/be more than:

too much - over
excited (adj) - overexcited
spend (v) - overspend
confident (adj) - overconfident

more than - super
market (n) - supermarket
natural (adj, n) - supernatural
hero (n) - superhero

many - multi
layered (adj) - multilayered
tasking (n) - multitasking
purpose (n) - multi-purpose

do/be more than - out
run (v) - outrun
sell (v) - outsell
grow (v) – outgrow

Not and opposite:

not - non
verbal (adj) - non-verbal
smoking (adj) - non-smoking
returnable (adj)- non-returnable

opposite - in
competent (adj) - incompetent
convenient (adj) - inconvenient
expensive (adj) - inexpensive

opposite - im (before 'p')
possible (adj) - impossible
patient (adj) - impatient
perfect (adj) - imperfect

opposite - il (before 'l')
legal (adj) - illegal
legible (adj) - illegible⁵
logical (adj) - illogical

opposite - ir (before 'r')
replaceable (adj) - irreplaceable
responsible (adj) - irresponsible
relevant (adj) - irrelevant


Using hyphens with prefixes:
Most words which are created with prefixes don't use hyphens. However, some prefixed words do use hyphens, for example, the prefixes co (co-operate), pro¹ (pro-government) and non (non-starter).

Some words with prefixes are hyphenated and other words with the same prefix³ aren't. For example multilayered and multi-purpose There's no hard and fast rule why this is the case.

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 prerogative   

n.特权

参考例句：

• It is within his prerogative to do so.他是有权这样做的。
• Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers.作这类决定并不是管理者的专有特权。

3 prefix   

n.前缀；vt.加…作为前缀；置于前面

参考例句：

• We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
• In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。

4 prefixes   

n.前缀( prefix的名词复数 )；人名前的称谓；前置代号（置于前面的单词或字母、数字）

参考例句：

• The prefixes cis and trans are frequently applied to disubstituted cycloalkanes. 词头顺和反常用于双取代的环烷烃。 来自辞典例句
• Why do you use so many prefixes while talking? 你说起话来，怎么这么多中缀？ 来自互联网

5 illegible   

adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的

参考例句：

• It is impossible to deliver this letter because the address is illegible.由于地址字迹不清，致使信件无法投递。
• Can you see what this note says—his writing is almost illegible!你能看出这个便条上写些什么吗？他的笔迹几乎无法辨认。